We have a small flock of Shetland sheep who
are famous for their colourful and soft fleeces. The
breed was developed on the Shetland Isles from the primitive, northern
breeds (one characteristic of which is the naturally short tail) for their
tasty meat as well as the fine, coloured wool. They are equally at home in
the hills of Wales. We chose this breed because they are small and hardy and
suited to our sloping, herb rich pastures. They thrive on grass and the only
supplementary feeding they get is from the leaves on overhanging branches
and from the herbs of the pasture and hedgerows. They are very good mothers and are very beautiful to look
at. The fleeces are soft and give the most beautiful natural colours for handspinners and weavers.
This year we have completed the
organic conversion and we are now offering Shetland lamb meat. This is
totally delicious as well as being high in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).
It was discovered a few years ago that CLA is an effective anti-cancer
agent. Levels of CLA are higher in grass fed animals (compared to those
fattened on grains) and a recent study has shown this to be particularly
high in Shetland Sheep. If you want to try this for yourself you can order
it on-line from Cambrian Organics
who will deliver it to your door anywhere in the country. Order it as
mountain lamb but state in an e-mail to Cambrian Organics that you want the
Shetland or ask for it on the order line 01559 363151. You can find a recipe
for slow cooked Hot Spicy Lamb Pot at the
bottom of this page.
Here are
some of this years lambs. Click on the pictures to enlarge them:
Here are some pictures of
previous years'
lambs:
Mr
Moorit has is staying with us for a while:
And
some more sheep photographs (some people can't get enough...):
(that's Stephen & Isbister)
If you would like to visit us you are
welcome, and you can stay with us at Dove
Cottage. For more information on Shetland sheep look at our Shetland
sheep links on the links page.
You need
Lamb (rib, neck bones or chops)
Aubergine (half per person)
Fresh tomatoes or 1 tin of tomatoes
Onion
Cinnamon
Chilli (1 per person)
Some oil
A casserole dish with a close fitting lid
Spiced with cinnamon this is
something warming for a winter night. It is made hot using chillies though
the amount can be varied or left out completely according to taste.
Good with any cut of lamb even rib
and neck bones, which is what we usually use for this. Take as much lamb as
you think you (and your guests) can eat plus some more a) because it is so
delicious and you’ll want more of it and b) because if you can manage to
save some for the next day it is even more delicious.
First brown the meat gently. This
is best done in a cast iron frying pan or a large casserole (suitable for
the hob). Add some oil to get things start and hopefully more will come from
the meat. If you are using lean meat then you will need to add more. If a
lot of oil comes from the meat don’t worry this is needed for the next
stage. If you are making a lot then it may be necessary to sear a few pieces
at a time. When done, put aside. Next slice some aubergine (about 1
reasonably sized aubergine per 2 people) and fry this in the oil. Some
people let the aubergine stand for ½ an hour with salt sprinkled on the
slices and rinse before using but we don’t bother and we still get good
results. Fry till golden and the oil has been soaked up before setting aside
with the meat. Next fry some chopped onions and fresh chillies. The quantity
depends on taste and strength of the chilli. We use one small (5-10 mm
diameter) chilli per person. In a crisis ground chilli powder can also be
used at about ¼ teaspoon per person but work out your own dose. When the
onion is golden brown and you are coughing because of the chilli vapours it
is time to add the cinnamon. However before doing this get things ready. The
cinnamon should be fried until it has absorbed the oil. This takes about 30
seconds and if you leave it too long you’ll end up with clouds of smoke. So,
make sure there is enough oil in the pan, get the cinnamon ready; about 1
good heaped teaspoon full per person, and have the tomatoes (opened tin or
fresh, sliced) and a jug full of water ready. Add the cinnamon, fry until
oil absorbed, add the meat and aubergine, stir as best you can to coat all
sides and then add the tomato and a little water. Now transfer all to the
casserole (if you have used a frying pan), top up the liquid to just cover
the meat and put on the close fitting lid. Cook for at least 2 hours, the
longer the better but make sure that it doesn’t dry out. This can be done
inside the oven (about 180ºC) or on the hob on low heat bubbling gently.
We eat this with baked potatoes,
bread or rice and mixed salad leaves.
