Mountain Lamb

Mention lamb to most people and it is likely to summon up images of spring - green fields and daffodils, with fluffy lambs gambolling around – but, tasty as tender young lowland lamb may be in spring and summer, there’s a completely different and more characterful variety that comes into season later in the year: mountain lamb.

Mountain lamb is a smaller, leaner product, with more muscle and the distinctive flavour of the heathers and mountain herbs it has been reared on. Produced naturally in the wild and likely to be organic by definition, it comes from the hills and mountains of rugged areas like Connemara, Kerry and the Comeragh Mountains, and is one of Ireland's most interesting speciality foods.

The lambing season is later in mountainous areas, so this special meat follows on from lowland lamb, coming onto the market during the autumn and early winter, usually from September until December. This delicious product is increasingly appreciated by a discerning market, both domestic and international; seen on many an upmarket restaurant menu these days, it has the potential to transform the prospects for hill farmers, for whom this gourmet product should command a premium price.

Better still, for both producer and consumer, is when added-value comes into the equation – next time you’re in the West of Ireland, call in to that very special butcher McGeough’s of Connemara (Camp Street, Oughterard, Co Galway Tel: 091 552351). Here, not only can fresh meats of the area be bought , including aromatic Connemara lamb (September – December), but - among other speciality products - you’ll also find James McGeough’s famous air-dried lamb: superb!

Grilled Mountain Lamb in a Salad

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