Loving Lambs

The family at Meadow’s Pride Farm! Thank you to the Donaldsons!!

Producer Spotlight: Meadow’s Pride Farm

Frolicking lambs, sheep gently grazing on verdant grass, a mountain backdrop - no, this isn’t a pastoralist painting, it’s Meadow’s Pride Farm! We source all our lamb from this family-run farm because they strive to meet the same high standards that we do.

Bellair is an incredibly diverse farm, but we can’t do it all! For years now we have sourced lamb from Meadow’s Pride Farm, based in Monterey in Highland County, Virginia, to supply the local community with high quality meat. Their Dorset-Polypay crossbreed sheep thrive in the cooler mountain air, and the diverse grasses and herbs which flourish at these higher elevations contribute to the incredibly flavorsome meat they produce.

Lamb is one of the most efficient ways of converting grass into a protein we can eat, and the food miles from farm, to processor, to Charlottesville, are impressively low, and far fewer than those associated with famous New Zealand lamb! For this reason, lamb is a pretty sustainable meat if purchased locally.

Lamb is used to refer to a young sheep used for meat, but don't worry, it's not a true baby. At processing time, a lamb will be at least 6-8 months old, about the same age a pig is harvested at. An older sheep can still be processed, but will be refereed to as mutton and will have a stronger flavor.

I encourage you to read more about Meadow's Pride on their website and social media! They are experts at all the different cuts we carry. For instance, sirloin chops, rib chops, and shoulder chops are all slightly different.

In winter, farmer Jon feeds the lambs hay, but their wooly coats make them very well adapted to life in the Virginia Highlands.

Using Lamb at Home

In Western society, lamb isn't a super popular dinner, but we tend to eat it most around this time of year. There are lots of ways to prepare lamb in classic western and international cooking! A few years ago, Bellair crew-member Alice (who grew up in the UK) shared two wonderful lamb recipes with us. Read on for the ingredients and instructions or maybe try one of these other ideas:

Ground lamb: classic shepherd’s pie, moussaka, lamb koftas
Lamb steaks: lamb biryani, lamb tagine with sweet potatoes and apricots
Arm and leg roasts: roasted lamb with roasted carrots and potatoes, Morrocan lamb stew with citrus couscous salad

Lamp Spanakopita by Alice. Recipe below!

Lamb Spanakopita

1-2 lb lamb mince (Alice-speak for ground lamb!)
1 cinnamon stick, 1 bay leaf, 2tsp cumin and coriander
1 onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 lb spinach or kale
4-5 oz feta, crumbled
Small bunch of finely diced mint
1 egg, beaten
1/2 lb filo pastry
4 oz melted butter (about half a stick)

Cook lamb mince in batches until brown, with cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Remove lamb and set aside. Tip onions into the pot (keep cinnamon stick and bay leaf in the pot!) and cook over a low heat for around 10 minutes. Add in spices and garlic and cook for another 5 minutes until sticky.
Loosely shred spinach or kale, then wilt briefly in hot water. Now stir into the onion mixture, add in the lamb, feta, and mince. Season as needed, then stir in the beaten egg. Set aside to cool slightly.
Preheat oven to 390F. Brush melted butter around a 9 in baking pan/dish. Start layering in 2/3 of the filo pastry, brushing butter between the layers. Tip in the lamb mixture, then add on the remaining filo with any butter that’s left. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Enjoy!

Lamb Stew with Sweet Potato, Carrots, and Dried Cherries

~2 lb lamb leg steak, cubed (save any bones!)
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced (save peel and tops)
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced (save peel)
2 tsp ras-el-hanout (or a mixture of cinnamon, allspice, cumin, coriander, and cayenne)
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp tomato puree
3 cups lamb stock
2 oz dried cherries (or apricots or craisins)
1 tsp honey

Start by making your stock. Throw in any lamb bones, vegetable peels, any extra herbs, and some seasonings, with 3 cups water and allow to simmer for as long as possible!
Fry the lamb in batches over a high heat to seal it. Remove from the pot and set aside. Throw your onions into the pot and soften for about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, sweet potato, spices, tomato puree, dried cherries, honey, and your stock, and add back in your lamb.
Cover pot and leave over a very low heat and simmer for 1.5-2hrs.