The UK's many native sheep breeds have been put in the spotlight after US meat processors arrived in the country and took part in a mutton taste test.
The British Heritage Sheep scheme and the AHDB championed the unique flavour brought to the table by native sheep breeds at the NSA Sheep 2022 event.
There, a taste test was conducted by a group of US meat processors, who were in the UK looking at sheep farming and lamb production.
It encompassed three breeds, the Herdwick, Portland and Shropshire, which were selected due to their different ancestry.
Britain has the largest number of native sheep breeds of any country in the world – over 60.
The British Heritage Sheep scheme aims to commercialise the UK's historic breeds by making an asset out of diversity, and offering a choice to consumers.
The scheme is based on an ABC of three key pieces of information for the consumer – age, breed and countryside.
Following the taste test, NSA chief executive, Phil Stocker explained that sheep meat was one of the last undifferentiated foods in mainstream markets.
"Not all sheep meat tastes the same, particularly as sheep get older producing hogget and mutton, the main factors affecting the flavour are the age of the animal and its breed.
"To some extent what the animal eats will also affect its flavour - for example, a mountain sheep eats predominantly wild herbs and grasses, giving the meat a distinctive eating experience, highly prized in past generations."
He added: "We all know about the many types of cheese, apples, and even beers and gin, but consumers are rarely informed about the breed of sheep, where and how it was reared, or its age."
The mutton taste testing threw up some interesting results with US visitors concluding that there were significant differences in flavours and textures between the different UK sheep breeds, particularly in older animals.
Wider public opinion backs up this idea that consumers would welcome a choice. In a YouGov survey carried out for BHS, the idea of having this choice was universally popular.
AHDB senior export manager, Susanna Morris said Britain was in a fortunate position to have breeds of sheep meat that offered a variety of flavours to suit every palate.
"We were delighted to host five of America’s most respected meat importers, who were given the opportunity to sample some of our native breeds for themselves.
"The feedback we received was very positive, with our US visitors praising the great taste of sheep meat from the UK, as well as being rightly impressed with the rich history of farming in the UK.”
