Introducing the Lamb Rump – it's here to stay

What is Lamb Rump? We're getting asked this question more and more frequently these days. It appears a lot of people have never heard of Lamb Rump, and even less have tried it. We're pretty sure this will change over the next few years, as Lamb Rump is becoming more common on top restaurant menus. Marco Pierre White for one is a big fan, and you can expect to see it offered as an alternative to traditional beef steaks in more and more upmarket steakhouses.

So what is lamb rump? The name should probably give it away, as in the simplest of terms it's from the point where the leg and the loin meet – aka the lamb's rear. Don't let this put you off in the slightest, lamb rump is an amazingly tasty cut.

It is usually served off the bone, but occasionally bone-in, and makes an excellent and some would argue economical two person roasting joint. Top chef's often serve it very pink as a romantic meal for two, which is a really nice way of doing it, (and very romantic if I do say so myself!). Granted  that's not to everyones taste, and it works just fine medium or even well-done in our opinion.

If roasting isn't your thing, it is versatile enough to fry, braise, and even barbecue, which we'll tell you more about in another post. The really key thing for us is to try and crisp the lovely layer of fat that comes on top of the lamb rump as that's what makes this cut so special and tasty. Just like on steak the fat is an essential component of this cut, and it's all the better for having it to baste and balance, for cooking and flavour.

As always, you're best getting lamb rump from a reputable butcher who you trust. If it's good quality lamb it should have been hung and dry-aged for at least 7 days, longer if there is more fat on the lamb. Fortunately lamb rump hasn't so far succumbed to the stealth like supermarket tactics and is not readily available in their aisles. We expect this to change as it becomes more commonplace, but we'd urger you to try it from a butcher (that means us) first, as we wouldn't want your first experience of the rump to be a negative one.

Some butchers and restaurants may refer to it as  chump, lamb chump or chump end, but however you get introduced, we think you should give it a go...you'll certainly be hearing more and more about it, so it's only a matter of time before you do.