A Bloody Valentine to Local Eating

This Valentine's Day dinner included a rack of Bill Wood's lamb.  Bill Wood, of Wood 'N Hart Farm in Tatamagouche, needs no introduction.  His is the lamb on the menus of the best restaurants in the region.   But this isn't a story about Wood 'N Hart Farms.  It's my Valentine's Card to Nova Scotia food.

The preparation of this lamb couldn't be simpler.  I seasoned it with salt & pepper.  I browned it quickly with butter in a saute pan, sprinkled it with rosemary & thyme from the window box, then finished it in the oven.

That's it.  When I carved the rack, the lamb was a beautiful, blushing shade of pink (I like my lamb rare, in the British tradition of my family).  A glorious juice which reminded me of pinot noir spilled out onto the cutting board.  I served it with mint sauce made from my grandmother's recipe.

I'm not a proponent of local eating per se.  I'm a proponent of eating the best quality food I can find.  It just so happens that the best you can find, in Nova Scotia, is what is produced right here.  Cooking this rack of Nova Scotia lamb and making it part of a special family meal was my way to send a Valentine's Card to all of the Nova Scotia food producers out there.  Keep up the great work!