Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot, cooking and eating in northwest England)
21
Agreed.
In recent times, there was an independent study reported in the UK which suggested it was more “green” for us to import NZ lamb than to keep our own lamb over the winter. But, the “independence” came into question when it became known that thr study had been commissioned and financed by the NZ sheep farmers association.
As a butcher in town that we sometimes go to has it for their lamb:
"Our lamb is Suffolk coming from farms in Cheshire and Lancashire. Depending on the season the lambs will be eating grass on the Cheshire plains, or heather on the Lancashire moors. Our lamb is outdoor reared, and free range, eating a natural diet. We mature our lamb on the bone for usually a week so that the meat develops the right amount of flavour, and it is lovely and tender.
Traditionally lamb is considered at its best in the spring, but we would argue that there is no season when lamb is not at its best. In the spring the lambs have a delicate flavour like a good veal calf, in the summer a slightly richer, earthy flavour, in the autum and winter months the lamb has rich,deep robust flavour, perfect for slow roasts, and braising."
I haven’t and I gotta say the infomercials for retiree alpaca farmers kinda creep me out lol! i gotta keep my head down and do better at my current job!
It’s all personal taste. I only buy New Zealand lamb because they harvest earlier than California lamb, so it is smaller and, yes, milder. I love it.
I married into a hunting family so have had LOTS of wild goose and elk. Goose is okay once in a blue moon, but elk to me is very sweet, yet heavy at the same time. I don’t awfully like it cooked rare, yet well done is awful.
I have loved rare venison in France. Never come across it here. Rabbit may be my favorite meat: tender and mild. I love it, but can’t afford it now at $43/rabbit at my butcher.
We were at a street market deep in country France. A guy had a rotisserie and was selling chunks of roasted beef, lamb, chicken and rabbit. I chose a rabbit haunch. Hearing my English, he said, “You’re American!” “How do you know?” “Because the English don’t eat bunnies!”
Elk is a prize in game emat. never had it bad. Antelope? Not so much.
I broke up a a deer sausage fest down the road from me last week. Turned to last corner to get home (3 miles to go) and 7 males, all velvet, turned and looked at me and took off, right across the road in front of me. Big boy was 12 points, had to have been 2-3 10 pointers, and eights and sixes. Never seen that before.
My dad hunted. Occasionally, we’d have venison. I recall it being stronger than beef, but not unpleasant. The one time he bagged a wild goose, my recollection is that the meal tasted of swampy fat and orange sauce, with a caution to be careful of birdshot.
All the duck, rabbit, and venison I have had since then has been farm raised. Pretty mild.
I would not describe lamb as gamey. Most of it available in my area is being raised to also be mild flavored at this point. I think half the battle is making sure to trim away excess fat (certainly keep enough for moistness, depending on the cut and how you’re going to use it). As the fat cools and congeals, it can give off a stronger, in some cases kind of lanolin scent. Couple that with overcooking it and you may be serving a dish that smells like a wool sweater! My mom grew up being taught that lamb needs a metric ton of rosemary, garlic, and black pepper. We weren’t mint people, jelly or otherwise. I think mom’s cooking reflected a time when lamb was not raised to be as mild tasting.
I have VERY little experience w/ game of any sort. I do know that in trying to expand my palette, I’ve tried various preparations of duck in the last few years, and I’ve found them to range from the ‘subtle depth and a hint of funk’ of duck udon to ‘whoa, that tastes like it’s gone off’ in some thai versions.
Interestingly, I LIKE the funky notes of dry aged steaks, but that seems like a different quality than what I would call ‘gamey’.
I remember a waiter in France responding to my ordering “pigeon”., “Madam, c’est sauvage. It will be very STRONG.” I told him I understood and that it would be okay. They brought me an entire rather large pigeon. I left them with a pile of bones, but failed my test. The waiter took my plate and said, “Madam, you left the head.” And indeed I had, forgetting that connnoisserurs suck the head dry. Tant pis.
As I wrote, my husband’s family hunted. When we were newly weds and facing a bleak budget, they helped us out with regular supplies of elk. LOTS OF ELK. I am now a card carrying member of “Save the Elk”.
I had a warning that the andouillette was strong. I didn’t realize strong might mean stinky.
I pay closer attention to warnings from French servers, now!
Maybe the server chose to tell me the andouillette was forte, because she figured I wouldn’t know âcre. 12 years of French classes and I didn’t learn the word until tonight!
