What a tremendous difference there is in mutton, brought about by its different pastures and breeds. The steward should always buy WETHER mutton, leaving the EWES entirely alone, unless they are MAIDENS. The best cutting sheep are from sixty to seventy pounds in weight. The skin should be dry. Leave the oily skinned ones alone as they will eat TOUGH. See that they are moderately lean by noting the shoulder meat showing through the skin, and also that the meat of the leg outwards can be seen through the skin extending well down towards the loin. Cheaper to buy the whole sheep and use all its parts (except the head) then to keep on buying racks, racks, racks. The butcher is going to cut those racks LONG, and you have to cut off two or three inches, before you can send them to the broiler, and the chops then come very expensive. The loin chops which are infinitely the best should be used with the neck chop, one of each, thus making the pair of chops usually called for, the trimmed bone of the neck one carrying the frill and a croquette tip stuck into the loin one. In cutting up the sheep, split it straight through the spinal column, then separate the quarters, cut off the legs close to the pin bone.

The loin will yield three half pound trimmed chump chops, and ten six ounce trimmed loin chops. With the forequaiter, lift off the shoulder, cut off the breast, then cut off the scrag with the first two bones of the rack adhering; you now have eleven neck chops to each quarter, or forty-eight chops to the sheep, two legs and two shoulders for joints, the breasts and scrags for the multitude of entrees and the helps hall.

Boiled Leg Of Mutton

Cut off the shank bone, put to boil in cold water with salt whole carrots and white turnips; when done, take up, cut the vegetables into finger sizes; make a white sauce from the stock, adding capers and caper vinegar; serve in portions with the sauce at ends of dish, using the vegetables as a garnish.

Roast Leg Of Mutton

Cut off the shank bone, rub with salt and pepper, dredge with flour, roast till done with frequent basting, take up, pour off surplus fat from the pan, add a little flour to the remaining gravy, moisten with stock to make a sauce, strain, add capers and caper vinegar, or let it remain plain and serve with each portion some red currant jelly separate.

Braised Leg Of Mutton

Cut off the shank bone, put the leg into a brasiere with some fat bacon trimmings, onions, carrots, bay leaves, bunch of sweet herbs, whole peppers and allspice, moisten with mutton stock, place on the lid, then put the whole into a hot oven, cook till done and glazy, take up, then reduce the braise to half glaze, strain, skim; serve with the portions and red currant jelly separate; or you may garnish it with glazed balls of carrot and turnip, also some glazed small onions.

Braised Stuffed Leg Of Mutton

Bone the leg, and where the bone was, insert a filling composed of minced mushrooms, parsley, shallots, grated ham, little grated lemon rind, seasoning of salt, pepper and nutmeg, mix these well, then work in some forcemeat, sew up the openings, place the stuffed leg into a brasiere with carrots, turnips, celery, clove of crushed garlic, whole cloves and mace, moisten with stock, braise and glaze; when done, take up, and reduce the braise, strain and skim it, add it to a Veoute" sauce containing capers; serve with a stuffed tomato at ends of dish, with the sauce poured around.