Gill Meller's 'Mutton with barley and samphire'
Samphire is a delicate coastal plant with a mild flavour. It has a slight salinity and a lovely texture and works so well with mutton and lamb.
I’ve used pearl barley in this stew, another great partner to mutton and one of my favourite grains.
This is one for cooking gently over a low heat.
Gill Meller's 'Mutton with barley and samphire'
Samphire is a delicate coastal plant with a mild flavour. It has a slight salinity and a lovely texture and works so well with mutton and lamb.
I’ve used pearl barley in this stew, another great partner to mutton and one of my favourite grains.
This is one for cooking gently over a low heat.
- Serves: 4
- Prepare: 10 Minutes
- Cook: 2 Hours 30 Minutes
- Difficulty: easy
WHO ARE THE ORGANIC BUTCHERY?
Starting life as an organic farm in the heart of the West Country, The Organic Butchery is proudly founded on a long history of organic principles. We source the best quality organic grass-fed and wild meats, sustainable fish and organic free-range poultry from trusted local suppliers and like-minded brands to guarantee the highest standards of animal welfare and environmental stewardship. Our mission is to approach butchery with a whole-carcass perspective, to make the most of every animal that crosses our blocks, which means we offer you cuts that you will never see on the supermarket shelves.
WHAT IS ORGANIC MUTTON?
Our free-range Lleyn ewes will lamb several times in their lives and when it’s time for them to retire we can celebrate the mature, rich flavour of their meat, created by a lifetime of grazing our clover-rich pastures around the farm. It offers incredible texture and depth of flavour.
Ingredients
- 500g of cubed mutton shoulder
- 1 large or 2 smaller onions sliced
- 4 cloves of garlic peeled and thinly sliced
- 50g of pearled barley rinsed
- 1 ltr of stock or lamb broth
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- good handful of samphire
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Place a large casserole dish on a high heat. Add a dash of Olive oil followed by the cubed mutton. Season the meat with salt and pepper and fry on all sides until it’s beginning to colour, about 4 – 5 minutes. Add the sliced onions, the garlic and the rosemary and continue to cook, stirring as you do, for 8 - 10 minutes. Pour over the stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook the mutton, with a lid set just ajar, at a very low, tremulous simmer about 1 ½ hours. Now add the rinsed barley and continue to simmer for a further 40 minutes. If the stew looks a little dry then add a dash of water. When the meat is lovely and tender add the samphire, bring the stew back to a simmer and cook for 5 – 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Other recipe ideas
29/03/18 Recipe
Mutton Kofta
"Because mutton has so much flavour it can handle strong characterful spices like the ones I’ve chosen here"
24/03/18 Recipe
Wood Roasted Leg of Mutton
"When the flames have burned down and you have some really hot embers glowing away set the stuffed mutton over the fire" Gill Meller
WHO ARE THE ORGANIC BUTCHERY?
Starting life as an organic farm in the heart of the West Country, The Organic Butchery is proudly founded on a long history of organic principles. We source the best quality organic grass-fed and wild meats, sustainable fish and organic free-range poultry from trusted local suppliers and like-minded brands to guarantee the highest standards of animal welfare and environmental stewardship. Our mission is to approach butchery with a whole-carcass perspective, to make the most of every animal that crosses our blocks, which means we offer you cuts that you will never see on the supermarket shelves.
WHAT IS ORGANIC MUTTON?
Our free-range Lleyn ewes will lamb several times in their lives and when it’s time for them to retire we can celebrate the mature, rich flavour of their meat, created by a lifetime of grazing our clover-rich pastures around the farm. It offers incredible texture and depth of flavour.
Frequently asked questions
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Lamb has always been a more expensive cut of meat, with mutton often deemed less desirable which has dictated its selling price, however at The Organic Butchery, we feel mutton is having a bit of a renaissance right now. The aged ewes from the breeding flock supply our mutton and they've spent their lives roaming freely in pastures, growing strong muscles and robust skeletons. It's the combination of nutritious grass and a long life that gives our mutton its distinctive, unmistakable flavour.
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Mutton meat has a deep red colour and is much fattier than lamb. As mutton comes from older sheep than lamb it has richer flavour and robust bite that make it really hearty and satisfying.
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Lamb refers to young meat, which is tender with a pale pink colour, where as mutton is meat from a sheep that is over two years old, at The Organic Butchery, our mutton comes from ewes who've retired from the breeding flock. That means they've grown to maturity naturally, have well-developed muscles and a strong skeleton. All of these things ensure their meat is strongly flavoured (but not 'gamey') and has excellent texture (but isn't stringy). Mutton's a distinctive meat that's having a bit of a renaissance at the moment.
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We can’t think of a reason not to buy mutton, it’s sustainable and simply delicious. At The Organic Butchery, we source mutton comes from ewes who've retired from the breeding flock. That means they've grown to maturity naturally, have well-developed muscles and a strong skeleton. All of these things ensure their meat is strongly flavoured (but not 'gamey') and has excellent texture (but isn't stringy).