Neck fillet of lamb

[St Bernard]

Does anyone know the French term for neck fillet of lamb? It doesn't appear to be a cut which is generally available here but it must exist.

Many thanks in advance

Jan

[Christine Animal]

There is a cut called "collier d'agneau".  Maybe it's that.

 

[JayJay]

Hi Jan, I think it's collier d'agneau. Hopefully someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

Edit: Snap!

[moonraker]

Collier d'agneau is used for stewing....middle or scrag end of neck. I've never seen neck fillet here but you could always ask your butcher and explain what you want.

[Llwyncelyn]

Moonraker is absolutely correct in that it is  middle neck of lamb and thus collier is not what you are looking for. In Wales we use this cut as part of what is called cawl which is a soup based on inferior cuts of lamb. As in beef the French do not have the same cuts as us.

Back to lamb I am getting a bit fed up of trying to get a rack of lamb and just end up with huge cutltets and not what we call rack.  I think the French call it carre?

Whatever living near to Mont St Michel we do get gigot of lamb pre sale and  the Parisiens who own maisons secondaire at Granville were paying up to 70 euros for the first leg of  lamb of the season.

Being Welsh I have views as to lamb but must admit that pre sale is good.  However our (Welsh salt marsh) is better but even better is the butcher in the High Street in Thame who has his own farm and his lamb is to die for.

It is the best lamb I have ever tasted but Edwards of Conwy in North Wales is a near second. Look at his web site and he does mail order overnight.  Still once more I am guilty of moving from the point in question.

[saddie]

I don't think that neck fillet is a traditional cut in the UK. It certainly didn't exist say 10 years ago. I think that some bright spark realised that the scrag wasn't very popular and devised a cut which gave a nice useable piece of meat. I may be wrong of course

[Suze01]

Collier and Jarret are cheap ways to enjoy lamb.  I go through the packs and source out the meatriest and cook them in Moroccan spices with orange slices and juice with stock, and slow cook. Absolutely delicious. Otherwise I find lamb far too expensive.

[moonraker]

When I'm hard-up and expecting guests I often buy a frozen NZ leg of lamb; the grandchildren love it and it's often not much more expensive than a large freerange chicken. I saw some nice looking neck at the butcher's counter the other day, bought a couple of kilos, and froze it until I get the crockpot out later in the year!

[St Bernard]

Thanks for all the replies. NZ frozen lamb is excellent value and perfect for marinading and then putting on the bbq. As for the neck fillets, I think it's a case of a quick word with the butcher in the UK and then a chat with a local butcher here.

Jan

 

[Cassis]

Here's a useful link for cuts of lamb.  Neck fillet does not seem to exist, as the others have said.

Lamb Cuts

I've already posted the Beef one under the A-Z of Food but may as well add it here as well:

Beef Cuts

The pork one's not quite so comprehensive:

Pork Cuts

[Rozmum]

These are really useful, Cassis.  Many thanks.  I've printed them off and will write in the English equivalent to help when I'm shopping. 

[Rob Roy]

I must be lucky then. I have just had a lamb butchered and jointed by our next door neighbour's brother (who is a chef in the US) and got a lovely neck fillet with all the other cuts.[:)] Our neighbour is the farmer who reared the lamb, so I know exactly where it has come from - about 50 mtrs up the lane [:D] I cooked a gigot last week for some friends, and it was really tender and sweet.

[St Bernard]

Ah well, an American chef, not a French butcher! Further evidence that it's difficult to find here and probably a non-traditional cut.

Thanks for the guide to cuts of meat. I had also seen it through a different posting. Only one of the links referred to neck fillet and that was a Northumbrian butcher who sells on-line but not outside UK mainland.

Jan

 

[The Riff-Raff Element]

You might try asking for "collet" (as opposed to "collier") which, I

think, it the prime end and ask them to de-bone it for you. I think

neck fillet  is a bit of a recent inovetion, like lamb shanks. Not

that sheep haven't always had that bit, just that it wasn't cut off and

sold seperately, if you see what I mean.

[moonraker]

According to what I've just read Collet = Collier; just depends where you are.

Talking about collier....Appellation régionale : il est parfois appelé collet.

Also read that some butchers (but not all) will bone a neck of lamb for it to be stuffed.