“I don’t like lamb!” is how my middle son reacted to the news that we were having lamb for dinner.  It was a locally-raised, grass-fed lamb that we got through our CSA.  And for me it was the best part— the leg.  We roasted it in the oven for several hours at 250ºF until it was 135ºF internally and my husband made a delicious rosemary and red wine sauce. (Reduce red wine, veal stock then add garlic and rosemary until slightly thick. Pour into pan to get drippings too.)

Think we need to rotate it during cooking for more even color.

So, I knew it would be delicious but I didn’t know why my son announced this (or I should probably more correctly describe as “whined it”!) seemingly out of the blue.  We eat lamb fairly often, at least often enough for my kids to eat it without thought/complaint.  It seemed bizarre to us that he’d have an aversion to it suddenly.  I know many meat-eating adults who don’t eat lamb, mostly because they didn’t have it when growing up and it’s got a stronger flavor than beef.

If you notice what foods you will eat as an adult often have a root in what you were given as a child.  In the U.S. there aren’t many people I know that eat Marmite or Vegemite, but in NZ, England and Australia kids are brought up on it — on toast, in sandwiches, added to gravies, etc.  Having a kiwi mum I grew up on English Marmite here in Connecticut. My mother would scour the stores for the sticky, salty, strong malt extract from England.  At 16 I went to NZ for the first time to live with Mum’s friends and go to her old school.  I quickly switched to the NZ version (less sticky, less pungent and slightly sweeter) and also enjoyed Vegemite.  I bring it back whenever I’m in NZ or ask friends to bring me a jar when they visit.  And now, due to the earthquake last year, NZ’s Marmite is running out and there is a “Marmageddon” declared.  Anyway, my kids too like Marmite on toast.  It’s what they’ve been brought up on. If you introduce something when the kids are young enough, I believe they develop tastes for things that others, who haven’t grown up with it/them might think odd. 

Back to my son with the lamb… he cried when it was served.  We didn’t make a stink about it, it was on his plate and we just reminded him how tasty it was; eventually he tried it.  And he said, “Oh, I do like lamb!” and proceeded to eat all of his portion and then ask for seconds. 

 Middle son putting on more sauce

So, stay calm and give them lamb… or Marmite… or those pesky vegetables.