Topic: Lamb stock recommendations please.

[Secret Santa]

I was brewing up a batch of pre-cooked lamb this afternoon and I wanted to add some lamb stock so I added a couple of Knorr lamb stock cubes (well cuboids really). Anyway, I'd never used these before so I tasted a bit and was supremely disappointed with the flavour. Mostly salty and tasting like a veg stock cube but not a hint, as far as I could discern, of lamb flavour.

Now I've used OXO cubes in the past and they have a definite lambiness to them but would you recommend any other more flavoursome, and perhaps natural, lamb 'stock' (other than actual boiled lamb bones)?

[Peripatetic Phil]

As far as I know, Knorr have not brought out a lamb stockpot, otherwise I would probably recommend one of those, on the basis of my experience with their chicken stockpot and beef stockpot range.  But in the absence thereof, I would have thought that your local butcher was your best bet; just ask him to set aside all the lamb bones, offcuts, waste, etc., that his customers don't want to pay for, and boil those up.  In my experience, nothing can equal the flavour of freshly made lamb (better : hogget, sheep or mutton) stock.  Or maybe goat bones, if you have a local Halal butcher.

** Phil.

[curryhell]

If i'd have known you could have had the stock from the sheep i cooked at the weekend SS.  It was absolutely delicious.  I should have froze it but i already have some from the last batch of sheep i did.  There just isn't any real substitute for real meat juices 

[Secret Santa]

If i'd have known you could have had the stock from the sheep i cooked at the weekend SS.

Ohhhh, get you with your whole sheep! I bet it was delicious though. I was looking for the next best thing to be honest but stock cubes don't seem to be it! 

[goncalo]

I second Phil's advice. I got 0.5kg of chicken bones for free off the halal butcher, which I plan on using in my next curry.

[Vindaloo-crazy]

Make sure the bones are roasted first and then add the holy trinity of stock vegetables (onion, carrot and celery) to stock pot with water, boil it up and skim the froth off, leave on a very low simmer for a couple of hours. Then season and strain it. Voila, a ton of stock ready to go.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Make sure the bones are roasted first and then add the holy trinity of stock vegetables (onion, carrot and celery) to stock pot with water, boil it up and skim the froth off, leave on a very low simmer for a couple of hours. Then season and strain it. Voila, a ton of stock ready to go.

Then throw it away and repeat, this time omitting the celery
** Phil.

[Vindaloo-crazy]

Grr, as a member of the celery marketing board I resent that remark  ;D