Page 3 | Easter lamb

purpleheartsandroses · 2026-04-05T11:52:57+00:00

Why is lamb the go to meat for Easter? Let's celebrate the new life of spring....by eating it??? I love lamb, it's my favourite meat. But wouldn't mutton be more appropriate? Or chicken so we can celebrate the new life hatching from the eggs? AIBU to think we should be eating the "old" meat, so we can celebrate the arrival of new life?

Peony1985 · 05/04/2026 15:45

FishingInTheRiversOfLife · 05/04/2026 13:10

If you believe that story, then he chose it himself. These lambs aren't choosing death. Also Jesus rose from the dead (apparently), so he didn't even really sacrifice anything, apart from a long weekend, I guess.

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Lambs aren’t choosing death…tell me you’ve never raised sheep without telling me you’ve never raised sheep.

Lamb / sheep is the meat of the Middle East. Since we don’t do
mutton in the uk anymore, lamb it is.

I’m sure in 100 years it will be a nice block of something grown in a warehouse called “nearly lamb”.

Wallywobbles · 05/04/2026 15:41

Lamb from the uk is not in season this early in the year. Lambing has been going for a month or so at most. They enter the food chain at 40-44kg so nowhere near now.

Mine were born in November this year in France which is fairly random (the ram went in with them in June) and we had last years lamb from the freezer today. we weighed some a couple of weeks ago and the heaviest was 50kg but ours don’t go into the commercial for chain.

5foot5 · 05/04/2026 15:39

BillieWiper · 05/04/2026 12:54

I've never seen mutton in any supermarket. So I don't see how everyone could switch to it?

I've bought mutton from a woman who has a stall on our monthly Sunday market. Also hogget. Both delicious.

However, we will be having lamb. Yes it probably is from New Zealand.

DancingOctopus · 05/04/2026 15:38

OttersOnAPlane · 05/04/2026 14:59

My bible knowledge is sketchy these days, but didn't God basically blackmail him into it? Created him solely for the purpose of letting humanity kill him?

Then again, it's been a long time since I went to Sunday school.

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Jesus is God. He sacrificed himself.

Original poster

purpleheartsandroses · 05/04/2026 15:37

Reading through the responses, I'm going to change my stance a bit.

Lamb for Jews for passover/secular Easter - makes perfect sense.
Lamb for Christians for religious Easter - Seems a bit of a stretch, but fair enough.
Lamb for secular/pagen Easter - still seems odd to me. Although probably more to do with lamb being called lamb rather than the actual age of slaughter. (From the French, I know).

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IckyIck · 05/04/2026 15:35

@purpleheartsandroses , lambs are killed when they are 6 months to 12 months old. A lamb born in May might get slaughtered in time for Easter.
Some sheep lamb early and they could be fattened for Easter.

Original poster

purpleheartsandroses · 05/04/2026 15:32

OttersOnAPlane · 05/04/2026 14:59

My bible knowledge is sketchy these days, but didn't God basically blackmail him into it? Created him solely for the purpose of letting humanity kill him?

Then again, it's been a long time since I went to Sunday school.

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God was pretty cruel most of the way through the Bible. People seem to gloss over that.

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Original poster

purpleheartsandroses · 05/04/2026 15:30

Loopylalalou · 05/04/2026 15:15

Most people just don’t realise that the lamb their eating was probably culled last autumn. Living next to a field of sheep I do. If it was lamb grown this spring so far it would be minuscule compared to the 3 kilo lump I have to cook tomorrow. And yes, I don’t get our lamb very often as it fetches too high a price as organic and grass fed, tomorrow’s coming from Sainsbury’s.

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How do they keep it fresh for 6 months before selling? Or is it frozen? Does that mean I shouldn't be freezing the multiple legs I bought yesterday?

I grew up in London so am admittedly ignorant of the actual logistics of animal -> table process.

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Dragonscaledaisy · 05/04/2026 15:21

IckyIck · 05/04/2026 14:44

There will be British lamb for sale at Easter. Some farmers hve the lambing early or late.

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There is British lamb for sale. We shouldn't be importing inferior rubbish from New Zealand at any time of the year.

Loopylalalou · 05/04/2026 15:15

LaLoose · 05/04/2026 13:01

No it isn’t

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Most people just don’t realise that the lamb their eating was probably culled last autumn. Living next to a field of sheep I do. If it was lamb grown this spring so far it would be minuscule compared to the 3 kilo lump I have to cook tomorrow. And yes, I don’t get our lamb very often as it fetches too high a price as organic and grass fed, tomorrow’s coming from Sainsbury’s.

OttersOnAPlane · 05/04/2026 14:59

FishingInTheRiversOfLife · 05/04/2026 13:10

If you believe that story, then he chose it himself. These lambs aren't choosing death. Also Jesus rose from the dead (apparently), so he didn't even really sacrifice anything, apart from a long weekend, I guess.

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My bible knowledge is sketchy these days, but didn't God basically blackmail him into it? Created him solely for the purpose of letting humanity kill him?

Then again, it's been a long time since I went to Sunday school.

Toddlerteaplease · 05/04/2026 14:52

FishingInTheRiversOfLife · 05/04/2026 14:49

The whole shepherd god lamb jesus thing always felt odd to me. Shepherds may guard their flock from wolves, but the sheep do still go off to slaughter!

As Jesus did. He was the sacrificial lamb.

Toddlerteaplease · 05/04/2026 14:51

Because lamb was the meat eaten at the Passover. And later went on to symbolise the Lamb of God.

FishingInTheRiversOfLife · 05/04/2026 14:49

The whole shepherd god lamb jesus thing always felt odd to me. Shepherds may guard their flock from wolves, but the sheep do still go off to slaughter!

Blueuggboots · 05/04/2026 14:44

The lamb of god?

IckyIck · 05/04/2026 14:44

MiddleAgedDread · 05/04/2026 14:39

It’s not though, British lambs are only just being born, the lamb in the shops now is from New Zealand that were born in their spring.

Edited

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There will be British lamb for sale at Easter. Some farmers hve the lambing early or late.

OttersOnAPlane · 05/04/2026 14:44

purpleheartsandroses · 05/04/2026 13:06

Chickens have a much, much shorter life span.

I don't "want" anything. People can eat whatever they want for Easter.

I just think it's odd to associate eating lamb, a new life, for a festival that is celebrating new life.

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Chickens live to be 3 (hybrids) to 8 years (old mixed use breeds) typically.

A commercial roast chicken is killed at about 8 weeks old. They aren't adult, they've just been bred to pile on weight and are slaughtered when they reach a saleable weight.

A lamb is more like 8 months old.

We eat lamb at Easter because Jesus was the Lamb Of God and was sacrificed. (Christianity has some weird cannibalistic rituals, like the wine and wafer actually becoming the blood and flesh of Jesus, when you think about it. "Let's celebrate this divine being by eating his metaphorical animal.")

It isn't in season in the Northern hemisphere.

PurBal · 05/04/2026 14:44

Jesus lamb of God as someone else said. He’s literally represented as a lamb with a resurrection flag. And the resurrection flag is also where we get the St George’s cross.

FishingInTheRiversOfLife · 05/04/2026 14:41

purpleheartsandroses · 05/04/2026 13:17

😂

This response is the perfect argument for reinstating the laughter emoji on MN!

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Sadly I can't claim credit for it. But yes - bring back the laughter emoji!

MiddleAgedDread · 05/04/2026 14:39

randomchap · 05/04/2026 12:53

Lamb is in season right now.

It’s not though, British lambs are only just being born, the lamb in the shops now is from New Zealand that were born in their spring.

godmum56 · 05/04/2026 14:37

I hate lamb, hate the smell of it cooking.

mondaytosunday · 05/04/2026 14:32

Eggs are also symbolic of Easter: as the rock that sealed the tomb; as a symbol of (re)birth; again as a way to feast at the end of Lent. Painting and gifting eggs (often red as the colour of Christ’s blood) was a continuation of the tradition of giving eggs in Persians, Egyptians and Rome and other cultures to celebrate the return of Spring.

MrTibbles · 05/04/2026 14:32

JoWawa · 05/04/2026 14:12

It arises from the Passover tradition, when God told the Jews to eat a lamb and mark their house with the blood. Easter and Passover are both based around the same traditions. Easter in Christianity is not about celebrating new life but the resurrection.

Took two pages of scrolling for someone to get the right answer. Well done JoWawa

DoubleDoubleDown · 05/04/2026 14:30

Oh I love roast lamb but it's really expense here 🇨🇦 and not a very popular choice. Turkey and ham are more common for Easter dinner

mondaytosunday · 05/04/2026 14:26

Have a look at history and religious practices. Easter traditions evolved from the Jewish festival of Passover. Israelites smeared lambs blood on the door steps of houses that were ‘passed over’ by the angel of death before their exodus. Early Jewish converts to Christianity brought the tradition of a sacrificial lamb. A lamb is considered a symbol of innocence and purity, characteristics of Christ. Jesus is referred to as the ‘Lamb of God’. Eating lamb is a symbol of his ultimate sacrifice. Seasonal: lamb is one of the first fresh meats. End of Lent is usually a feast. There’s plenty of other cultures that use lambs (not just the meat) as symbols for Easter.