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  amb
from Britain’s rare breeds kept on grass and matured at their own
pace is truly something to savour. But the breeds vary in flavour
and texture in much the same way as different varieties of wine or
cheese do. Tender and flavoursome, you will enjoy trying the meat
from different breeds as it becomes available at different times of
the year. Watch out too for our Hogget Lamb, mainly from rare
Primitive breeds, a different experience again.
Meat from the following breeds is generally
available between June and February although this may vary due to
seasonal and meteorological circumstances.
Meat from different breeds varies as do the eating
qualities of different varieties of apples or potatoes. Here are
some notes on the breeds we offer from time to time. We've also
prepared a guide to the different cuts
available: click here.
Black Welsh Mountain
No longer considered a rare breed, this is one of a few breeds that
made lamb from the Welsh hills such a famous gastronomic experience.
 Cotswold
Claimed to be descended from sheep introduced by the Romans, the
Cotswold is a large framed, longwool breed producing high quality,
sweet lamb.
Dorset Down
This breed is renowned for its ability to produce early lambs and
the meat is tender and succulent with a delicate flavour.
Galway
Originally from Ireland, the Galway is quite large and produces good
quality, succulent lamb from grass.
 Greyface Dartmoor
A west country breed which can thrive on poor grazing. Developed
primarily for wool for the carpet industry, it produces high quality
meat with the ability to have larger joints for family and catering
needs.
Hill Radnor
A breed from mid-Wales with a tan coloured face indicating ancient
lineage. Lamb from the Hill Radnor is well flavoured and tender and
worth looking out for.
Jacob
No longer considered a rare breed, Jacobs with their distinctive
‘coat of many colours’, produce sweet, rich meat.
Kerry Hill
A strikingly marked black and white sheep from Wales, the Kerry Hill
produces high quality lean meat which is widely sought after.
Leicester Longwool
A large, polled breed developed primarily for wool production. The
meat is well-flavoured and marbled with fine eating qualities.
Lincoln Longwool
Another large wool producer, meat from the Lincoln is robust and
succulent.
Llanwenog
A breed from south-west Wales providing a good quality carcase of
well-flavoured meat.
Norfolk Horn
Originally developed for the brecklands of East Anglia, the Norfolk
Horn can prosper on poor grazing. They produce a lean carcase of
darker meat which is well flavoured and succulent.
Oxford Down
A larger framed breed from Oxfordshire, developed from crossing
the Cotswold breed with Hampshire sheep, the Oxford Down produces
sweet, succulent meat.
Portland
Originating in Dorset, the Portland is an old breed producing some
of the very finest meat available. Sweet, succulent and tender with
good flavour, Portland is well worth looking out for.
Ryeland
The Ryeland is a small breed from the rolling hills of
Herefordshire. Once it was famed for its fine wool but with
selective breeding it has evolved into a down-like breed producing
fine quality meat with smaller-sized joints.
Shropshire
A down breed well suited to the harsher climate along the Welsh
borders, the Shropshire matures early to produce good quality, lean
lamb.
Southdown
Once, one of the most popular British breeds developed on the Sussex
Downs for the London market, changing fashions saw its decline to
rare breed status. The Southdown produces top quality meat which is
sweet and succulent.
“Our saddles of lamb are all Southdown and have been for many years.
Our customers demand only the best” – Brian Clivaz, MD,
Simpson’s-in-the-Strand, London
Teeswater
A large-framed breed from north east England producing large joints
which are juicy and well flavoured.
Wensleydale
A famous breed from the North Yorkshire Dales, the Wensleydale
produces high quality, succulent lamb.
Whiteface Dartmoor
From the moors of Devon, this breed produces well flavoured,
sweet lamb from natural herbage.
Whitefaced Woodland
The alternative name, the Penistone, gives a clue to their origin in
the area where the borders of Yorkshire, Lancashire and Derbyshire
meet. Originally popular for mutton they now produce good quality
lean lamb with medium to large joints.
Wiltshire Horn
A Down breed best known for the fact that it does not grow wool
and thus does not need shearing. The carcase quality is good with
lean meat which is well flavoured and very popular.
Hogget Lamb
Some of Britian’s rarest breeds are sheep which
mature very slowly on poor pasture. Most of these are termed
‘Primitive’ breeds which are small in size, usually brown or black
on colour and often with large or unusal horns. Because of their
slow development, they are not usually ready for the table in the
same year as they are born but in the following year which makes
them ‘hoggets’. This is very different from mutton which was
traditionally meat from animals of at least two or three years old.
Primitive lamb is quite different from other lamb in
its texture and struture. The meat is very lean and dense, almost
more like venison in appearance than lamb. The bones are fine but
very, very hard. Studies at the Scottish Agricultural College have
shown that the meat is low in saturated fats which have been
associated with rasied levels of cholestrol in our bodies. Such meat
needs longer cooking in a slightly cooler oven. Primitive lamb is
flavoursome and delicious and well worth trying for a special
occasion.
Meat from different breeds varies as do the eating
qualities of different varieties of apples or potatoes. Here are
some notes on the breeds we offer from time to time.
Balwen
A Welsh mountain breed which is quite small in size. The meat is
lean and tender with good flavour.
Boreray
One of our rarest breeds from the distant St Kilda Islands. One of
the larger Primitive breeds, the meat is dark, lean and full
flavoured.
Castlemilk Moorit
One of the Primitive breeds from the Borders region of Scotland.
Small in stature, select a leg or a shoulder for a family joint of
rich, dark meat.
Hebridean
One of the larger Primitive breeds originating in the Western Isles,
Hebridean sheep are now found throughout Britain. A good flavoured
lean meat with the qualities expected in a lamb of this type. Ideal
for a special meal.
 Manx Loghtan
A Primitive breed from the Isle of Man, this breed is justly
renowned for the quality of its meat which is lean and
well-flavoured.
North Ronaldsay
From the Orkney Islands this small Primitive breed is unique in
eating seaweed from the foreshore as its preferred diet.
 There are
now small numbers eating herbage on mainland Britian so you may find
this well-flavoured meat on offer occasionally.
Shetland
The Shetland is the link between Primitive and more conventional
breeds and whilst lean and quite densely textured, the meat is not
as dark and fully flavoured as the other Primitive breeds.
Soay
A small bodied, Primitive breed, the Soay provides delicious,
full-flavoured meat. Try boned and rolled shoulder stuffed with a
fruit-based stuffing such as apricot.
For something quite different, watch out for smoked
lamb from some of these breeds. A Scandinavian speciality, light
smoking adds piquancy and flavour.
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