Lamb for babies

Fattier than beef

100 g of lean lamb has 7 g of fat, compared with 21 g in lamb with its fat left on.

That's USDA data for cooked meat. Ground lamb has 19.7 g of fat, 8.1 g of it saturated, while 85% lean ground beef has 15.4 g and 5.9 g. The NHS notes that too much saturated fat can raise cholesterol and advises the whole family to choose lean cuts: the more white you can see on meat, the more fat it contains. The NHS suggests trimming visible fat before cooking, skipping added oil, and roasting meat on a rack above a tin so the fat can drip off.

What's in lean lamb

According to the USDA, 100 g of cooked lean lamb shoulder has 27 g of protein, 2.2 mg of iron, about a fifth of the daily amount for babies 7 to 12 months old (11 mg), 6.6 mg of zinc, more than twice the daily need for children 7 to 24 months old (3 mg), 3.1 mcg of vitamin B12, more than six times the daily amount (0.5 mcg), and 31 mcg of selenium, one and a half times the daily amount (20 mcg). The targets come from the NIH and the CDC.

Less meat, more vegetables

The NHS suggests using less meat in stews, curries and casseroles and swapping some of it for vegetables, pulses and starchy foods. A lamb dish like that works for the whole family; mash or cut your baby's portion to suit their age.

How to thaw it

The NHS advises freezing raw meat before its use-by date and labeling it with the date. Thaw meat in the microwave on the defrost setting only if you're cooking it right away. If you're cooking it later, thaw it fully in the fridge and use it within 2 days. Thawing meat releases liquid that spreads bacteria, so keep it in a sealed container. Thawed raw meat can be frozen again once it's fully cooked, but reheat a cooked dish only once.