What Makes Our Lamb Different?

We hear it all the time—people have had a bad experience with lamb and they don’t want to try it again. We get it. But, we also hear all the time from our customers that our lamb is different. What makes it different than what you can buy at the grocery store or from other sources?

First of all, the age of the lamb matters. Most American lamb that is being sold in grocery stores and other outlets is from a sheep weighing over 140 pounds and 7-10 months of age. At this stage, the animal has started to reach sexual maturity, which affects the flavor of the meat, moreso than the affect of age that we see with pork and beef.

Additionally, a lot of lamb from countries like New Zealand, Australia, and India, may even be raised to over a year old and full maturity. That isn’t lamb, even though it is being marketed that way.

True lamb is under a year old and should be processed at a much lower weight range. With weight and age come the strong taste that many dislike. Some of our friends love that taste! And to them, we offer special deals on mutton (sheep over one year of age with a strong flavor), offal, and older and heavier lambs.

However, our lamb is raised from start to finish to mirror northern European-style lamb like you would find in northern France, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. We process between 100-120 pounds and at no more than six months of age. This keeps our lamb tender with a mild nutty flavor and quality clean white fat. This is what customers recognize when they say that our lamb is different.

So, if you have had a bad experience with lamb in the past, we challenge you to try a new way. Chadwick Sheep Company lamb is raised with intentional practices to ensure a quality product that will keep you coming back again and again.