Home Courses - The School of Artisan Food Butchery & Charcuterie Lamb and Mutton

Lamb and Mutton

£235.00

Beginner , Intermediate

Duration:

1 Day

Timings:

09:00 - 16:30

Course start dates:

06 May 2027
10 Jul 2027

Hourly Schedule

Time

9:00
Arrival & welcome
Tea, coffee and warm pastries from the kitchen.

9:30
Course Start

13:00
Lunch
Seasonal lunch prepared by our catering team.

16:30
Course End

There’s a growing appreciation for traditional British lamb and mutton, from the delicate flavour of young lamb to the rich, distinctive character of mature mutton.

Understanding how to butcher, prepare and cook these meats not only helps you make the most of every cut, but also provides a deeper connection to British farming, native breeds and sustainable meat production.

On this hands-on one-day course, you’ll work alongside artisan butcher and mutton expert Andrew Sharp. As an adviser to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales on the Mutton Renaissance Campaign, Andrew brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, guiding you through the practical skills needed to prepare and cook lamb and mutton for maximum flavour and enjoyment.

Throughout the day, you’ll explore the differences between lamb, hogget and mutton while developing your butchery skills through demonstrations using whole carcasses. You’ll also gain a greater understanding of British meat production, native breeds and how different cuts can be prepared and cooked to showcase their unique qualities.

What You’ll Learn

Through a combination of demonstrations, butchery and tastings, you will:

Learn the differences between lamb, hogget and mutton
Develop practical lamb and mutton butchery skills
Understand how to select and prepare different cuts
Discover cooking techniques that maximise flavour and texture
Explore British native breeds and meat production
Gain confidence working with a range of lamb and mutton cuts

Topics Covered

During the course, you’ll explore:

Lamb, hogget and mutton: what’s the difference?
British meat production and native breeds
Whole-carcass butchery demonstrations
Preparing a range of lamb and mutton cuts
Matching cuts to suitable cooking methods
Maximising flavour through preparation and cooking techniques

Food Tasting

As part of the course, a variety of lamb and mutton cuts will be cooked, allowing you to compare their flavours, textures and characteristics.

What You’ll Take Home

Meat butchered during the course will be available for you to take home.

Who Is This Course For?

This course is ideal for home cooks, food enthusiasts, smallholders and anyone interested in developing their butchery skills and understanding of British meat. It is also well suited to professional chefs, butchers and food producers looking to refine their skills and expand their knowledge of lamb and mutton preparation.

No previous butchery experience is required, just an enthusiasm for learning and a willingness to get hands-on.

Please Note:
Whilst we make every effort to adhere to best practices regarding allergen control and cross-contamination at The School of Artisan Food, we sincerely regret that we are unable to cater for severe food allergies or coeliac disease. This is due to the continuous and varied use of our teaching spaces, common areas and food preparation areas.

If in any doubt, please contact us to discuss your individual circumstances prior to making a booking, as this will then enable us to produce a personalised Risk Assessment based on your own specific circumstances and better judge if we can safely accommodate you on site.

Your Tutors

Tutor

Andrew Sharp

Andrew Sharp

Andrew ‘Farmer Sharp’ was brought up on a mixed farm in Cumbria.

At the age of 13 he went to work in a butchers’ shop, which had its own farm and abattoir. At that time they were one of the few butchers’ shops selling lambs and pigs from the local area and a full range of game; plucked, dressed and prepared in the shop. They were also hanging and maturing its beef, the old fashioned way, which has now become all the rage in the artisanal butchery sector.

For 15 years Andrew ran his own medium sized, British Retail Consortium approved cutting plant selling herdwick lamb, herdwick mutton, galloway beef, naturally reared pink veal and air dried mutton from Cumbria to all over the UK, to the EU and even Hong Kong.

He is a founding member of the Mutton Renaissance Campaign, inspired by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, and run day to day by the Academy of Culinary Arts.

Andrew has made several media appearances including the Radio 4 Food program, Kill it Cook it Eat it to Turn Back Time The High Street and Hugh’s 3 Good Things, to name but a few.