Mutton: dressed up and glam
Forget its old image, mutton is making a comeback - it's even on the menu at the Ivy. Mark Taylor reports
Mutton has one of the worst images of any meat, but it is enjoying a renaissance in dozens of top restaurants and pubs, including the Ivy and Racine in London, Northcote Manor near Blackburn, Ye Olde Bulls Head at Beaumaris, Anglesey, Quartier Vert in Bristol, and the Foxhunter at Nantyderry, Monmouthshire. Interest in the meat has been driven by Prince Charles, who spear headed the Mutton Renaissance campaign, launched last year to get the meat back on British dinner plates.
Top chef Henry Harris, of London restaurant Racine, is one of mutton's many high-profile fans. He says: "Mutton has an
intense and rich taste and a unique texture that is quite unlike lamb. A simple mutton casserole or a Moroccan-style tagine demand long, slow cooking and can be left in a low oven for a few hours. The flavour of the mutton further intensifies during the cooking process and it delivers an eating experience that's truly delicious."
Angela Davies and her husband Tony are fifth-generation farmers who run the Elan Valley Mutton Company from Henfron
Farm in the Elan Valley, Powys. They have recently started selling mutton to pubs, restaurants and home cooks via their website, www.elanvalleymutton.co.uk. At last month's Ludlow food festival, they sold out of their entire stock within hours of setting up their stall.
"This is a new business venture for us, which has grown very quickly," says Angela. "We've always kept and eaten our own mutton and really enjoyed it. We noticed more interest in mutton in the food and farming press so we thought we'd give
it a go." She adds: "Our mutton is three year- old 'Wether', which is a castrated, non-breeding sheep, so all it has done in its life is graze on grass and herbs. It has an incredible flavour."
Matt Tebbutt, of Monmouthshire gastro pub the Foxhunter, buys his mutton from Model Farm, of Ross-on-Wye, an organic
co-operative in Herefordshire. "Mutton is under-rated and creates some really tasty dishes," he says, "but it's vital it is properly hung. The favourite dishes on our menu
are simple ones, such as braised mutton with caper sauce, organic mutton with artichokes and olives or just a traditional Welsh stew."
Andrew Lawrence, chef/proprietor of the Farmers Arms near Crickhowell, Powys, introduced mutton to his menu last
autumn, but it received a mixed reaction.
"It didn't go as well as I expected," he says, "but I sold more when it was on as a special and my wife could recommend it to customers.
"Mutton has a beautiful flavour but I think you need to help it along with an accompaniment such as tarragon mash. I
cooked it a couple of ways: slow cooking definitely enhanced the flavour and people's enjoyment of it. At least 80% of the customers said they would have it again."
For more information about suppliers, restaurants and recipes, contact Mutton Renaissance on 0870 242 3219 or visit www.muttonrenaissance.org.uk
