Buyer's Guide

When buying lamb: choose the leanest cuts with firm, creamy-white fat (although fat colour alone should not be used as a reliable indicator of quality). Avoid cuts with excessive fat or with fat that looks crumbly, brittle and yellowish: this means the meat is old. The color and flavor of the flesh will vary depending on where the sheep were raised. Look for pale-pink flesh in a very young lamb, to a light or dark-red color in an older animal. A good butcher is likely to stock a greater variety of cuts than your local supermarket, or you'll be able to order exactly what you want.