Roast mutton is a delicious change for a Sunday lunch and would be particularly good for a family spread at Easter or Christmas.
I've roasted a leg of mutton on a bed of vegetables, which makes the most amazing gravy to complement the rich flavour of the meat.
The whole dish is really easy to do, and I think that once you taste it, it will be very difficult to go back to lamb.
Enjoy.
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🤔FAQs
Very basically, lamb refers to an animal under a year old and mutton is over two years old.
There is also hogget, which is between a year and two years old.
Roast mutton was the most popular up until the war when farming practices changed and lamb became the preferred meat, especially as the market was flooded with cheaper imports from New Zealand.
Have you tried roast mutton? It's not something that supermarkets or many butchers sell, so this was my first time trying it!
There seem to be a few speciality farmers, who produce hogget or mutton, in the traditional way so that the animals are free to roam and forage, so I placed an order with Swaledale Butchers, who I often use.
There aren't many recipes out there for mutton, and I didn't want to compromise tasting the flavour of the meat, so this is a very simple recipe with the focus on the gravy.
I usually cook a leg of lamb to be pink, so I've treated the leg of mutton much like a leg of lamb. It's easy to assume that mutton would be tough, however, due to the breeding and maturing, it certainly isn't.
There tends to be a fair layer of fat on the outside, but the meat itself is very lean, dark and with a concentrated flavour that is distinct and delicious.
We all agreed that it is far superior to lamb, so I hope you try this.
❤️ Why you will love this recipe
- Absolutely the BEST gravy - use the technique for any roast.
- Perfect for Easter or any other celebration.
- Easy recipe.
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🥘 Ingredients
- Juniper berries - these go well with deep flavours such as venison and other game and bring a real richness to the gravy. Find them in the spice section.
- Leg of mutton - free range and grass fed. Available online.
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post.
🍽 Equipment
- sharp knife
- wooden spoon
- large roasting dish
- chopping board
- saucepan
- blender/sieve
🔪 Instructions
💭 Top Tip
- Bring the meat to room temperature for about an hour before cooking.
Preheat the oven to 190 C / 375 F / 170 FAN / Gas 5.
Peel the onion and cut into 1 cm slices, rough chop the celery and carrots and slice the garlic across the cloves.
Arrange the vegetables in the base of a large roasting dish, along with the rosemary and juniper berries.
The combination of chopped carrots, onion and celery is known as a 'mirepoix' in French, and it's the basis for many sauces.
The fat and juices from the meat will cook the vegetables and they act as a trivet to keep the circulation of heat around the meat.
Pat the mutton dry and poke the fat witha knife or a carving fork. This will help it to render down in the oven.
Season with the salt and pepper.
Place the leg of mutton on top of the vegetables.
⏲️ Cooking Time
For a medium roast cook for about two and a half hours.
If you have a meat thermometer the internal temperature should be around 65 degrees.
If you prefer the meat to be well done and to fall off the bone, cook at the higher temperature for twenty minutes then reduce the temperature 150 C / 300 F / 130 FAN / Gas 2. Cover the joint with foil and roast for three to four hours.
When it's cooked to your liking transfer to a dish and cover with foil to allow the meat to rest while you make the gravy.
Remove the juniper berries and rosemary from the roasting tray.
Use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables and place in a blender, or a saucepan if you are using a hand blender. Squeeze out the roasted garlic and discard the skin.
Remove nearly all of the fat from the roasting tin and add the hot stock to deglaze the pan and scrape off all the grungy bits.
Pour the stock into the saucepan or blender along with the cornflour and redcurrant jelly and blend until smooth. I used an immersion blender for this.
If you don't have a blender you can push the vegetables through a sieve.
Bring to the boil in a saucepan and simmer until it reaches your desired consistency, adding more water if required.
Pour the gravy into a boat to serve.
Slice the roast leg of mutton and serve with the gravy.
So delicious.
🥗 Serve with
- Honey Roast Chantenay Carrots
- Leeks in White Sauce
- Honey Roast Carrots and Parsnips
- Fried Cabbage with Bacon
- Roast Savoy Cabbage
- Whole Baked Cauliflower Cheese
- Roasted Green Beans and Carrots
- Roasted Long Stem Broccoli
- Roasted Swede Chips
- Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Roast Potatoes
📖 Variations
- Vegetables - use parsnip, celeriac, leeks or swede if you prefer. Feel free to omit the garlic.
🍣 Storage
- Refrigerator - cool, cover and store for up to 5 days.
- Freezer - well wrap the meat and store for up to 6 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
- Reheat - ideally heat in a sauce to stop the meat from drying out. Put slices in gravy in the oven or add to curries.
🍱 Prepare in Advance
- Prepare the vegetables in advance and store in the fridge.
More lamb dishes
- Pan Fried Barnsley Chops
- Roast Lamb Shanks in Foil
- Cannon of Lamb
- Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder
- Minted Lamb Burgers
- Lamb with Pomegranate Molasses
- Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary
- Lamb Kleftiko
- Saddle of Lamb
📋 Recipe
Roast Mutton
Equipment
- Sharp knife
- Wooden spoon
- large roasting dish
- Chopping board
- Saucepan
- blender/sieve
Ingredients
- 2.8 kg leg of mutton
- 1 onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 sticks celery
- 1 bulb garlic
- 6 juniper berries
- 400 ml lamb stock hot
- 1 teaspoon salt flaked sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Sprig rosemary
- 2 teaspoon cornflour
- 2 tablespoon redcurrant jelly
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190 C / 375 F / 170 FAN / Gas 5.
- Bring the meat to room temperature for about an hour before cooking, then season with the salt and pepper.
- Peel the onion and cut into 1 cm slices, rough chop the celery and carrots and slice the garlic across the cloves.
- Arrange the vegetables in the base of a large roasting dish, along with the rosemary and juniper berries.
- Place the leg of mutton on top.
- Roast for 2 hours and 30 minutes. Check the internal temperature for 65 degrees.
- Transfer the meat to a large plate and cover with foil to rest for at least 20 minutes up to an hour.
- Remove the rosemary and juniper and discard.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables and place in a blender or a saucepan if you are using a hand blender. Squeeze out the roasted garlic and discard the skin.
- Remove nearly all of the fat from the roasting tin and add the hot stock to deglaze the pan.
- Pour the stock into the saucepan or blender along with the cornflour and redcurrant jelly and blend until smooth.
- Bring to the boil in a saucepan and simmer until it reaches your desired consistency, adding more water if required.
- Slice the mutton and serve with the gravy.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article
Beef, Lamb and Venison
- Slow Cooker Steak and Kidney Pudding8 Hours 30 Minutes
- Braised Featherblade Steak2 Hours 20 Minutes
- Slow Cooker Venison Shanks6 Hours 15 Minutes
- Stuffed Breast of Lamb2 Hours 45 Minutes
🍲Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using gas.
Do you have a question or did you make the recipe?
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Amanda
So much tastier than lamb!