WHAT IS SALT MARSH LAMB?
The lambs graze on marshes in coastal estuaries that are washed by the tides and support a range of salt-tolerant grasses and herbs such as samphire, sparta grass, sorrel and sea lavender. In the various parts of the country where the lamb is raised as a speciality, notably around Harlech and the Gower Peninsula in Wales, the Somerset levels and Morecambe Bay, the nature of the plants may be subtly different. “Of course, I would say ours is best,” jokes Stuart Higginson of Higginson & Daughter, whose Holker salt marsh lamb is raised on local farms including Lord Cavendish’s Holker Hall estate. And no, the lamb doesn’t taste of salt or seaweedy, but has a darker colour and more delicate, sweet flavour. “It is usually very tender, probably because there are no hills for the lambs to walk up and down.” SOUNDS PRETTY NATURAL Salt marsh lamb is probably one of the most organic of meats in the generic sense of the word. “Sheep are pretty wild, full stop,” says Higginson, “but on conventional
