Mrs. Roundell's Practical cookery book

These weights are given for English Mutton. But for a small family the small Mutton from the Welsh hills, from Dartmoor, or from Exmoor, is infinitely preferable. Messrs. Jones, Central Buildings, Llandudno, supply excellent Welsh Mutton, carriage paid, to English customers. They even send Welsh Mutton to France. The difference in weight between Welsh and English Mutton, or indeed between that of any mountain sheep and other sheep, is very great ; a saddle often weighs only seven pounds, a neck three pounds, and the largest MUTTON 167 leg only six pounds. “ Fairshon’s ” words, in Bon Gaultier s account of his raid, are applicable now according to the view which individual taste may approve : “ The mountain sheep are sweeter, But the valley sheep are fatter, We therefore deemed it meeter To carry off the latter.” Lamb. — Lamb, being young meat, will not keep long, and is best eaten quite fresh. The lean should be a light brownish pink, and the fat of waxen whiteness. The hind quarter, con- sisting of the leg and loin, is the best joint of Lamb ; the fore-quarter includes the shoulder, breast, and neck. As Lamb gets older the saddle is an excellent joint for a small party ; the leg is always appreciated, especially when served cold for luncheon ; whilst the fore and hind quarters are much liked, and the neck makes delicate cutlets. A Saddle of Lamb weighs from six to eight pounds, a Leg from four to six pounds, a Neck from three to four pounds, and a Shoulder from three to five pounds. House-Lamb — that is, the meat of a very young lamb reared indoors — is as tasteless as it is wasteful. In former days a joint of Lamb on Easter Sunday was a necessary dish — just as was salt fish on Ash Wednesday, Hot Cross Buns on Good Friday, and Pancakes on Shrove Tuesday — and for this joint House-Lamb was generally required. Messrs. Jones, of Llandudno, supply Autumn Lamb, which is properly fed, and really excellent. Veal. — Calves are generally killed so young that the meat is tasteless. The reason for killing calves so soon is that the milk of the Cow is too valuable in the dairy to be expended on the Calf. In France Veal, in the country districts, is much better than in England, because the Calf is never killed under two months old. Bull calves, if allowed to live for four months, make the best Veal. It is, I hope, needless to point out that persons who buy “nice white Veal” connive at the cruel practice of bleeding the calf at intervals before it is killed. Such Veal should always be refused. Veal should be finely grained, firm to the touch, and the fat very white. Like Lamb, it will not keep long. The fillet or the loin are the most useful parts to t6S MEAT buy ; the fillet corresponds to the round of beef in a bullock The knuckle is useful in making white soup or strengthening jelly, and for the latter purpose calves’ feet are most valuable. Calf’s head forms the basis of Mock Turtle Soup, and is also used for Mock Brawn. A calf’s tail makes more delicate soup than an ox-tail. Sweetbreads are reckoned a great delicacy, and Yeal sweetbreads are preferred to Lamb sweetbreads. The udder of a calf is often mentioned in recipes, but, weight for weight, butter does just as well. A Fillet of Veal generally weighs from three pounds to eight pounds ; a Loin from one to six pounds ; a Knuckle from two to four pounds.