Inside every old UK sheep there is still — potentially — a world class bit of meat. This one has retained the genes that make pigments go yellow when fed grass. Dark, dark red meat. Fat like butter. Aged to perfection. Not much marbling. This is cull yaw (or in Cornish terms, a cull yew) AKA mutton.
Lamb is a sheep up to 1 year old. After that, between 1 & 2 years old, it’s called hogget and anything upwards of 2 years can be called mutton. But older is better. Of course it is, sorry junior. Like the old milk cows that are used in Basque country for their fantastic flavoured meat.
Most of the mutton in the UK is culled between the ages of three and five years. However, in Matt’s flock of native breed Cull Yaw North of England Mule’s and Romney mutton sheep, the animals are notably older, usually aged seven years and above. Like the cows, these sheep have covered a substantial distance over the course of their lives, leading to a complete development of their muscles. Matt’s remaining task is to enhance their flavour by adding a delicious layer of fat. He does this by giving them as much biodiversity as possible, in his silvopasture woodland and rich herbal leys.
He supplies some of the most enjoyable places to eat, including BAO, Mangal 2, Smoking Goat, KILN and Brat.
