A FARMER is trying to prove that sheep meat does not start and finish with lamb.

Gareth Pugh, originally from Ludlow, and now working Pen-y-Parc farm in Brilley, is an advocate of hogget, produced from sheep too old to be termed lamb.

“Lamb is lamb until around 11 months and after that it becomes hogget or yearling and becomes mutton towards the end of an animal's life,”

said Gareth.

“The animal is much bigger than a lamb because it is in its second year.

“With lamb you are killing an animal in its spring and it has not had a summer. There's something wrong about it.

“Ours have two summers on grass. In some ways it is slightly better for the animal.

Ultimately, it has to die but at least it has had two summers grazing.”

Gareth believes hogget provides a better flavour than lamb and offers something different to cook with.

“If you taste lamb when it is first produced it can be insipid,” said Gareth, who currently has 70 Badger Face Welsh Mountain Sheep.

"With hogget you get a meat that is not quite as tender as lamb but has a stronger taste and has more texture because it has more muscle fibre.

“You are getting better value for customers because they are getting a better texture meat.”

Despite lamb having a much higher profile, Gareth says there is a definite demand for hogget.

“You could describe it as the conoisseur's choice of sheep meats. I used to provide a local restaurant with carcasses and they always said they wanted more,” said Gareth.

“Most of my sales are returning customers and I am building up slowly. I always sell out every year and what I always try to express is if you have got freezer space it is the way to buy meat.

“It's economical to buy and is something slightly different.”

Gareth says when cooking hogget it is best to take your time.

“It has to be cooked slowly.

It was raised slowly so it needs to be cooked slowly,”

he added. “Use any method where the meat is in the oven for about three hours.

“Then it just falls off the bone. You want to let it cook in its own juices. We marinade it and let it cook slowly by putting a pot on a wood burning stove.”