NEW ZEALAND LAMB AS "MUTTON."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3028, 27 October 1908, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND LAMB AS "MUTTON."

The London Moat Trades' correspondent of the " Pastoralists' Review," writes:— "Visitii.g a leading West End restaurant the other day, the manager of which I well know, I complimented him on the particular excellent 'haunch of mutton' I had. 'Do you know what you have been eatinsr,' said he. 'Your "haunch of nniUon" was really a haunch of frozen lamb.' The lamb and red cut rant jelly had been querading for 1 nut ton! My friend continued that to-day there are quite as many joints of mutton served as there were six years ago, and that there 13 no inclination on the part of the public to change the fashion of meat. No wonder, when they Ret juicy tender New Zealand lamb in place. In fact, this substitution business must be educating them further to the ese of mutton. It seems very involved, for though 'mutton' of the restaurant and the shop is not going out of fashion the real mutton is. My friend took me out to his window and showed me a leg of mutton. 'There is a wether leg of English mutton for which I gave lOd a lb. The leg of lamb you had, and which eats better, cost Bd. Why should I lose my 2d per lb, and why should you not enjoy your dish?' The carcase, which furnished my leg of 'mutton' was a stout lamb of about 401b. All this is very interesting, and a splendid testimony to the value to the trades here of the New Zealand lamb, which, in face of such discoveries, is certain to go on and prosper. A heavy New Zealand lamb or teg can be bought for 5Jd all over; an English light sheep will cost 7d to 8d per lb. The demand for small joints of late years has helped forward this substitution, which certainly very severely threatens mutton imports. Probably, three-fourths of the frozen lambs are | retailed as mutton; especially is this the destination of the Australian lamb in the winter time."