Think you’re eating spring lamb this Easter? Think again. Rushed, imported and out of season, it’s a product of habit, not heritage – and even the war in Ukraine has played a part. uncovers the flavourful, forgotten meat farmers say we should be eating instead

Spring lamb has become a culinary cliche: soft, sweet and symbolically tied to Easter. But the meat that turns up on most British tables this weekend is rarely what it claims to be. The lambs born in spring are still wobbling through wet fields. The ones being eaten? Born in winter, fattened fast on grain or flown in from the other side of the world. It’s called “new season lamb,” but it’s out of sync with the actual season – and often, with flavour too.

The truth is, you’ve probably never eaten true spring lamb at Easter. What’s typically sold as “new season lamb” is often nothing of the sort. Lambs born in January or even December are rushed through on grain and silage to meet seasonal demand, despite poor weather, limited grass and high stress for both animal and farmer.

The result is meat that is undeniably tender – but often lacking in flavour and commanding a price that’s more tradition than taste.

“Easter… a celebration… courting birds, warmer rays, harder ground. And then we go and spoil it all by eating spring lamb,” says Herefordshire farmer Tom Jones, who supplies native meat to leading restaurants and recently launched a campaign to bring hogget into the Easter spotlight (supported by chefs Ravneet Gill, Ben Lippett and Hannah Mai, among others). “Tender, but tasteless.”