WORDS
ERINA STARKEY
PHOTOGRAPHY
ANSON SMART, BEN DEARNLEY
A NEW ‘WAGYU lamb’ from Western Australia has gained a
global following thanks to its distinctly marbled meat. Mottainai
Lamb is a premium meat product that displays 30 per cent
marbling – 10 times the levels of intramuscular fat of regular lamb.
The Mottainai brand was founded four years ago by former
lawyer and scientist Suzannah Moss-Wright and her husband
DeonMoss.
“Thereis notactuallya
marblescoreratingforlamb,
butif youapplytheMSAbeef
marblestandards,it is upto
marblescore9 fortheloincuts
anduptomarblescore5 for
therumpandlegcuts,”
Moss-Wrightsays.
Thecoupleraisemerino,
whiteSuffolkandPollDorsetsheepona 1220-hectarefarmon
thecoastalplainsofLancelin,northofPerth.Thesucculentmeat
is thankstothesheep’sfeedingregimen,with 80 percentoftheir
feedmadeupofcarrotandolivewaste,fromnearbySumichfarms.
The name ‘mottainai’ comes from the Japanese word, which
conveys a sense of regret from wasting something without
realising its true value.
“We live in a world with increased demand for protein and
competing land use, so it is not acceptable to see hundreds of
tonnes of perfectly nutritious vegetables being buried in landfill.”
It tookSuzannahandDeontwoyears of research to formulate
the unique feed, made up of
broken and misshapen carrots,
pomace and sedimentary
extra-virgin olive oil, with
lupins, wheat, barley and hay
added for nutritional balance.
Not only does the organic diet
divert waste from landfill, it also
produces a flavoursome meat,
richin oleicandomega-3fattyacids.
“Thefleshis beautifulwiththickthreads of healthy fat, giving it
a lustrousquality.It is softandsweeton the palate, completely
redefiningtheeatingexperienceoflamb.”approach and says the key to the famed meat is as organic as it gets.
“MY GREAT PASSION IS FARMING. IT IS
HARD WORK, BUT IT PAYS OFF IN THE
QUALITY OF YOUR PRODUCE. WHENEVER
YOU CAN, BUY YOUR MEAT FROM LOCAL
MARKETS AND PRODUCERS, YOU WILL
TASTE THE DIFFERENCE.” – GERRY HARVEY28 delicious.com.au