Pulled Shoulder of Lamb

What better dish than lamb in springtime? Instead of the more expensive cuts of lamb such as leg, why not try this slow roasted shoulder of lamb.

This dish is simple yet utterly delicious. It is roasted in the oven for a good four hours on a low heat and when cooked the meat will flake off the bone with ease, it can also be pulled off by hand which is why sometimes this dish is called ‘pulled lamb’. It is such a wonderful feast.

If possible, it is best to buy your meat from a good butcher as the meat will then have had the appropriate hanging which will add to the flavour. The sauce with this dish allows you to use all of the goodness accumulated in the tray from the long slow roasting of the meat. I like to serve this lamb with some sautéed potatoes, some roasted vegetables or some spring cabbage.  

Ingredients

Serves 6-8

2kg shoulder of lamb

1 large bunch of rosemary

olive oil

ses salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 bulb of garlic, unpeeled and broken into cloves

For the sauce

1 tablespoon corn flour

splash of red wine

500ml water

1 large bunch of fresh mint, leaves picked

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Method

1. Preheat your oven to full heat.

2. Slash the fat side of the lamb all over with a sharp knife across the length of piece of meat. Lay half the sprigs of rosemary and half the garlic cloves on the bottom of a high-sided roasting tray, rub the lamb all over with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

3. Place the lamb in the tray on top of the rosemary and garlic, and put the rest of the rosemary and garlic on top of the lamb. Tightly cover the tray with tinfoil and place in the oven.

4. Turn the oven down immediately to 170°C/325°F/gas 3 and cook for 4 hours – it's done if you can pull the meat apart easily with two forks.


5. Remove the lamb from the oven and place it on a chopping board. Cover it with tinfoil, then a tea towel, and leave it to rest.

6. Pour away most of the fat from the roasting tray, discarding any bits of rosemary stalk. Put the tray on the hob and mix in the flour. Add a splash of wine and the redcurrant jelly and mix in well. Next add the water, stirring and scraping all the sticky goodness off the bottom of the tray. You won't need a lot of gravy, just a couple of flavoursome spoonfuls each.

7. Finely chop the mint and add it to the sauce with the red wine vinegar at the last minute then pour into a jug.

8. Place everything in the middle of the table, and shred the lamb in front of your guests. Serve with your chosen vegetables.

Lavender & Honey Lamb

Lamb is a meat that lavender (like rosemary) works so well with. This recipe is simple and can be adapted easily. The honey also works well, providing a balance to the flavours of lamb.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 4-6

1kg lamb steaks –

1 heaped dessert spoon dried culinary lavender

1 dessert spoon fresh Rosemary leaves coarsely chopped

1 clove of garlic – chopped finely

1½ tablespoons runny honey

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Sea Salt & Pepper

Place the steaks in a shallow dish, season with a good grind of salt and pepper, sprinkle over the lavender, rosemary, garlic, olive oil and honey. The messy bit that I love is to use your hands to mix everything up, ensuring that all the lamb is well covered in the herby, sweet mixture. Leave for a few hours (preferably more) covered in foil for the meat to absorb all the flavours.

The resulting steaks can be barbequed, baked or grilled. My preference is to lay them in a shallow roasting tray and put them into a hot (220°C) preheated oven until cooked to your liking, turning once halfway through.

Serve with new potatoes and fresh seasonal vegetables. 

Roast leg of lamb

On a recent visit to the Lake District we sat and had a delicious family dinner of roast leg of lamb after a day of walking up to the top Blencathra. What a fine day! Not only were we rewarded with the most spectacular views from the top of this magnificent fell, we were also spoilt with the quality of the meat to mark the end of a great day out walking in the Lakes.

The lamb was local, succulent and mouth watering. The essence of the meal was to use local and seasonal produce.The meat was simply prepared, laced with garlic and sprinkled with thyme. I served the lamb with roasted tomatoes drizzled with balsamic vinegar, a mixed bean salad (broad beans and French beans, all in season in August) and sautéed new potatoes.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 6

I kilo leg of lamb

olive oil

garlic cloves

a few sprigs of thyme

salt & pepper

METHOD

1. Turn on your oven to gas mark 6, 200 C

2. Cut up your garlic cloves into chunky pieces, pierce the le g of lamb with a sharp knife and insert the pieces of garlic under the meat. Season the meat well with salt and pepper.

3. Drizzle some oil in to a meat tray and heat up the tray on your hob until the oil is hot. Place the meat in the tray and seal of the meat on all sides, making sure that it takes on a good colour. This should take around 10 minutes. Then place some sprigs of thyme on and around the lamb.

4. Place the meat in the oven and cook for approximately 45 minutes for medium rare or 60 minutes for well done, turning the meat every 15 minutes and baste the lamb. Once cooked take the meat out of the oven and allow the meat to rest before serving.

5. Whilst the meat is cooking prepare the sautéed potatoes, roast tomatoes and mixed bean salad (you will find the recipes below and in the menu index). 

Lamb Koftas

INGREDIENTS

Serves 4

500g minced lamb

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

2 fat garlic cloves, crushed

1 tbsp chopped mint

oil for brushing

SERVE WITH

Make a tomato sauce (see sauces recipes) and make it spicy with a dash of harissa

Greek Yoghurt 

Cous Cous with roasted vegetables of your choice and herbs

Cous Cous with roasted aubergine, feta and basil

METHOD FOR LAMB KOFTAS 

1. Mix together all the ingredients until well blended. Divide into 8 balls, then roll each ball on a board with a cupped hand to turn them into ovals.

2. Thread onto 4 metal skewers and brush with oil. To cook on a griddle: heat the pan until you can feel a good heat rising and cook for 3-4 mins each side. Don't turn until they are well sealed or the meat will stick to the grill or pan. Season if you want, and set aside. Serve the koftas with Greek Yoghurt, spiced flat breads and cous cous with