IN Spring Lamb

by Ara Jansen

We’re not quite in spring yet, but it’s time to start thinking about lighter cuts of meat to celebrate the turn in seasons.

When the weather does finally start to warm a little, it’s going to be the perfect time to consider the lighter cuts of meat to grace your table.

Karl Osterberg is a butcher and co-owner of Ryan’s Quality Meats alongside Greg Ryan, whose father started the Jandakot business in the mid-1960’s. For the last two years the retail and wholesale butcher, in conjunction with beef producers A. O’Meehan & Co and V & V Walsh (meat processors and exporters) have been the exclusive Australian stockists and suppliers of premium Amelia Park Beef. This partnership brings together some two centuries of experience in supplying premium beef and lamb to West Australians.

Karl says when it comes to meat winter is the perfect time for warming dishes made of braised beef cheeks, lamb shanks and roasts. A married father with two kids and a wife who is studying means the
Osterberg family love a tasty casserole for their winter meals as a hearty, healthy and time-smart option.

West Australians don’t need much excuse to fire up the barbecue once there are some blue skies and a touch of heat in the air. Karl says that’s the perfect time to get into spring lamb, swapping over to lamb koftas, grilled lamb French cutlets or souvlaki butterflied lamb legs.

"I think we naturally just want to eat heavier food in winter and then somehow in spring we want to lighten up in preparation for summer, when it’s always about the barbecue," Karl says.

Shows like MasterChef and the popularity of celebrity chefs have made people a lot more adventurous and willing to try dishes and cuts of meat they may not have dared experiment with before. Of course it also helps to have someone knowledgeable behind the counter to make suggestions when you want to try something new.

“You can always tell when someone like Jamie Oliver has been on television because people come in with the same recipe that they all want to try. They’ll ask about what cuts of meat to use and I’ll suggest what I think would be best or what won’t suit the dish.

“I certainly get some good ideas from MasterChef.”

The butcher says because the company cuts and packages all their own meat, rather than just removing it from a pre-packed carton, they know the best of what’s around and through their relationship with Amelia Park and other local suppliers are able source quality produce.

www.ryansqualitymeats.com.au