Western Australian sheep farmer puts mutton on the menu at top Perth restaurants
Mutton is often thought of as tough and gamey, but a sheep farmer from Katanning, in Western Australia's Great Southern region, is getting top-dollar for his mutton at some of Perth's top end restaurants.
"They've grazed for 1,000 days" is how the mutton is being marketed and some have even grazed for twice that.
Sheep farmer David Thompson, from Moojipin Merinos, claimed the best mutton he has had was seven and a half years old.
Mr Thompson said the idea to produce mutton came to him while being offered an in-flight meal.
"We were travelling to Dubai... and the menu was chicken or mutton and people were quite happy to choose mutton... and I thought surely it wasn't a bad name... so it really set off the light bulb in my head."
Mr Thompson said he was always confident that he had a good product on his hands, but he admited convincing processors had not always been easy.
However, he said securing a place in top-end restaurant trade had been extremely exciting.
"It was one of the best feelings ever, seeing people ordering the mutton," he said.
"People think that mutton's not a good word and I think mutton's not a bad word, it's just very poorly marketed."
Daniel Fisher, the executive chef at two hat Perth restaurant, Print Hall, has been preparing the mutton and said he initially had reservations toward the meat.
"It was an animal that was so old you kind of disregard and think that it's not going to be any good, but in the end it was some of the best sheep I've ever eaten."
Mr Fisher said that the mutton had been very well received by customers as the flavour of the extremely tender meat "speaks for itself".
Source: ABC Rural, Fiona Pepper, 7th September 2015
Originally published as: Western Australian sheep farmer puts mutton on the menu at top Perth restaurants
