Lamb

Meat

Lamb

Lamb is the meat of young sheep, prized for its delicate flavour, tender texture, and suitability across roasting, grilling, braising, and slow cooking. Grass-fed hill lamb, milk-fed spring lamb, and grain-finished commercial lamb each offer distinct eating qualities that reward careful cut selection. From Moroccan tagines and Indian rogan josh to British roast lamb and Greek souvlaki, lamb remains central to Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and pastoral cuisines. Breed, age, and pasture strongly influence fat cover, colour, and the character of premium cuts such as rack and leg.

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Breeds, cuts & preparations

Variety

AfrikanerAssafAwassiAwassi ImprovedBalkhiBaluchiBarbados BlackbellyBeltexBibrikBlackbellyBlackhead PersianBluefaced LeicesterBorder LeicesterBorerayCastlemilk MooritCharollaisCheviotChurraClun ForestColumbiaCorriedaleCrossbredDamaraDorperDorsetDorset CrossEast FriesianFaroeseFinnGotlandHalfbredHampshireHarnaiHerdwickIcelandicIle de FranceJacobKarakulKarakul SwakiniKatahdinKookaLacauneLeicester LongwoolLincoln LongwoolLleynManchegaManx LoaghtanMerinoMerino de PalasMerino PrecozMontadaleMuleNorfolk HornNorth Country CheviotOxfordPelibüeyPoll DorsetPolypayRambouilletRed MaasaiRomanovRomanov CrossRomneyRouge de l'OuestRyelandScottish BlackfaceSegureñaShetlandShropshireSoaySouthdownSt CroixSuffolkSuffolk CrossSwaledaleTargheeTexelTexel CrossThalliTunisVan RooyWelsh MountainWensleydaleWhite SuffolkWiltshire Horn

Source

Indoor FarmedOutdoor FarmedWild

Provenance

Antibiotic FreeBiodynamicFarm AssuredFree RangeGrain FedGrass FedHeritageHill GrazedHormone FreeLowland GrazedMilk FedOrganicPasture RaisedRegenerativeSalt Marsh GrazedSingle OriginSpring Born

Preparation

ChilledCuredDicedFreshFrozenGrilledGroundHalvedMincedRoastedSaltedSlicedSmokedWhole

CommonCharacteristic

ButteryEarthyFirmGameyLeanMoistPalePinkTenderUmami

Grading systems

Australia β€” AUS-MEAT

A · B · C

New Zealand β€” NZMP

Manufacturing · Prime · Standard

United Kingdom β€” EBLEX

E3L · O3L · P3L · R3L

History

Sheep were among the earliest domesticated livestock in the Fertile Crescent, providing meat, milk, wool, and hides to early agricultural societies.

GB

Monastic and manorial farming systems refined sheep husbandry across Britain and northwestern Europe.

AU

Pastoral expansion established Australia and New Zealand as major exporters of grass-fed lamb to global markets.

Refrigerated shipping and chiller grading systems enabled year-round international trade in premium fresh lamb.

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