Grand reopening, now taking pre-orders: 20% off everything until Wednesday 4 November, 17:00
Order now and secure your cuts. The first orders ship on Wednesday 4 November with SEUR Frío (refrigerated courier) and arrive the next day (Balearic Islands: two days).
On orders over €129: free delivery and a free tray of 4 criollo sausages.
Pierna · paletilla · carré · chuletillas
Lamb in Spain: leg, rack and shoulder, and why lechal is so small
If you are planning a Sunday roast and the lamb at the Spanish counter looks far too small, this is why. Leg of lamb is pierna de cordero, shoulder is paletilla, rack is carré or chuletero, cutlets are chuletillas and shank is jarrete. Spanish lamb is sold much younger and smaller than British lamb: a leg of lechal (milk-fed lamb) weighs 650–700 g. For a British-style Sunday roast, the one to order is our 1.6 kg leg of lamb.
See the lamb Beef for roasting
- Two sizes: lamb (cordero) and milk-fed lamb (lechal)
- Frozen items are clearly named below; the leg and the French-trimmed rack are chilled
- Refrigerated courier once a week: order by Wednesday 17:00 for Thursday delivery before 13:00 (mainland Spain)
Lamb you can order
The first row is lamb in the size a British or American cook expects: a 1.6 kg leg (€44.90), a French-trimmed rack of 8 ribs, a whole 2 kg rack (frozen) and a pack of shanks (frozen). Orders placed before the shop reopens on Thursday 5 November 2026 get 20% off in the basket.
Milk-fed lamb (lechal)
The second row is lechal: a leg of 650–700 g and a shoulder of 500–550 g, plus a whole rack of 1.35 kg and cutlets by the kilo. All four lechal products are sold frozen.
Leg of milk-fed lamb (lechal), 650 g, frozen
Pierna de Cordero Lechal 650 gr Price range: 16,89€ through 19,10€ VAT incl.Choose weightShoulder of milk-fed lamb (lechal), 500 g, frozen
Paletilla de cordero lechal 500 gr30,58€ VAT incl.Add to basketWhole rack of milk-fed lamb (lechal), 1.35 kg, frozen
Chuletero de Cordero Lechal 1,35 Kg64,90€ VAT incl.Add to basketMilk-fed lamb cutlets (lechal), 1 kg, frozen
Chuletas de Cordero Lechal Cortadas 1 Kg47,90€ VAT incl.Add to basket
Two sizes of lamb, one set of names
The first surprise at a Spanish butcher’s is the scale. Lechal means milk-fed, unweaned lamb, and its joints weigh a few hundred grams: our leg of lechal is 650–700 g and the shoulder 500–550 g. Cordero is the general word for lamb. The cut names are the same for both, so say which animal you mean and the weight you want.
| British cut | Spanish name | Our product and weight |
|---|---|---|
| Leg of lamb | pierna de cordero | Leg of lamb, 1.6 kg |
| Leg, milk-fed | pierna de lechal | Leg of lechal, 650–700 g, frozen |
| Shoulder | paletilla | Shoulder of lechal, 500–550 g, frozen |
| Rack, French-trimmed | carré | French-trimmed rack, 8 ribs, approx. 550 g |
| Whole rack | chuletero | Whole rack of lamb, 2 kg, frozen; whole rack of lechal, 1.35 kg, frozen |
| Cutlets | chuletillas | Milk-fed lamb cutlets, 1 kg, frozen |
| Shank | jarrete | Lamb shanks, approx. 600 g, frozen |
What is frozen and what is not
Most of the lamb on this page is sold frozen: all four lechal products (leg, shoulder, whole rack and cutlets), the whole 2 kg rack and the shanks. The 1.6 kg leg of lamb and the French-trimmed rack are sold chilled and vacuum-packed, and can be frozen on arrival. Thaw frozen lamb in its pack in the fridge for 24–48 hours.
The 1.6 kg leg, roasted the British way
- Out of the fridge an hour ahead. Push slivers of garlic and sprigs of rosemary (romero) into small cuts; rub with olive oil and salt.
- Start at 200 °C (390 °F) for 20 minutes, then lower the oven to 170 °C (340 °F).
- Roast to a core temperature of 54–57 °C (129–135 °F) for pink, or 60–63 °C (140–145 °F) for medium. Measure at the thickest part, away from the bone.
- Rest it for 20 minutes under foil and make the gravy in the tin meanwhile.
Lechal, cooked the Spanish way
Milk-fed lamb is pale and mild, and it is cooked through, not pink. The Spanish method is a slow roast with little added: salt, a splash of water in the tin, and olive oil or lard on the skin. Give a leg or shoulder of lechal 1½–2 hours at 160–180 °C (320–355 °F), basting once or twice, until the skin is crisp and the meat comes away from the bone. Check the weights in the table before you decide how many to order.
Rack, cutlets and shanks
- French-trimmed rack: sear the fat side in a pan, then 200 °C (390 °F) in the oven to a core of 54–57 °C (129–135 °F). Rest, then carve between the bones.
- Whole rack (chuletero): roast it whole, or cut it into cutlets yourself.
- Chuletillas: a very hot grill or barbecue, a minute or two a side, salt at the end.
- Shanks: brown them, then braise in wine and stock at 150–160 °C (300–320 °F) for 2–2½ hours. The product is sold as jarrete de ternasco; ternasco is another Spanish word for young lamb.
For beef, see roast beef joints. For December, read the December dates first.
Questions about Spanish lamb
What is lechal lamb?
Milk-fed lamb: an unweaned animal, far younger than anything sold as lamb in Britain. The joints are very small and the meat is pale and mild.
Which leg should I buy for a Sunday roast?
The 1.6 kg leg of lamb (pierna de cordero). The leg of lechal weighs 650–700 g and is a different dish: a small slow roast, not a joint to carve.
What is lamb shoulder in Spanish?
Paletilla. The shoulder on this page is lechal, 500–550 g, sold frozen. For a larger slow roast, use the 1.6 kg leg instead.
What is the difference between carré and chuletero?
Both words mean the rack. Carré tends to mean the trimmed, oven-ready piece, and chuletero the whole rack that a butcher would otherwise cut into chuletillas. Names for beef are in our guide to cuts in Spanish.
Which lamb products arrive frozen?
All the lechal (leg, shoulder, whole rack and cutlets), the whole 2 kg rack and the shanks. The 1.6 kg leg of lamb and the French-trimmed rack are sold chilled and vacuum-packed, and keep in the fridge until the use-by date on the label.