Make it mutton, says Pub Food Awards winner

Related tags Mutton Lamb and mutton Cooking Wales

The Pub Food Award winning Royal Standard of England, England's oldest freehouse, is urging more pubs to follow its lead and put mutton on the menu....

The Pub Food Award winning Royal Standard of England, England's oldest freehouse, is urging more pubs to follow its lead and put mutton on the menu.

Licensee Matthew O'Keeffe says more pubs should be cooking with mutton, which has been a mainstay of pub menus for centuries. "British pubs should support British cuisine - it shouldn't be about Thai fishcakes. Mutton is simple, tasty and inexpensive," he says.

Demand for the meat has grown since the launch of the Mutton Renaissance Campaign in 2004 by the Prince of Wales. It has also been championed by chefs such as Brian Turner, Mark Hix and John Williams at The Ritz.

Matthew says: "There are 12000 independent pubs in the UK and they should all be selling mutton - they are lucky in that they can bypass the big supply chains and deal with the farmers directly.

"Mutton really gives independent pubs a point of difference - the big chains won't have it and neither do the supermarkets. You will be selling something straight from the farm and customers will be eating a bit of history.

"Our menu is designed to be sympathetic to the pub's historical heritage, so we are cooking the old classics which are becoming a rarity. We source and cook food that cannot be bought in the supermarkets, or served in other eating establishments. This is not an altruistic vision, but one of good business sense. I want simple and ordinary food to taste good."

Matthew gets his mutton from Elwy Valley Lamb, near Denbigh in North Wales. Owner Daphne Tilley also supplies mutton to The Crooked Billet in Newton Longville, Milton Keynes; the Swan at the Globe, the Prince of Wales, the Cow and the Fat Badger, all in London.

Daphne says: "Mutton must be hung for at least 14 days to get it right. People sometimes think they don't like the meat but it will be because they have eaten it too fresh.

"Also most chefs will be put off buying a whole carcass, so we ensure we supply mutton cut to exact requirements - even after butchering and costs publicans and farmers can make a profit."

For pubs which have never cooked with mutton, Matthews advice is to try a shepherds' pie. "Mutton needs 14 days hanging time to get tender and tastier whereas minced mutton is tenderised by the meat grinder so it can be used earlier."