When I was a kid, you could get mutton everywhere. For those poor babies who don't know what flavour is, mutton is a full-grown sheep's meat. It completely mystifies me as to why everyone wants random lamb a-ding-dong, because mutton has a rich flavour that should be experienced.
And since Australia flourished on the sheep's back at the time, you could not only get mutton for cheap, but there were also plenty of sources of a thing called 'hogget'. Which is Olde English and specifically for lamb that's one year old.
Beautiful shit. You should get your hands on it sometime.
But for us, we're introducing our little darlings to flavour from the official Days Of Yore. Stuff that hasn't existed on the shelves since sometime in the mid-eighties when they started insisting on Lamb Only.
Confusing. Lamb hardly has any flavour and can easily be mistaken for beef. Actual mature sheep is more meat and more flavourful with it. Y'all haven't tasted a proper shepherd's pie until you've tasted it with proper actual SHEEP.
...I might be a bit of a fanatic, but trust me on this one. I'm not a complete foodie, because I will consume food from recipes with words like "glop" in the title. I know what tastes good even if it doesn't look like a work of art on the plate.
I could probably do a whole Ted talk on Cottage Pie versus Shepherd's Pie and the finesse required to do a proper one. Gordon Ramsay can use fresh lamb mince and cuss me out, but he hasn't tried one with roasted hogget that's been minced up with all the other stuff and slow-baked with a cheesy mix of stuff on the top. Mmmmmm...
This is a hill I will die on. Bite me.
Tomorrow, I will be asking for interest in Clockwork Souls. Given that Monday is also a Cleaning Day, I might not get back to y'all until Tuesday or Wednesday, my time. Patience is a virtue.
Also, this week is your last chance to vote for my next Amalgam book. It's currently tied between Trader Numbat and B'Nar. You could be the tie breaker. Act now or I'll have to flip a coin.