Meat
Hogget
A tier
Hogget is the intermediate age class between lamb and full mutton—typically sheep in their second year, after cutting adult teeth but before the deep flavour and firmness of older ewes and wethers fully develop. British and Australasian butchers prize hogget for restaurant roasts that need more character than milk lamb without true mutton intensity. On the plate hogget offers richer fat, deeper pink-to-red meat, and a sweet-savoury length that stands up to rosemary, anchovy, and long roasting. Legs and shoulders shine; chops benefit from moderate marinating. Many chefs quietly prefer hogget to commodity lamb when they can source it under a clear age label.
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Grading systems
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History
English markets distinguished hoggett sheep as a priced age class between lamb and mutton.
Pastoral export systems continued to recognise hogget as a distinct carcase category.
Retail simplification blurred hogget into lamb labelling in many shops.
Farm shops and chefs revived honest hogget marketing for flavour-seeking customers.