Jorge Thomas, Founder of Swaledale, Shares the Story Behind His Hogget Souvlaki
"In early spring 2018, I was fortunate to spend six glorious days on Crete, the largest and most southerly of the Greek islands. Awash with colour from wildflowers and shrubs, and heady with the scent of wild oregano and thyme on the warm breeze, this was not the arid landscape I had imagined. High up on the Lasithi Plateau, a verdant and fertile area of farmland in the east, dotted with grazing sheep and dominated by the Dikti mountains, it struck me that the countryside was as lush and green as any British hedgerow. Characterised by small wooden, white-sailed windmills that irrigate the land in summer, the area produces an abundance of outstanding ingredients: lamb, artichokes, almonds, pears, cherries, walnuts, and potatoes. If ever there was an argument for simplicity in cooking and letting great produce do the talking, this was it. Happily, this sentiment lies at the heart of Greek food.

As I wandered through sleepy villages and country lanes, lunchtime neared and hunger called. A steady plume of smoke in the distance caught my eye. Before long, I came across a rotund man in little more than white shorts, tending a roadside grill. Three tables sat simply dressed beneath an olive tree, and a handwritten menu of half a dozen dishes offered all that was needed. A woman, notepad in hand, crossed the road from a small building opposite. Attempting a few words of Greek, I was surprised to hear a strong Yorkshire accent. She explained that she had met her Greek husband, the man at the grill, some 20 years earlier while on holiday.

She recommended the souvlaki. “We use mountain herbs and more spices than other parts of Greece,” she said, quite normal on account of Crete’s southerly location, not too far from Africa. Cloves, cinnamon, cumin and paprika were used with regularity.

The resulting skewers were a revelation. Made from sheep a year old, what we call hogget in Britain, they were unlike any I had tried before. The unmistakable punch of cumin blended with the familiar flavours of garlic and oregano. Red wine vinegar was used instead of lemon juice, the latter, she explained, toughens the meat, something that has proven true in my experience.

The souvlaki was served with a ‘village salad’, a rustic take on Greek salad (those wishing to replicate it would do well to follow George Ryle’s Greek salad recipe, with the addition of chopped green pepper) and a tzatziki made with finely grated carrot and cucumber in equal measure (squeeze out excess moisture). Dried mint and crushed garlic added the essential herbal note.

Ideal for cooking over smouldering coals, briskly but not too close to the embers, this limited product is my homage to that unforgettable Cretan lunch."