Mutton with Caper Sauce

Lamb used to be the exclusive product of spring, starting with the winter-born lambs of southern England, followed by Welsh and Scottish lambing as weather permitted. Now imports mean it is available all year round. Lamb technically remains lamb up to a year old, when it becomes mutton, though connoisseurs insist that mutton is from an animal aged six to ten years. Less than 5 per cent of lambs are allowed to live past one year, which explains why mutton is so difficult to find.