It was Juliet Kindersley’s belief in compassionate husbandry that led to our rediscovery of this unjustly unfashionable meat. Highly prized in ancient times, mutton has a fuller, meatier flavour than lamb, with a firmer, but by no means tougher texture.

It is a sad fact of modern farming that mutton is rarely available, as farmers no longer keep their sheep in pasture for an extra year or two. Across the Mediterranean and into Asia, the taste of mutton is still widely appreciated. So if you like the cuisines of India, the Middle East or North Africa, always choose mutton for a truly authentic flavour.

Sheepdrove mutton is available between September and April.