So what is mutton?
Mutton is the meat from a sheep that has been slaughtered in its second to third year. It has a more robust flavour than lamb and is great in a slow-cooked casserole, Indian or Jamaican curry, Moroccan-style tagine, or South East Asian soup.

Hogget is the meat taken from sheep between one to two years old. It has a more intense flavour than lamb, but with less fat than mutton. Lengthy, gentle cooking with a fair amount of moisture brings out the best in both mutton and hogget.

Quality mutton has an almost game-like flavour, which owes much to its diet. In the mountains around North Wales, heather and wild herbs lend an aromatic, almost floral flavour to the meat. Well-aged mutton is similar to fine venison. Herdwick mutton, from the Lake District also has a much-prized flavour.

Revisiting a lost tradition
We've been importing New Zealand mutton and lamb since the 1880s. Way back in the nineteenth century, mutton came up trumps on Victorian menus, but during the Second World War, when many farmers were away, much of the expertise needed to produce fine quality mutton was sadly lacking.

Fatty mutton, served without any frills, earned itself a dodgy reputation as a war-time filler - boiled to death it didn't have much going for it. However, we've come a long way since then. Mutton is key to plenty of spiced global favourites - spicy mutton stews from the Caribbean, Indian curries, and traditional slow-cooked casseroles from Britain.

Chef's approval
The Mutton Renaissance Club was set up by the National Sheep Association and the Academy of Culinary Arts in 2004 and is backed by Prince Charles, Gary Rhodes and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall among other mutton-lovers. Meat aficionado, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, sings mutton's virtues in the River Cottage Meat Book; he says, "Mutton is to lamb as beef is to veal".

Sophie Grigson also appreciates the complex flavour of mutton, she says, "The best mutton I've tasted was cooked for me by Bob Kennard of Graig Farm in Wales. It was, I think, a leg of mutton cured ham-style and cooked very slowly. It was beautifully tender, firm-grained, and with a rich but not aggressive flavour.

'I think many people imagine that mutton will be fearsomely strong and overpowering, but that is only the case with really ancient sheep, and most of the mutton now being produced is not actually that old. Mutton has more depth of flavour, a more complex rounded taste, more 'umami', if you like."

Did you know?

·There are more than 60 pubs in Britain called The Shoulder of Mutton. Many old inns used to double up as butcher's shops, which is how they got their name.

·The Romans introduced mutton as a national dish, and coined a sweet tangy honey-onion sauce as its partner on a plate.

·It's much more than a cold weather stalwart - you can also buy mutton ham for a light meal or snack. The legs are dried for up to six months, creating a smooth texture and refined flavour which works really well with salads.