Salt marsh hogget is the most flavourful meat you could imagine. A hogget is a lamb that is between one and two years old – at two years it becomes mutton. An aged animal has had time to develop flavour, intensifying the meat giving it depth and complexity.

Photo taken by Neil White. Recipe first published on www.groweatgather.co.uk

As Author and Food Journalist Michael Pollan says “You are what you eat ‘eats’.” It’s important the meat you buy has been fed properly on food it has evolved to eat. It is now common in conventional farming to feed ruminants grain to increase their rate-of-gain (the speed it gains weight to reach slaughter) so that the animal is more profitable when slaughtered. Unfortunately if this feeding process is abused it will decrease the health of the animal and the quality of it’s fat. An animal fed on a foraged rich diet of pasture will not only be healthier to eat – as the fat contains more omega 3 fatty acids but taste better too. Salt marsh reared animals have a distinctive flavour from their varied diet of foraged herbs, including wild garlic, lavender and samphire, making salt marsh lamb and hogget one of the tastiest meats available.

All these recipes will make enough for 5-6 people as a main course.

Ingredients for the slow roast hogget
1.5kg half shoulder hogget or lamb
1 sprig rosemary
2 cloves garlic, peeled, cut into shards

For the celeriac puree
1 celeriac, peeled (about 800g) make into crisps
1 potato, peeled (about 150g)
1 ltr whole milk
1 large clove garlic
For the green sauce
25g sprigs of parsley, stalks finely, leaves roughly chopped
10g mint, stalks finely, leaves roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
100ml Olive oil
Juice one lemon

For the green sauce
25g sprigs of parsley, stalks finely, leaves roughly chopped
10g mint, stalks finely, leaves roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
100ml Olive oil
Juice one lemon

To slow roast the hogget – preheat the oven to 150C
1) Stud the hogget shoulder with shards of garlic and sprigs of rosemary. Wrap in greaseproof creating a parcel. Place in a oven proof dish with a lid and put in the oven for 3.5 to 4 hours until it falls off the bone. Leave until it’s cool enough to handle then tear the meat off the bone keeping all the juicy bits and skin.

To make the celeriac puree
1) Cut the celeriac and potatoes into 2cm cubes. Place in a saucepan with the garlic and cover with the milk. Season, place a lid on top and bring to a simmer. Keep the heat low and cook for about 30 minutes until the celeriac is soft to the bite. Strain keeping the milk. Put in a blender adding some of the milk if needed. Blend to a smooth puree adding more milk if necessary.

For the green sauce
1) Mix together in a pestle and mortar

To Serve: Sear 80g meat on the plancha, season. Warm small ladle of celeriac puree. Serve on small metal plate. Pool of celeriac puree, pile hot meat, dressed with sauce.