This is where Mayo
Blackface lambs are born and reared by the Calvey family to produce the
exclusive and unique tasting Achill Mountain Lamb. Here the sheep wander freely,
grazing on the wild grasses, heathers and seaweeds that they find on the
thousands of hectares of land to which they have unfettered access to on the
island. If you ever doubted the veracity of the old adage ‘you are what you
eat’ I urge you to sample some Achill Mountain Lamb and you will be smitten by
this vaguely salty yet wonderfully sweet meat which comes from animals who
feasted on the best that the earth around them offered up. Without a doubt,
Achill Mountain Lamb has a taste and tenderness unlike any other lamb I have
ever eaten and without doubt, is very much a product of the West of Ireland and
the place it comes from.
Achill Mountain Lamb is
reared, slaughtered and butchered on Achill by the Calveys who have been
producing this distinctive tasting lamb for over 50 years. Although there were
originally 23 other butchers/abattoirs on the island when Martin Calvey started
off in 1962, the Calveys are now the only licensed abattoir within a 30 mile radius.
It is testament to their tenacity and their belief in their product along with
a willingness to embrace and respond to customer needs that has seen this
family-run business continue to develop to a point where the lamb is much
sought after by many of Ireland’s top restaurants.
The Mayo Blackface lambs
which make up the Calvey flock is a pure breed, which has never been crossed
with any other and is specifically suited to the conditions on Achill. The
sheep love to wander up the mountains and as one can imagine, herding them can
be challenging! However, Martin told me that they dislike midges nipping at
their faces and will always try to come back down from the mountains in the
evening to avoid being bitten.
I strongly believe that
Ireland has some of the best food and food producers anywhere in the world and Achill
Mountain Lamb is a wonderful example of this. I was therefore delighted to be
invited to this year’s launch of the New Season Lamb which was held earlier
this month on Achill. Achill Mountain Lamb has a later season than most
other lamb, kicking off in late June/July and continuing until Christmas.
The event was officially
launched by Mairead McGuinness MEP, Vice President of the European Parliament.
At the launch a lamb carcass was brought in and presented with great pomp and
ceremony to the sound of bagpipes playing. As a full member of the Agriculture &
Rural Development/AGRI Committee in the European Parliament, her time as a
presenter on RTÉ’s Ear to the Ground
and her work in agricultural journalism, Mairead McGuinness is extremely well-versed
on the issues and concerns of Irish farmers and food producers and gave a very
witty speech as part of the launch.
Grainne Calvey, one of
Martin’s daughters then gave a fascinating butchery demonstration. Watching the
skill and dexterity of Grainne as she worked was totally absorbing and
something I found very interesting. In no time at all she had divided the lamb
carcass up into different joint and cuts and as she did so, gave some great
suggestions on how the different cuts could be used.
The Calveys operate a
bespoke butchery service and can arrange delivery to anywhere in Ireland, so
you don’t have to live in and around the Island to be able to cook and enjoy
eating Achill Mountain Lamb. Although they have a well-established trade
directly with restaurants which they continue to develop, the ordinary consumer
can also buy their product; either the whole animal butchered into different
joints or specific cuts of the meat. When you buy Achill Mountain Lamb, you can
be certain that it is 100% traceable meat that you are buying, from animals
that had a good life and were able to roam freely.
Gary O’Hanlon, Head Chef
at Viewmount House in Longford Town then treated the crowd to a great cooking
demonstration using the lamb. Many people will be familiar with Gary as he is
one of the resident chefs on TV3’s (previously RTÉ’s) The Restaurant. What Gary so deftly showed us was that lamb is far
more versatile than we might think. Granted, I love a roast leg of lamb with
all the trimmings, but that takes time to prepare… the dishes that Gary made
were flavoursome and more importantly quick to prepare using different, less
familiar cuts of the meat.
I love cookery demonstrations
where you get to sample the food and I can confirm that all three of the dishes
that Gary cooked were absolutely delicious. First up was a Lamb Stir-Fry,
full of oriental flavours and next came a fabulously fragrant Lamb Pasta
dish. Both were fantastic and incredibly easy to make. The final dish, a Lamb
Tagine, was superb. Lamb can stand up to very robust flavours and here
garlic, chilli pepper and other spices were added to create an incredibly tasty
dish and one that I will definitely be trying out at home. These recipes and
many others are available on the Calveys’ website at www.AchillLamb.ie
Too often we are removed
from the food we eat and where it comes from. We all posture and pay
lip-service to terms like ‘artisan’ and ‘locally-sourced’ without often really
understanding what they mean. Sadly these are terms which have also been
hijacked by big business and multi-nationals and this has resulted in the
underlying philosophies and practices behind these terms being somewhat
devalued. It is therefore reassuring and heartening to visit farmers like the
Calveys where you can witness (and taste) for yourself, the results of their
commitment to producing lamb of the highest quality from the island which they were
brought up and live on.
Calveys of Achill
Keel
Achill Island
County Mayo
Tel: 09843158
This article first appeared in TheTaste.ie
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