Lamb is everyone's favourite regardless of the culture. It can add a lot to any dish across the world; it can be found in Welsh hotpots, classic lamb chops, Middle Eastern lamb kofte kebabs or mutton curries from India and the Caribbean. However, not everyone knows how to find a first rate cut at an affordable price. This buyer's guide will give you all the information you about the lamb options and how the UK customers can save more when eating and cooking lamb.
Lamb has been part of a lot of culinary cultures for thousands of years. Previously for a long time, sheep were shepherded by nomads in central Asia and Europe. In the past four thousand years, however, lamb production has become more agricultural. It further spread across the world to fertile grasslands in North America and New Zealand, resulting in a global consumption of lamb.
In the UK, many of the lamb dishes we eat have ancient origins. The origin of Scottish dish Haggis that uses sheep's intestines can be traced back to the 1400s. Hot pots, also called stovies, have been a key part of Welsh and Lancashire cuisines for a while since women used to cook while working using the slow stewing method. In the 17th century, lamb chops began to be served in huge quantities at specialist London chophouses.
In other parts of the world, the history of lamb in traditional dishes is even longer. For instance, we have no idea who created the first kofte and when. The same goes to moussaka or popular lamb curries like Rogan Josh. All we know is that people have been loving these lamb-based dishes for decades and even centuries.
Today, the world's biggest lamb producers are New Zealand, China, Australia, the UK and Turkey. The major lamb consumers like African countries and India import a lot of the meat they consume from other countries. With producers and consumers all over the globe, the lamb market provides consumers with plenty of choices and thus consumers have a number of ways to save money on the best lamb that they can find.
First, we will get into what "lamb" actually refers to. Even though it is essentially from sheep, not all sheep's meat is called lamb. So, what is lamb?
The main difference between lamb and other sheep's meat is the age of the sheep when they are slaughtered for meat. Sheep that are less than one years old are classified as lamb. Any sheep that are older than a year are referred to as hoggets, which you won't find in regular supermarkets. Any sheep's meat that isn't from officially classified lamb is known as mutton and it is labelled accordingly.
Lamb is usually preferred to mutton for cooking for a number of reasons. First, lamb is leaner and has less fat on the joint. It's also more tender, particularly spring lamb that is from sheep of under three months old. The flavour is also different; mutton tends to develop a gamey and wild taste, which some people might prefer, while lamb tastes meatier and milder.
For these reasons, mutton is almost always far cheaper than lamb. It takes a bit of refining skills but mutton dishes can be just as delectable when you cook and treat it right.
When we discuss meat, we usually have to zero in on particular parts of the meat we're dealing with, which are known as cuts. Here's what to ask for when you head to your local butcher or supermarket counter:
Shoulder — Shoulder is one of the most flavoursome parts of the lamb. It takes a while to get its full flavour out and cook it really tender, so it's often used for stews and hotpots. Most people prefer to cook it without removing the bone, which should further enrich the flavours as much as possible.
Chops — Traditionally coming from the rib, chops are ideal for barbecues and roast. They tend to me more expensive than shoulder cuts, mainly due to their extremely tender meat. They are delicious when marinated in mint sauce.
Loin chops — Cut from the lamb's waist, loin chops resemble T-bone steaks. Almost as tender and pricey as chops, loin chops are perfect for barbecuing and grilling. A few of them together make a good smaller roasting joint.
Rump — Cut from the back of the lamb, rump meat is also very tender and rich in flavour. The best way to cook this part of the lamb is to pan fry, as over-grilled rump can ba extremely tough to chew. Pan fry the outside and then finish cooking in the oven for a perfect restaurant-style rump.
Lamb leg — A leg of lamb is a great dish to cook on a laid-back Sunday afternoon. Even though it is lean and full of flavour, it is not as tender as other cuts, making it vulnerable to over-cooking. But when done right, lamb legs are the best option for family gatherings and weekend grilling with friends.
Shank — A simple and cheaper cut of lamb, the shank is from the lower part of the back legs. Because of its high content of collagen, it tends to become pulled-lamb and easily break apart when slow-cooked for a long period of time. It's also a perfect part for stews.
Neck — Also a cheap cut, the neck is another affordable but delicious lamb option. The best results come from slow-cooking with stock and vegetables, but pan-fried lamb neck can do the trick too. This part is the ideal cut for Rogan Josh curries.
Liver — Full of vitamin A, lamb's liver goes perfectly with fried onions, gravy and mashed potato. It's a common ingredient in many dishes from all over the world, including the South African delicacy Skilpadjes, the dish with minced liver barbecued on a skewer with herbs.
Kidneys — A great source of vitamin C, the kidney has a distinct, alluring flavour and is easy to cook. Some people cook it in spicy sauce to make a Victorian British breakfast dish called devilled kidney and the others make it as a steak or put it in kidney pies. It does not cost too much either.
Mince — An increasingly popular alternative to steak mince, lamb mince is perfect for popular dishes like yuk sung, moussaka and lamb kofte meatballs, as well as British favourites like shepherd's pie.
There are quite a few different ways to cook lamb and the right way of cooking depends on which dish you are preparing:
Roasting — Roasting is a perfect way to cook legs and chops. Professional cooks tend to roast legs of lamb with garlic, lemon zest and rosemary at around 200 degrees and serve them with mint sauce.
Pan-frying — If you are cooking small chops, cubes or strips of lamb, pan-frying, or sautéing, is often the best and the easiest option. You would only need a mixture of butter and olive oil to make it delectable but make sure you don't overcook it; a chop usually only needs about three minutes on each side over moderate heat.
Braising — If your meat is a bit more tougher, braising is a great way to make it tender. This usually means slow cooking with a variety of vegetables. This way of cooking usually requires the flavoured meat to be briefly pan-fried to keep the juice from coming out before going into an oven for some time between 90 minutes and up to 2 hours in a casserole pan.
Barbecuing/grilling — Probably the most common way to cook lamb, grilling or barbecuing requires the use of the right kind of lamb cut. Chops are always a good option, and as are kofte meatballs, which you can usually buy readily-attached to skewers. If you are using shoulder chops, marinating them for a few hours before grilling would do the trick.
Stewing/currying — Similar to braising, stewing and currying require pre-cooking the lamb before adding additional ingredients such as vegetables, spices and sauces. Rogan josh and jalfrezi sauces always make great lamb curries and you can find them easily available in jars at most UK supermarkets.
If you are shopping for meat, lamb might not be the first thing that you think of. Many people consider lamb a premium meat and think big legs of lamb are out of their price range. However, this is not necessarily true.
You might be surprised by how often major supermarkets offer legs of lamb for half a price. Of course you won't find it every day but you will see that on many given weekends, one of the larger grocery retailers offers lamb legs at a reduced price. You just need to know how to find these deals before they go out of sale.
The best way to secure the best affordable lamb deals is to regularly visit the HotUKDeals lamb listings. Our users scout around the shelves of Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Morrisons, Asda and Marks & Spencer for deals, so you can find an up-to-date lamb deal listing on HotUKDeals.
The listing also features everyday cuts like lamb chops or rump meat, as well as more exotic lamb products like ready-made kofte meatballs.
When big family gathering occasions like Christmas, Easter or Mother's Day approach, it's nice to have a prime cut of meat for everyone to enjoy. If this is the case, HotUKDeals offers a way to serve a big group and hold an amazing dinner party for less. It is likely that you'll find the right offer for your need in one of the major supermarkets before these special days. Just be mindful to shop in advance and as soon as the deals are announced to avoid looking sold-out deals on the day of.
Alternatively, you could keep an eye out for deals at any time of the year and then freeze your lamb to serve later for special occasions. Lamb freezes really well and this way, it lasts a while. So, when lamb deals emerge, be sure to stock up.
No one turns down a mouth-watering dish with a beautifully cooked leg of lamb and roasted potatoes, or with mint sauce marinated lamb chops or Greek style lamb in yogurt sauce. There are a number of ways to prepare lamb and impress even your most picky family member. So save money on any parts of lamb now with the lamb listings available on HotUKDeals.
