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Michelin Stardom For Late Season Scotch Lamb
In recent out-of-home research, the percentage of Scottish consumers who are 'open to buying' lamb has risen by more than seven percent over the past 12 months, so the potential for the restaurant sector to increase sales of Scotch Lamb should not be underestimated.
To reflect this shift in attitudes, Scotch Lamb was recently given the three-Michelin-star treatment by Dutch chef Cees Helder at a Late Lamb Seminar at the Lochgreen House Hotel in Ayrshire. Organised by Quality Meat Scotland, the event was aimed at promoting the versatility of good quality Scotch Lamb, and at exploding some of the myths and preconceptions surrounding 'older' lamb.
Margaret Stewart explains why late lamb should be featuring on everyone's menus…
Cees, who received his first Michelin star in 1990, became the first ever Dutch Chef to achieve three stars when he was awarded his third in 2002 in his Rotterdam restaurant, The Parkheuvel.
Using neck, loin and spare ribs to illustrate just how versatile Scotch Lamb can be, Cees demonstrated how late season lamb offers the depth and complexity that develops with maturity.
'Attention to detail and an understanding of the product, its seasonality and its source are key elements for any level of cooking,' he told the audience of more than 50 chefs and farmers from all over Scotland. 'Descriptions of lamb should be more transparent, and the geographical area, farmers' choice of breed, feed, and the maturity of the animals should also be recognised.'
Cees and his co-presenters also addressed the difficult and often confusing terminology of 'hogget' and 'mutton'. Recent consumer research conducted by Quality Meat Scotland has shown that these words do little to enhance the reputation of sheep-meat, and, more often than not, raise the unwelcome spectre of the greasy, fatty, strong-smelling dishes which may have in the past been described as Irish stew. Modern breeding and butchery techniques now ensure that a 100g portion of lamb compares very favourably with other red meats, and contains only 8g of fat – over 20% lower than the fat levels recorded 20 or 30 years ago.
However, despite this, it is vital to remember how important fat is in relation to flavour. Even within this experienced audience of chefs, only around 50% accuracy was achieved when trying to distinguish between completely defatted examples of beef or lamb.
The myth of lamb offering poor value for money was also challenged. Scott Lyall, Chef Lecturer at Adam Smith College in Glenrothes, worked alongside Aberfoyle butcher Jonathan Honeyman to produce attractive and economical dishes from breast and shoulder of lamb. 'The breast in particular is often discarded or used in low-value processing further down the production line,' said Jonathan. 'The shoulder, when individual muscles are skillfully seamed out, will provide lean, steak-style cuts or small, inexpensive, quick-cooking joints.'
There were raised eyebrows from chefs in the audience when Cees asked the kitchen at Lochgreen to take the lamb loin to only 52 deg. C, in an attempt to address the Scots' perceived preference for medium to well-done meat. Without exception, however, everyone in the audience agreed that the low-cooked meat was prepared to perfection and that the quality of late season Scotch Lamb was as much a part of this as Helder's alternative cooking techniques.
So, after receiving an international endorsement from such a high calibre source, Scotch Lamb should now be considered as one of the leading fresh meats for versatility, availability and positive nutritional values. Isn't it time you took a look?
This article has been edited from its original version. For the complete feature, please see Catering in Scotland magazine May/June 2008.
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