“Despite the financial doom and gloom in the news and the fact we all need to tighten our belts, I am adamant that I will continue my organic ways.

“Peter Kindersley, owner of the farm here at Sheepdrove, made the benefits of organic food clear in the last issue of Country Times but there are cost implications.

“With lower stocking rates and higher quality animal welfare it is understandable that organic food occasionally costs a little more – but the quality speaks for itself and the food definitely tastes better. But justifying the price difference between supermarket meat and organic locally produced meat can be a challenge.

“One solution is to eat less meat and go for quality. Instead of meat seven nights a week just have it on three occasions. Alternatively, you can make sure every last scrap of food is used. Domestic wastage need not be as high as it is and there are plenty of recipes and advice available to help cooks use every last bit of a chicken. Or, you could look for the more unusual cuts and meats.

“Like clothes, cars and make-up, food has become fashionable, with certain produce more popular than others. “When it comes to meat, we all know about sirloin, chops, breast, rump, leg and fillet but what about those other cuts – shin, brisket and belly? They are easy to cook, taste delicious and are reasonably priced – they are just out of fashion and less well known. “In fact, due to their lack of use, people think of them as tough, fatty, unhealthy or uninteresting but that is far from the truth. “The story is much the same with mutton. which was the staple meat in Britain for hundreds of years, considered far superior and more interesting than lamb. “The flavour is stronger with more depth but it has almost disappeared from our dinner plates due to changing fashions and different farming styles.

“But there is a change in the air and farms and butchers like Sheepdrove are once again offering this delightful meat for sale. “In fact to really interest people and start moving stock there are currently some incredible deals on offer from butchers and farm countrywide, particularly if consumers are interested in buying a fully butchered whole or half animal.

“But what is it, and what makes it so different? Sheepdrove Farm is part of the Mutton Renaissance, a campaign started by the Prince of Wales in 2004 to promote mutton and help sheep farmers get the best use out of their flocks. The campaign describes mutton as coming from ‘sheep that are over two years old. Traditionalists argue that mutton is always the meat from a wether [castrated male sheep].

‘A more contemporary view is that mutton comes from a breeding ewe that has reached the end of its productive life.’ “As part of the campaign, Sheepdrove’s mutton is the meat from a traceable farm assured sheep, at least two years of age and finished on a forage based diet and matured for at least two weeks post slaughter – although we would like to stress that due to our high animal welfare standards neither castration or tail docking take place on the farm “Mutton is available all year round but is as its best October and March – so hurry before it is all gone!”