What is mutton?
Mutton comes from animals that are over a certain age, typically 12 - 18 months. We consider mutton to be from an animal that is 12 months of age or older.
Why eat mutton?
We continue to learn (and learn some more) about our sheep and their lifecycles and the different traits inherent to different breeds. After a recent trip to Orkney and meeting Jane Cooper and her herd of Orkney Boreray sheep, we learned that our Icelandic sheep are closely related to the Boreray (also a breed introduced by the Vikings). We are shifting our farm practice from offering lamb to offering mutton because we believe that it is healthier and more humane to raise the animals to a minimum of 2 years old before breeding and slaughtering. And we like the more complex flavor of the meat. As such, we will be shifting from lamb to mutton over the 2025 and 2025 seasons.
You can read more about Jane and what she has done, and learned about, to save the Orkney Boreray. If the UK decides to allow for the export of semen then we will gladly become part of a breed-up program with our Icies!
Jane Cooper, "The Lost Flock"
https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/the-lost-flock/?srsltid=AfmBOopsIhP1A4aHy76qBrW70cxlvnZqFT-Pynt9prytAylY3k9p8xt6