Borough Market Diaries: British Lamb in June

At Borough Market, British lamb is being sold from a variety of different breeds, ages and cuts, as British consumers become more adventurous in their cooking and consumption

Image: Regula Ysewijn

“All the lamb we sell comes from the east Midlands – more specifically Rutland, where our farm is based,” says Dominic McCourt who runs the Borough Market side of the family business, Northfield Farm. “About half are bred on our farm and the rest come from farms local to us.”

At Northfield Farm, you’ll find cuts of lamb from several breeds: Jacob, with its four spectacular horns, Ryland, Ileyn, Texel and Leicester, among others, and the meat is sold either as pure bred or crosses of these breeds.

“But for me, it’s the quality of husbandry and the nature of the environment, rather than the breed, that really matters.”

One thing you won’t find on the counter is spring lamb. For Dom, this is simply a matter of taste. “With meat, time often equals flavour. The complexity you get from an animal that has spent more time out in the pastures working its muscles is so much greater than that of a younger animal,” he says. “Another benefit is that larger animals give you joints big enough to be the centrepiece of a meal. The youngest lamb we sell will be at least six months old and we generally sell lamb up to 12 months. But we also go significantly beyond that, well into hogget territory.”

Spring lamb, when raised well, can produce very tender meat. But when cooked with skill, joints from older animals can also be meltingly tender. Dom believes the message is getting through that lamb can be a more flavourful and versatile meat than some might previously have thought.

“Nowadays we are selling a much wider variety of cuts, as our customers are exploring ways of using the whole animal,” he says. “For example, breast of lamb is a delicious cut that used to be very under-appreciated but is becoming more popular as people’s tastes are growing.”

Lamb shouldn’t be overlooked when planning for those special occasion meals, either.

“If I’m looking for something really special, one of the first things that comes to mind is lamb neck on the bone. It’s the neck joint, but continuing down the shoulder and into the back,” Dom explains. “These are very hard-working muscles and so are very tasty.’

I love serving this after a slow, 12-hour or overnight cook, which allows it to develop really rich flavours. Place the joint in the centre of the table and people can just pull pieces off for their plate, it’s so tender. But like any really good, well-bred meat, the exceptional flavour is the real star of the show.”

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Recipe Inspiration

​Jenny Chandler’s lamb burgers combine good quality British lamb mince with a sprinkling with North African spice and banana shallots to make a simple, yet flavourful burger.

See Recipe