Eat the View (Sussex Life - June 09)

When we come into late spring, I find it almost impossible to choose anything other than local lamb for any meal which involves family & friends. At this time of year, this succulent meat is at its absolute best and there is no more explicit link between the food we eat and the countryside around us than Sussex lamb. Thanks to the hard work of farmers across the county, the fields, hedgerows and wildlife of the downland is maintained by their careful stewardship of the land they farm.

In Sussex, we are lucky to have our very own native breed, the Southdown, bred & grazed across the hills and lower pastures of the Downs and the Sussex Weald for nearly 200 years. A small and hardy breed, these sheep are perfectly suited to the up and down life of grazing a rugged and varied terrain.

At the risk of making these lambs sound too appealing, they have small rounded faces and a generous covering of tight curls across their heads. With fleece which grows down to their knees, they resemble nothing more than cuddly teddy bears.

They also happen to be exceedingly tasty and the efforts of the Southdown Lamb & Beef co-operative of farmers has seen production rise by nearly 6,000 lambs a year over the last 5 years, most of which have been finding their way to high street butchers across the county.

However, many farmers I speak to bemoan our preference for the choicer cuts like leg or loin, which makes it hard for them to sell the rest of the animal at a decent price. We are all practising a little thrift at the moment, so why not start in the kitchen? Next time you visit your local butcher, ask for something less glamorous but far more tasty, like shoulder, neck fillet or my favourite unsung cut, breast of lamb.

The Best of the Rest in June

Fennel
New potatoes
Spring greens
Broad beans
Blackcurrants
Strawberries
Sea trout
Mackerel
Wood pigeon