Trend Watch - Goat meat

Now goat meat is starting to become a trend this side of the pond. It’s considered a healthier alternative to beef, pork and lamb and is hugely versatile.

The biggest hindrance is the lack of availability in this country, as many supermarkets and butchers don’t stock kid of chevon. But there are a handful of suppliers.

Harrods department store, always quick off the mark, has been selling the meat on its food counter since 2010, as a whole shoulder joint or diced for stewing.

Another supplier keen to spread the word is Cabrito, run by chef James Wheltor and farmer Jack Jennings. Since the company’s launch in April 2012 it has supplied top restaurants with the meat after taking in unwanted dairy kids.

St John in Smithfield, London includes kid chop from the supplier as one of its mains, served with chard and anchovy for £23.80. Aumbry in Manchester and street food company Gourmet Goat, which sells kid dishes at markets and festivals in the UK, are also two of its customers.

Goat is generally a product seen at high-end restaurants and gastropubs, partly because the amount of feed required means it is an expensive animal to rear. But it is beginning to become more commonplace.

ETM Group sitethe Jugged Hare in Barbican, London hosted a ‘Fine Wine and Seasonal British Food Evening’ featuring Wheltor and Jennings last year. A spokeswoman said: “The event sold out within hours of sending out a mail shot and we had some fantastic feedback on the evening.”

Flinty Red in Bristol has included kid goat meat on its menu for more than a year and chef Josh Aldiston says the reception from customers has been “strangely good”.

“We generally get customers ringing up once or twice a week to check goat is on the menu, which doesn’t happen with many of our other dishes,” he said.

“I think it’s for a range of reasons – it’s healthier but people also choose it from a welfare point of view. They are animals that may not otherwise lead the best life.

“I definitely think it’s a trend on the up, although I’m not sure how long it will take as a lot of places do not have access to a goat supplier.”

He added that kid goat has been served in a range of ways on its menu – shoulder of goat twice cooked and served with polenta; included with cabbage and capers on a salad; goat liver and heart; and cooked on a charcoal grill.