Focus on... Lamb

Along with beef and chicken, lamb is one of our favourite meats, especially for a traditional Sunday roast. To celebrate Love British Food 2012 we thought we'd take a closer look.

Sheep were first domesticated in Asia, around 10,000 years ago.

They are used for their wool, milk and skins, as well as the meat
Sheep can live naturally up to eleven years
Sheep under one year old are called lambs, which is where most of our meat comes from
Meat from an animal over a year old is called hogget and that from an adult animal is called mutton
There are over 20 million breeding sheep in the UK, with another 20 million lambs under a year old
The common cuts of lamb used for cooking are shoulder, leg, loin and shank
A rack of lamb is also a popular dish and consists of the eight ribs from one side of the animal. It is often roasted, leaving the middle of the rib eyes pink
A roasted leg of lamb is considered the national dish in Australia
The Scottish speciality haggis uses sheep's liver, heart and lungs, all wrapped up in the animal's stomach
Lamb's liver is often eaten in the UK, with onions, bacon and mashed potato
Traditional accompaniments to roast lamb are the usual roast potatoes, vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and gravy. And mint sauce, of course