Written by John Swire
Yorkshire farmer’s daughter and Great British Menu chef, Stephanie Moon calls cooks to make better use of the lamb carcase as the country prepares for Love Lamb Week.
Sharing her dish, ‘Lamb Feast,’ a simple barbecue dish designed to make cooking with lesser used lamb cuts such as breast, kidney and tongue more accessible, Stephanie believes that anybody could have a go at cooking with these lower cost but delicious cuts.
Having lambed sheep as a child, Stephanie went on from farming to develop her culinary skills at the Dorchester in London. While lamb faces declining sales and export challenges, the meat remains a key part of her menu.
“I find it fascinating that people will cook lamb cutlets, they’ll cook a leg of lamb on a Sunday or a rack of lamb for a special occasion, but they’ll not cook a kidney or a lamb breast,” said Stephanie.
“We’ve got a responsibility to make people interested in other cuts. For me it’s very important to utilise the whole lamb not just the favourite bits.”
Stephanie’s recipe is brand new and included in the latest round of AHDB’s ‘Off the Block’ series which aims to increase use of the whole beef and lamb carcase, improving value for money and reducing waste.
She continued: “People are becoming more adventurous with their food and I’d like to hope this lamb dish which I’ve shared in the ‘Off the Block’ video will inspire chefs and home cooks to give it a try, particularly in Love Lamb Week.
“The Lamb Feast dishes are mainly done on the barbecue. The kidney and liver were prepared, seasoned, stuck on a skewer, then popped on the barbie – how simple is that.
“Using our kitchen garden at Rudding Park, the liver was barbecued with an onion that had only been in the ground only half-an-hour earlier, which I think is seriously cool. Then served with a gooseberry and sweet sticky compote. Finally, the tongue was cooked with beetroots, which were charred, while the lamb tongue slowly braised for a number of hours, peeled pressed and then sliced. Simple but delicious.”
AHDB’s Quality Standard Mark, which works with butchers and the food services industry to promote beef and lamb, has led the development of the Off the Block series to increase carcase use.
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