LAMB may be synonymous with spring, but you can enjoy it at any time of year. The only difference is that with each season you can expect a slightly different product. No better, no worse – just different. And so, I always think it's crucial to know just what to buy, when and why.
In a restaurant most chefs will instinctively go for spring lamb – it is light, succulent and full of flavour. But where the animal is reared is massively important.
Lambs farmed on the hills are tough little animals. They need to endure harsh wea
ther and often there is no nice farmer to assist them. The resulting meat tastes of the heather and wild thyme they graze on, and it is sweet and tender. The hill breeds are generally a smaller animal with less fat, while breeds such as Suffolk and Leicester are bigger with more fat. Very succulent and full of flavour.
Lambs reared near the coast often stray on to salt marshes and graze on such things as seaweed, resulting in a distinctively flavoured salted meat.
Rarer breeds are increasingly popular and there are quite a few smaller hill breeds in Scotland that make wonderful eating.
I don't get overly stressed about the "organic" tag when it comes to lamb. By their very nature, they tend to be a bit wild anyway, especially in the northern half of Britain where most live.
We all know that older animals can get tougher, requiring different cooking methods. But while it's often assumed that younger lamb makes for a better meal, it's often not the case. I'm probably a bit different to a lot of chefs on this point but I prefer lamb to be a little older. When the Plumed Horse was in Castle Douglas, I used to get organic lamb that was a year old. A firm covering of fat on all cuts of meat gives a richly-flavoured meat.
Then there's mutton. It's usually relegated to just the humble casserole, but what a casserole it can make if you choose your mutton carefully. Opt for the leg or shoulder, cook the same as lamb, it can taste divine. It does take more preparation to remove a lot of the fat, but it's worth it. When you have the right cut of lamb, the cooking is simple.
A good pairing with lamb is rhubarb and it creates a perfect contrast for dessert. I always have a rhubarb dessert on the menu in summer, and it's a popular choice. Clotted cream is a bit lazy, but it tastes fabulous if it's fresh. If you have an ice cream machine, you could add some to an ice cream custard just as it is at the end of churning.
It's simple, easy, unpretentious food that lets the flavours do the talking – just as it should be.
• Tony Borthwick is head chef of the Plumed Horse, 50-54 Henderson Street, 0131 554 5556 RECIPESBest end of organic lamb with its braised neck filletIngredients1 best end of lamb, French trimmed
1 neck fillet, trimmed of most of the fat
1 loin fillet
1 egg white
1 bunch basil
1 glass red wine
1 litre lamb stock
1 garlic clove, bruised
50g shallot, sliced
50g carrot, diced
30g celeriac or celery
1 bay leaf
1 small sprig thyme
Method:Seal off the neck fillet in a heavy pan, browning it on all sides. Add the vegetables to the pan and colour these too, then add the herbs. This gives your sauce a nice nut-brown colour, which should end up being clear.
De-glaze the pan with the red wine and add the lamb stock. If you need to, transfer this to a saucepan. Simmer gently until the fats rise to the surface. Skim them off as they do so. You may need to top the braising liquor up with water.
It will take the best part of two hours to cook this cut of meat. Test it with your fingers, it should feel as if you could break it up easily in your hand. When it is cooked, allow it to cool in the liquor, then refrigerate.
Puree the loin fillet with the egg white and the basil. Pass through a sieve.
Place a piece of cling film on a work-top, put the cold cooked neck fillet on the clingfilm. Season with salt and ground white pepper. Evenly spread the pureed fillet and basil along the length of the neck fillet, and wrap in the clingfilm. Put back in the fridge.
Bring your braising juices to the simmer and pass the liquor through a cloth, then reduce to a coating consistency. Heat your heavy pan and put in the best end fat side down, allowing the fats to render down to cook the lamb in. Turn the lamb and brown on all sides. Season with salt and freshly ground white pepper, and put in the oven on a few vegetable trimmings to stop the lamb sticking to the pan.
Your average rack of lamb will be pink in an oven gas mark 7 or 200C for about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and rest in a warm place, covered in a butter paper for five minutes.
Poach the neck fillet in simmering water for ten minutes. Remove the neck fillet from the cling film and cut in half. Plate it with the rack, cut into cutlets, then sauce and serve with green vegetables and square potatoes.
Rhubarb crumble with clotted cream (serves two)Ingredients:400g forced new season rhubarb
1 vanilla pod
150g demerara sugar
50g stem ginger, finely diced
50g caster sugar
50g ground almonds
50g unsalted butter
Method:Clean rhubarb and chop into 2cm lengths and put in a large pan. Split the vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds and add to the rhubarb. Cook slowly with the demerara sugar to release the natural juices. It should be very moist and soft without being sloppy, the sugar and juice will combine to make a nice syrup. When the correct consistency has been achieved, add the ginger and allow to cool. Put in individual ramekins or little dishes.
Rub the butter and caster sugar into the ground almonds – this goes on top of the rhubarb. Put into a medium oven for around ten minutes, the topping will have crisped up nicely. Put a dollop of clotted cream on top and serve immediately.
The full article contains 1081 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
