Delifonseca Dockside is preparing to celebrate St George’s Day (April 23) by showcasing local mutton in a historical English style.

Devised by head chefs Mark Lara and Martin Cooper, the roast mutton served with anchovies and a caper sauce revisits a taste of old England with the finest locally reared meat, courtesy of the deli’s in-house butchers Edge & Sons.

Proprietor of Delifonseca, Candice Fonseca said:

“With Edge & Sons now housed within our Dockside venue, we have access to some of the best local produce sourced within a 25 mile radius. The meat that we have chosen to feature in our special St George’s Day dish is rare-breed ‘Hebridean’ mutton farmed by Alex Smith in Storeton, Wirral. The sheep grow half the speed of conventional modern day breed and thrive on rough grazing. This slow growth produces a dark, succulent and tender meat, which is then hung for two weeks to further increase its flavour. The idea is to celebrate traditional British heritage by creating an old-school English dish that wouldn’t be out of place on a Dickensian dinner table. The use of capers and anchovies nowadays are seen as very continental ingredients but the palates of our forbearers had already developed a taste for bold and salty flavours – perfect to stand up to the lovely strong flavour of mutton.”

Edge & Sons, which was established in 1844, holds a wealth of experience spanning five generations and is one of nine butchers in Britain that still maintains its own slaughterhouse to reduce the stress and transportation of livestock. As a result of the team’s respect for animal welfare from farm to fork, Edge & Sons was awarded the RSPCA Independent Retailer Award in 2009 and 2012.

Candice added:

“It’s great to collaborate with butchers who are just as passionate about good local produce as we are. As Edge & Sons have a personal relationship with each of their local farmers, we are able to educate our diners by telling them exactly where their dish has come from, all about the farm, the farmer, the feed and most importantly the welfare and rearing of the animals.”

Roast mutton served with anchovies and a caper sauce is available at Delifonseca Dockside on Saturday, April 23 and is priced at £14.95.

For more information about Delifonseca visit www.delifonseca.co.uk or call 0151 255 0808.

For more information about Edge & Sons visit www.edgebutchers.co.uk