Ohhhhhhh I know very well. I miss those days!! I grew up in the restaurant business and in the 70’s/80’s mint jelly was a fixture with lamb, I had tried and actually enjoyed the jelly on it’s own with crackers etc. however as a child I never tried lamb. I was a late-lamb-bloomer not trying it for the first time until I was well into my 20’s…(outside of lamb brain one time for Greek Easter) but let me tell you…lamb and mint jelly as odd as the combination sounds is truly delicious.
Mint with lamb is the normal British accompaniment. It’ll be mint sauce, rather than a jelly which I suspect would be very sweet. At it’s most traditional, it’s mint, malt vinegar and sugar. Fancier, more modern, versions use wine or cider vinegar. It’s a perfect contrast to the sweet fat on the meat. The trick is to get the balance right between the three ingredients. By the by, chopping mint for the sauce, under Mum’s supervision, is one of the first two jobs I remember ever doing in the kitchen (the other being shelling peas).
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Interesting…do you have a family recipe you wouldn’t mind sharing with us? Mint jelly, which is the norm as far as I know for here in the states is rather sweet, but it does pair well with the lamb, as odd as it sounds.
“Chopping the mint for the sauce, under Mum’s supervision, is one of the first jobs I remember ever doing in the kitchen”, Mine was sealing ravioli’s with my grand-mother, using a fork to press down on the edges of the dough creating the seal.
“Recipe” is much too strong a word - we are northern peasants.
Mint. Chopped.
Vinegar. Added till it looks fairly wet.
Sugar. Added, stirred until dissolved.
Adjust until it tastes right.
But, if a recipe is required - http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2063672/simple-mint-sauce
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lol, ok I see your point. Thank you none the less.
Mint jelly, which is the norm as far as I know for here in the states is rather sweet, but it does pair well with the lamb, as odd as it sounds.
I love to dip pork in Apple butter. It is also a bit sweet, bit so good.
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I can easily see the apple butter and pork combination, apple sauce has been a staple pork accompaniment in my home since I was a child. Even Peter Brady said; “Pork Chops and Apple Sauce…”
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I’ve often wondered if people who use mint jelly with lamb perhaps don’t really like lamb.
Perhaps
Ummm, no. I love, adore, venerate, revere, and absolutely delight in a roast leg of lamb, with or without mint jelly.
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I grew up in the South and never tasted lamb until I moved to SF in '76. And “love, adore, venerate, revere, and absolutely delight” it. LOL. I’m just more savory But if someone served me lamb with mint jelly already on it - not that they would - I’d gobble it up just the same.
Mint jelly is never served ON the lamb. At least it’s never been done that way when I’ve been served it or have served it. Always on the side, so you can use as little or as much as you want.
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Oh, I know. I was just saying that pretty much whatever is done to lamb - except overcooking - and I’ll still scarf it!
I do not like mint jelly with my leg of lamb, after studding with garlic and marinating in wine, olive oil, lemon, more garlic and a heavy dose of herbs for a day and night I just don’t think it would compliment the lamb. However I thin out a good mint jelly to make a glaze for loin lamb chops, which are marinated in a balsamic based marinade…to work with the glaze. Also I can control the amount of mint flavor in the glaze as opposed to just serving with a mint jelly.
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LOL 
Sexy! LOL
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i have those same anchovies, sitting unopened because the BF doesn’t eat anchovies, drat hm. potatoes, anchovies and green beans sound a dreamn.
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