AbstractL. dorsi muscles from 23 lamb carcases were tested for a range of organoleptic, physicochemical and microstructural properties and the results subjected to statistical analysis. Tenderness was found to be directly correlated with the content of sarcoplasmic protein, myofibrillar protein, free amino nitrogen, swelling factor of stroma, and sarcomere length in pre‐rigor condition, while inversely associated with alkali‐insoluble stroma, total water, total stroma and ultimate pH value of muscle. Fibre diameter in pre‐rigor condition and lipid content showed a second‐degree polynomial relationship with tenderness. The number of cationic groups and the amounts of acid‐soluble stroma and ash were positively related to juiciness. These physicochemical characteristics, on an individual basis, accounted for 19–77% of the variation in different attributes of meat quality. This indicates a very close association between chemistry of muscle and meat quality. However, the degree and nature of the correlation between a physicochemical characteristic and an attribute of quality seem to depend considerably on the variation in other physicochemical aspects. This signifies a high degree of interdependence among the components of muscle. The “relative” effect of different physicochemical variables, independent of each other, on the parameters of quality could not be partitioned by multiple regression analysis.