North Ronaldsay Hogget
A meat from the back of the north wind. North Ronaldsay is home to its own breed of sheep which survive almost entirely on a diet of seaweed. This Neolithic breed of sheep has been purposely kept on North Ronaldsay though the meat and wool yield is lower than that of other breeds because the wise islanders knew that the sheep could survive the winters on Orkney’s most northerly islands whereas other breeds might not make it and everyone would starve. The sheep are wild and never come indoors and as a result they can only be eaten during the culling season from October to March as hogget (a sheep which is older than 12 months but less than 18, at which point it becomes mutton). High in iodine, rich in omega-3 and tastier than sirloin, it is a rare luxury that needs to be tried at least once in a lifetime.