Dukkah Roasted Hogget with Greek Yogurt, Mint & Feta Dressing

One of our lovely followers mentioned dukkah and hogget in the comments on our recent post — and honestly, it was one of those moments where I just thought "why haven't we been doing this all along?"

So I've been in the kitchen, and here's what I came up with. It's one of those recipes that sounds impressive but is genuinely very simple. Low and slow, a few good ingredients, and our Ryeland hogget does all the hard work.

Why hogget? 

If you haven't come across hogget before, it's sheep that's older than lamb but younger than mutton. 

Ours are Ryeland sheep — kept until they're between one and two years old here on our farm in Holmesfield, Derbyshire. 

Two full summers on Derbyshire grass.The flavour is richer and deeper than lamb, without being as strong as mutton. 

It sits beautifully in the middle — and it's the perfect meat for slow cooking. 

The longer it cooks, the better it gets.

Why dukkah?

Dukkah is an Egyptian spice and nut blend — typically a mix of hazelnuts, coriander, cumin, sesame and black pepper. 

It has this warm, nutty, slightly earthy quality that works brilliantly with the richness of hogget. 

I use the M&S dukkah blend — it's easy to get hold of and genuinely excellent.

The recipe

Serves 4–6. 

Takes about 15 minutes to prepare and 4 hours in the oven.

For the hogget:- 1 hogget shoulder (approx 1.5–2kg)- 3–4 tbsp dukkah- 2 large aubergines, sliced into rounds-

 Olive oil, salt, pepper- 

Flatbreads to serve

For the dressing:- 200g Greek yogurt- Large handful fresh mint, finely chopped- 100g feta, crumbled- Juice of half a lemon- 

Pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 160°C. 

Lay the aubergine slices in a deep roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil and season. 

Rub your hogget shoulder all over with dukkah and olive oil. 

Sit it on top of the aubergines and cover tightly with foil. 

Roast for 3.5–4 hours.Remove the foil for the last 30 minutes. 

While it rests, mix together the yogurt, mint, feta and lemon juice.

Pull the hogget apart, pile onto warm flatbreads with the aubergines, and drizzle the dressing over the top.

That's it. 

The aubergines soak up every drop of the hogget juices as it cooks — they become silky and rich and completely transformed. 

The cool, creamy dressing cuts through the warmth of the spiced meat perfectly. 

And the feta adds little salty hits throughout.

This is the kind of meal that makes people go quiet at the table. 

In a good way.

Where to get our hogget

Our next fresh Ryeland hogget is available on 6th July. 

You can pre-order now — we have hogget boxes from £45, or reserve a whole, half or quarter hogget with our new Hogget Reserve where you choose exactly how it's butchered.

Visit unthank-meat.co.uk to order. 

We do nationwide delivery, local delivery personally from us, and click and collect from the farm in Holmesfield.

Charlotte & Daniel

Unthank Hall Farm, Holmesfield, Derbyshire