The Seasonal Meats To Eat This Spring, According To A Professional Butcher

Each month, a different chef, fishmonger, butcher or greengrocer tells C&TH what the best of the season is. Turner & George butcher Richard Turner tells Tessa Dunthorne about March’s best seasonal meats.

Butcher Richard Turner On What Meats To Eat This Month

While the growing season has yet to get truly underway, March is a reboot for working farms; with more encroaching light, there’s more activity. Cattle are about to be brought outside, although potentially this will be later this spring, due to a wet winter. As far as meats, you probably associate this time of year – and Easter – with roast lamb. But we tend not to eat British lamb so young anymore; you’ll see more lambs in fields around Easter these days. 

If you’re feeling more adventurous, butcher Richard Turner recommends experimenting with pork jowls on the BBQ

Eat This, Not That: Pork Instead Of Lamb

As we don’t eat lamb so young, as mentioned, opt for pork which is in favour at this time of year (here’s a C&TH recipe for Easter pork). The growing season is bringing purple sprouting broccoli, leeks, spinach, forced rhubarbs, and wild garlic, which really cut well through the fat. Lamb won’t actually be ready until summer! 

Which Meat Should You Eat In March?

You should definitely try hogget (older sheep) and ex-dairy beef before they fall out of season. Hogget goes out of season at the end of next April and is at its optimum in terms of flavour right now. Ex-dairy beef I suggest because, especially with rib roasts, it’s a totally theatrical joint – make a note of it for any big hosting occasions. 

You might also want to turn to sausages – an easy midweek stalwart, great for meatballs or bangers and mash – or ham hock, which is good when cooked low and slow. Chicken thighs are also a perfect seasonal cut for spicy, curried dishes. 

Don’t Forget This One Ingredient: Pork Jowl

Also known as bath chaps, this is a criminally underused seasonal animal part. Pig cheeks are easy enough to get but definitely try to make the most of the whole thing, and they’re normally very good value. I’d suggest preparing a simple overnight brine, followed by cooking low and slow in the oven wrapped in foil. But if you’re more adventurous, and want to make the most of the sun, try smoking them in your BBQ. My top tip is to remove as much skin as possible, because it becomes tough, but make sure to keep the layer of fat that covers the cut. 

Use This Offcut: Chicken Oysters & Bones

When you’ve finished carving your roast chicken, make sure to fastidiously pick remaining meat off, including the oysters – these are great for enhancing a white risotto. Remaining skin, lay flat on a tray and bake for 15 minutes for crackling. And for the leftover bones, gently boil with onion, carrot, celery, aromatics (like peppercorn and bay leaf) for a few hours, to make stock. 

Speedy Spring Meal: Polpette Al Forno

I am in sausage development mode right now, and find myself revisiting my recipe for Polpette Al Forno. Blend sausage meat with milk, breadcrumbs and parmesan to create meatballs, and then braise in wine and with grapes, which add acidity to offset the richness of the meat. Very comforting for a midweek supper. 

One More March Tip: Know Foraging Limits

I mentioned wild garlic earlier, which can be found in abundance around woodlands in March, and has a range of uses. But please remember the golden rule of foraging: never take away more than a third of the leaves from each plant. 

Richard Turner has been an executive chef and meat consultant for the likes of Meatopia, Hawksmoor, Foxlow, Blacklock, London Union, and Pitt Cue Co. He is also one half of Turner & George Butchers. turnerandgeorge.co.uk