Open from 10am

Goat, which is not our mutton

A lot of recipes from Pakistan and India say mutton and mean goat. At our counter in Shawlands, mutton means sheep. Goat is a different animal, and the only honest thing to say on a website is: ask the butcher.

The halal butcher's counter at Madina Store in Shawlands, Glasgow, with trays of fresh lamb, beef and chicken
Ask about goat at this counter. We'll tell you if we can get it.

Ask, then believe the answer

Goat is available to order at the counter only in the sense that you ask, and the butcher tells you whether he can get it. It is not a tray you should expect to see every day, and this page is not a promise that it's in. If it isn't, he'll say so. Mutton, which is the older sheep, is what we do sell for that long, deep curry.

Why the word causes arguments

In a Glasgow butcher, mutton is sheep over a year old: darker and firmer than lamb, and labelled so you can tell. In many South Asian kitchens the same English word means goat. Both are halal animals. They are not the same taste. Goat is leaner. It still wants a low flame and a lid, and it still punishes a rush. If your auntie's recipe says mutton and she means the goat she grew up with, say goat when you get to the counter.

If he can get it

Treat it the way you'd treat a stubborn pot of mutton. Brown it properly, then a gentle simmer, covered, until a piece gives up. Don't add the potatoes at the start. And don't plan the dinner around goat until you've asked. Lamb shoulder will still make the karahi if the answer is not today.

Goat, plainly

Do you sell goat?

Ask at the counter. We don't promise it on the day. Our mutton is sheep.

Is your mutton goat?

No. Mutton here is sheep. We label which is which.

Do you deliver goat?

No. We don't deliver anything. If we can get goat, you collect it from Shawlands.

We're at 44 Kilmarnock Road, Shawlands, Glasgow G41 3NH. Opening hours and the map.

Visit us at 44 Kilmarnock Road, Shawlands. Open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 8pm, and Sunday, 10am to 7pm.