Ocado to begin stocking kid meat
As Ocado moves to become the first supermarket with goat meat on sale, Matt Brady asks why it hasn't been more popular before now.
Goat meat is not massively popular in the UK. Family food datasets from DEFRA in 2013 (the most recent data published) make no reference to goat meat at all, and consumption data for goat meat is not currently recorded because it's so low.
So it’s slightly surprising that online supermarket Ocado has decided to begin stocking kid meat within the next few weeks. A precise date for sale hasn’t yet been announced, but reports indicate that mid-June has been pencilled in.
Goats versus sheep
While it’s not too popular here, goat meat is consumed in greater quantities elsewhere around the world. It’s difficult to pin down exactly how much, as sheep and goat meat often goes under one 'ovine' banner in published datasets.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO) reports that the world produced 13,606,000 tonnes of ovine meat in 2012 and 10,790,000 tonnes of this was consumed in developing countries.
However, as goats are particularly good at adapting to all kinds of rocky terrain, don’t need as much to eat as larger livestock, and thrive in both hot and cold climates, it would make sense to suggest that a fair proportion of this meat is goat.
As much of the UK is grassy and relatively flat it makes it much more suitable for sheep farming.
Might goat float our boat?
The British Boer Goat Society says that goat meat is “low in fat, cholesterol, calories and saturated fat and has a good flavour… [and it is] lower in fat than beef and chicken – even chicken cooked with the skin off.”
Roasted goat meat has 3g fat and 54% of your recommended daily protein allowance per 100g. Widely used in Caribbean and African cuisines, it’s excellent for making curries, stews and hotpots. Jerk-seasoned goat meat mixed with rice and plenty of sauce, for example, is a real winner.
Cooked long and slow with other strong flavours, bone-in cuts can create superb tastes and become very tender – just remember to keep them moist throughout.
Is Boer-dom better?
One goat breeder in the East of England told loveFOOD that demand for goat meat had been strong this year, and currently outstrips supply. But they also expressed concerns that Ocado’s stock is to be supplied from male kids from dairy herds which would otherwise be culled.
While this means that lucky male goats will no longer be killed off soon after birth, the breeder suggested that the quality of dairy herd meat will simply not be as good as Boer goat. They compare it to the Aberdeen Angus beef of the cattle market.
As a small producer of Boer goat meat, the breeder claims that dairy goats “just don't have the same quality of carcass as a Boer goat... which is the best quality goat meat in the UK.”
While Ocado will be the first major supermarket to stock goat meat, if you want to try different varieties elsewhere it’s available online – mostly from restaurant wholesalers but there are some sites that sell smaller quantities too. Some butchers also stock goat, but it’s probably best to call ahead before you try your luck.
Have you ever eaten goat, and what did you think? Would you take goat over lamb if it was more available? Let us know your thoughts and share the best ways to cook goat in the Comments below.
You might also like:
Comments
Be the first to comment
Do you want to comment on this article? You need to be signed in for this feature