Important: Safety Warning
This recipe calls for animal brains or related nervous-system tissue. Cattle brain and spinal tissue can transmit bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the cause of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, which is fatal and has no treatment.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
Home › The Principles of Cookery › Sheep's Head, Boiled, with Vegetables
Sheep's Head, Boiled, with Vegetables
Clean the head, split it, take out the brains, and soak it in lukewarm water. Tie the halves together with string, put the head into a saucepan, and pour over it as much cold water as will cover it. Bring this to the boil, skim carefully, and then simmer gently for an hour-Throw into the liquor two turnips, two carrots, two onions, two parsnips, a small bunch of parsley, and a little pepper and salt. Mix four ounces of oatmeal smoothly with a little of the liquor, stir it into the rest, let it boil, then cover the saucepan closely, and simmer all gently together until done enough. Take up the head, and remove the tongue, which should be served with the brains on a separate dish (see SHEEP'S BRAINS AND TONGUE). Put the head on a dish, place the vegetables round it, and serve hot. The broth may be used for soup. Time, about two hours and a half. Probable cost, sheep's head, 1s. 2d. to 1s. 6d. Sufficient for two or three persons.