Seeing tonight’s Sunday Roast in the oven reminded me that I still hadn’t posted about the mutton we had back last Friday. We’ve had our own mutton before but this mutton was special as it was the first time it was butchered at home.
I bought mother a ‘how to butcher’ book and DVD for Christmas, and it had been hung for two weeks instead of one (not completely sure why, but I get the impression that this is a good thing) and one weighted 28.8KG and the other 29.6KG which doesn’t sound bad and it looked like a lot of meat.
A Life Less Simple 
Well I stuck lots of holes in the leg and inserted bits of rough chopped garlic and rosemary sprigs all over it, top and bottom.
I put some potatoes round and put it into a moderate oven, which then sulked for about 3 hours, til I had stern words with it and threw in a candle stub and some drier wood. The fire eventually roared away and I bullied the small child into cooking cabbage and gravy,using the juices form the meat.
It was absolutely amazing, of course!
It has been slow grown for a few years, grazing the Royal forestry wasteland with all its herbs and shrubs and wandering the 12000 acres (well our bit of it which ranges about 2 miles in any direction), wintering on berries, acorns, beechmast and heather and the finest shoots. The meat, tho’ uncovered was moist and well grained.
Food fit for the Gods, and good enough for my family.
How smug can I get.
This comment would be from my mother, not another blogger called mother LOL