In the UK, any sheep older than two years is considered mutton, while a cull ewe is a sheep no longer suitable for breeding.
Treated well and mutton is an excellent meat, though it remains painfully overlooked in Britain. Hardly surprising in a country where the likes of Prezzo and Strada continue to trade.
There might be no better example of quality mutton than that which comes out of Cornwall, namely from a farm on the border with Devon and run by Matt Chatfield, a long-time champion of older sheep and more sustainable farming practices.
Out in the far west, cull ewe is commonly referred to as cull yaw and that’s become the brand name of Chatfield’s mutton that he sells to restaurants, many in London. You’ll often see it atop crumpets at Blacklock, at Kiln in Soho and as koftes at Mangal II.
"If you want world class meat, you need an animal that has walked around for a large part of its life, this builds a flavour that you cannot achieve in a younger animal,” Chatfield says.
Enjoy lamb all you like (when in season, which isn’t Easter), hogget too. But try not to ignore mutton. Cornish Cull Yaw offers a rich, deep and instense flavour, and an earthiness rarely found in younger animals. The meat stands up to bigger, bolder ingredients; it works wonderfully with spices, heat and punches of umami.
Here is a recipe for a Cull Yaw kofta with garlic yoghurt and smoked chilli oil from the brilliant Barnaby’s restaurant in Padstow, Cornwall (sister site to Prawn on the Lawn, London).
Cull Yaw koftas
Serves 4
Kofta ingredients:
- 500g Cull Yaw mince (or Lamb mince)
- 1 medium white onion, finely diced
- 10g garlic powder
- 10g mint, finely chopped
- 10g coriander, finely chopped
- 10g parsley, finely chopped
- 10g cumin seeds
- 10g coriander seeds
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 5g dried chilli flakes
- 15g table salt
- 8 metal skewers
Garlic yoghurt ingredients:
- 350g natural yoghurt
- 100g cucumber, grated and drained
- 10g garlic, grated
- 10g mint, finely chopped
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Chilli oil ingredients:
- 25g smoked paprika
- 15g chilli flakes
- 15g chipotle flakes
- 350g pomace oil or light olive oil
- 15g fermented red chilli, chopped (optional)
Method:
- To make the chilli oil, heat the oil in a saucepan to roughly 120°C. Place the remaining ingredients in a metal bowl, then carefully pour over the hot oil. Stir gently and set aside to cool.
- For the koftas, toast the cumin and coriander seeds, then blitz them into a powder. Pre-ground spices can be used, but whole seeds bring much more flavour. In a mixing bowl, thoroughly combine all the remaining ingredients, including the ground spices. Shape the mixture evenly along the length of the skewers, forming them into a sausage shape. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water beforehand to prevent burning.
- For the garlic yoghurt, grate the cucumber and squeeze out as much liquid as possible using a clean kitchen towel or sieve. This helps prevent the yoghurt from becoming too watery. Mix the cucumber with the remaining ingredients in a bowl and keep in the fridge until serving.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Heat a large pan over medium to high heat with a little olive oil.
- Working in batches, fry the koftas until deeply golden on all sides. Transfer to a roasting tray lined with greaseproof paper and cook in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving. For the ultimate flavour, cook the koftas over an open flame or charcoal grill instead of frying and roasting.
- To serve, spread the garlic yoghurt onto a large serving plate, then place the koftas on top. Spoon over some of the chilli oil, stirring it first if needed. Save the remainder for other dishes—it’s great on eggs, lasagne, or almost anything! We serve the kofta with some roasted hispi cabbage, but they also go well with flatbreads, a chunky salad, and any leftover herbs for extra freshness.
- All components can be made a couple of days in advance, with only the koftas needing to be cooked on the day.
