The colour of the meat varies with the breed of lamb. The fat should be creamy white (if it is yellow it indicates old age) and it should not be oily. All the joints should be plump and compact rather than long and thin. The skin should be pliable; not hard and wrinkled. Welsh or English lamb is considered to be superior to New Zealand lamb.

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Excerpt from Leiths Cookery Bible

[Leith, P., and Waldegrave, C., (2003), Leiths Cookery Bible, 3rd edition, Bloomburys, UK]