Lamb

(All Recipes have Gluten-Free Options)

Fillet of Lamb with Cream & Spinach Sauce (Serves 4)

Made with the premium cut of lamb, the cannon (or loin fillet) which is cut from the rack, you really can’t go wrong with this recipe. It’s served on a bed of flageolet and fine green beans with cherry tomatoes and has bright flavours, perfect for a spring feast!

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons of dry vermouth

200ml chicken stock

250ml double cream

80g baby spinach

Juice of half a lemon

Sea salt and black pepper

For the lamb:

2 x 300g lamb loin fillets (cannon of lamb), trimmed

3 tablespoons olive oil

150g fine green beans, topped

30g butter

400g tinned flageolet beans, rinsed and drained

500g cherry tomatoes, quartered

Sea salt and black pepper

1. First of all make the sauce. Put the vermouth in a small pan and boil until reduced to half a tablespoon. Add the stock, bring to the boil and reduce to about 4 tablespoons. Pour in the cream and reduce again until slightly thickened and the liquid coats the back of the spoon. Shred the spinach leaves and add to the sauce and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the lemon juice and seasoning to taste and set aside.
2. Sprinkle the lamb with pepper and heat the oil in a frying pan. On a high heat, brown the fillets all over, then transfer to a roasting tin. Season with salt and cook in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 10 minutes. Remove, cover and keep warm for 10 minutes before serving.
3. Meanwhile, cook the fine beans until they are ‘al dente’, about 4 minutes, then rinse in cold water.
4. Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the flageolet beans and the tomatoes, cook until the tomatoes are slightly softened and the beans are heated through. Add the fine green beans and reheat.
5. Quickly reheat the sauce and cut the lamb into thick slices. Serve on a bed of the vegetables with the sauce spooned over.

Roast Rack of Lamb, Fresh Apple & Mint Chutney and Minty Herb New Potatoes (Serves 4-6)

A simple but very tasty recipe from Rachel Allen’s cookbook ‘Coast’. With its fresh flavours, the apple & mint chutney is particularly good with the sweetness of spring lamb. Simply serve with ‘New Potatoes & Minty Herb Butter’ (recipe below) and green beans.

2 racks of lamb

1 large cooking apple, peeled, cored and quartered

A large handful of fresh mint, leaves picked

50g onions, peeled and roughly chopped

20-50g caster sugar (depending on tartness of apples)

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Score the fat of the racks into roughly 2-3cm squares of diamonds, making sure that you only cut through the fat, not the meat (you can ask your butcher to do this!). Sprinkle the fat with salt and pepper and place the racks on a roasting tray, fat side up.
2. Roast the racks for 25 minutes in a preheated oven, 220’c fan, (if you have a meat thermometer it should register 65-70’c). Rest for 5 minutes before carving.
3. Meanwhile, put the apple, mint, onions and sugar (to taste) in a food processor and whiz to combine – you want it to retain some ‘chunkiness’. Season with salt and cayenne pepper (and more sugar if needed)
4. Carve the lamb and serve 2-3 cutlets per person. Serve the chutney on the side.

Butterflied Lamb with Herby Lemon and Paprika Marinade (Serves 6)

Cooking a leg of lamb butterflied, off the bone, reduces the cooking time and makes it much easier to slice and serve. This recipe from Rick Stein is particularly flavoursome with a subtly spiced marinade. There is no need to marinate it for long, 30 minutes is all it needs,  and better still, it will be cooked in 30 mins! I like to serve this with ‘Concetta’s’ sliced baked potatoes and ‘Green Beans with Shallots & Sherry Vinegar’ (recipes here!). (Ask your butcher to butterfly the leg of lamb)

1 x 2.5kg leg of lamb, boned and butterflied

For the marinade:

1 large garlic clove, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried red chilli flakes

6 teaspoons chopped rosemary

6 sprigs thyme, leaves picked

1 fresh bay leaf, finely chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce

2 tablespoons sweet smoked paprika

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon flaky sea salt

½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1. Mix the marinade ingredients together. Lay out the butterflied lamb, it should be an even thickness throughout – you can cover it with clingfilm and bash the surface with a rolling pin to flatten out any of the thicker sections. Rub the marinade all over the lamb and set aside in a roasting tin, skin side up, for about 30 minutes.
2. Roast the lamb in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 160’c and roast for a further 15 minutes (this will give you pink lamb, if you prefer if less so, cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover with foil and rest for 15 minutes before carving into thick slices and serving with some of the meat juices.

Lamb and Saffron Tagine (Serves 6 and the rest!)

This tagine is from Marcus Wareing’s cookbook ‘Marcus At Home’, I’m not sure how authentic it is, but it’s delicious; I find its sweetness immediately comforting. This generous recipe will no doubt give you leftovers, so if you make it at the weekend it will also give you a good week day dinner, plus it freezes well! Before you start cooking, remember to marinate the lamb for up to 48 hours beforehand, in this way the meat will be wonderfully flavoured. You can serve it simply with rice or, if you can tolerate gluten, couscous.

1.8 kg diced neck or shoulder of lamb

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 large onions, chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

800ml passata or tinned chopped tomatoes

750ml chicken stock

2 teaspoons saffron strands, soaked in 1 tablespoon warm water

200g dried dates, halved

100g golden sultanas

75g pistachio nuts, chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

Fresh Mint, chopped, to serve

For the Marinade:

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

2 teaspoons turmeric

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1½ teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons groundnut oil

1. Up to 48 hours before or at least the night before cooking this dish, place the marinade spices in a large bowl and mix to combine. Add the oil and lamb, mix well to coat the lamb. Cover and leave in the fridge to marinate.
2. Put a large casserole over a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil. Saute the onions for around 10 minutes until they are softened but not coloured. Add the garlic and ginger for the last 3-4 minutes.
3. While the onions are cooking, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the lamb, in batches, and brown on all sides
4. Pour around half the stock into the lamb to deglaze the pan and transfer this with all the lamb to the casserole with the onions.
5. Add the passata or tomatoes, the remaining stock, saffron and soaking liquid, dates, sultanas and most of the pistachios (reserving some for decoration).
6. Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and transfer to a preheated oven, 150’c fan, for 2½ hours until the meat is tender and the sauce is thickened. Serve sprinkled with chopped mint and the remaining chopped pistachios.

Casserole of Lamb & Pomegranate Molasses (Serves 4)

This is my new favourite casserole, taken from my new favourite cookbook (yes, another!!), ‘French Countryside Cooking’ by Daniel Galmiche. The secret to the wonderful flavour of this casserole is the addition of the pomegranate molasses, their tangy sweetness really adds incredible depth to the dish. This recipe is quick enough to cook midweek for the family but special enough to serve to guests – a great dish to have up your sleeve! It is delicious served with ‘Creamy Garlic Mashed Potato’ (recipe here).

20g unsalted butter

2 tablespoons sunflower oil

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

1 kg boneless shoulder or neck of lamb cut into large cubes

500ml lamb or chicken stock

1 sprig of rosemary

1 handful of good-quality stoned black olives

2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Heat the butter and oil in a casserole dish over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5-8 minutes until soft but not coloured.
2. Turn up the heat to high, add the lamb and sauté for 12-15 minutes until golden brown on all sides. Add the stock and rosemary and bring to a simmer, then cover with a lid without closing it completely (a little gap will allow the condensation to escape so that not too much liquid is produced) and simmer over a gentle heat for 1¾ hours, making sure that the liquid is barely simmering rather than bubbling.
3. Check that the lamb is tender and that the liquid is reduced by half, no more, (if not continue to cook for a further 15 minutes). Add the olives and pomegranate molasses and cook gently for a further 10 minutes until the sauce is lovely and shiny. Finally, add the lemon zest to taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with ‘Creamy Garlic Mashed Potato’ (recipe here).

Lamb Fricassée (Serves 4-6)

This is a beautiful mustardy lamb dish; a wonderful comforting recipe which is simply prepared on the stove. This dish is even better reheated, when the flavours have had time to develop, so it’s worth making ahead of time if you can. It is delicious served simply with rice or alternatively with roasted potatoes, also some green beans on the side would be good!…

900g lean lamb (leg steak or boned chump chops) cut into cubes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

250ml lamb or chicken stock

150ml dry white wine

3 tablespoons baby gherkins, chopped

3 tablespoons capers in brine, rinsed and drained

2 sprigs rosemary

1 generous tablespoon Dijon mustard

30g chilled butter, diced

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Add the oil to a large frying pan and fry the lamb in two batches over a high heat, stirring for 5-8 minutes, until browned all over. Set aside on a plate lined with kitchen roll.
2. Reduce the heat and add the onion and garlic to the pan, fry, stirring for 5 minutes until softened. Pour in the stock and wine, bring to a simmer.
3. Return the lamb to the pan with the gherkins, capers and rosemary. Stir, then partially cover, cook for 30 minutes on a low heat so that it is barely simmering.
4. Remove the lamb and set aside, discard the rosemary. Turn up the heat and allow the sauce to bubble to about 3 minutes to reduce a little. Stir in the butter and mustard, taste and season with salt and pepper.
5. Return the lamb to the pan, reduce the heat and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
6. Serve with rice or roast potatoes and green beans.

Rump of Lamb with Puy Lentils & Green Beans (Serves 4)

This is a recipe which I found over ten years ago in Gordon Ramsay’s cookbook ‘Healthy Appetite’. Not only is this recipe healthy but extremely tasty and, in my opinion, it’s not just good enough to serve to family but also great for dinner party guests. The puy lentils and beans are flavoured with just a splash of balsamic vinegar, they complement the lamb beautifully. It’s best to marinate the lamb overnight, then on the day of cooking there really is very little to do…

4 thick rumps of lamb, about 220g each

A few thyme sprigs

A few rosemary sprigs

1 teaspoon coriander seeds, lightly crushes

1 teaspoon black peppercorns, lightly crushed

1 tablespoon olive oil

Sea salt

For the lentils & green beans:

250g puy lentils

A few thyme sprigs

A few rosemary sprigs

½ head garlic, cut horizontally

800ml chicken stock

300g fine green beans, topped and tailed

Splash of balsamic vinegar

• Trim the lamb of any sinew, then place in a dish along with the herbs, coriander seeds, peppercorns and olive oil – toss to coat and leave to marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours, preferably overnight.
• To cook the lentils, put them in a saucepan with the herbs and garlic, then pour over the stock. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until they are tender. Drain the lentils, reserving the stock and discarding the herbs and garlic.
• Top and tail the beans and cut in half, into shorter lengths. Blanch the beans in a pan of boiling water for 3-5 minutes until just tender. Drain and refresh in a bowl of iced water, drain again and set aside.
• Sprinkle the lamb with a little salt and sear over a high heat for 2-3 minutes in an oven proof pan, then turn over and cook the other side for 2 minutes until browned, finally sear the fatty edge. Place the pan with the lamb in a preheated oven, 190’c fan, for 9-10 minutes until medium rare. Place on a warm plate and pat with kitchen roll to remove the excess fat, cover with foil and leave to rest for 5 minutes whilst you finish off the lentils and beans.
• Pour off most of the fat from the pan and tip in the lentils and beans. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar, a little of the reserved stock and some seasoning. Toss over a high heat for a few minutes to warm through.
• Spoon the lentils and beans onto plates. Thickly cut each rump of lamb and arrange on top. Finally drizzle with any of the remaining pan juices.

Barnsely Chops with Cumin, Coriander & Orange

(Serves 4)

These lamb chops are a super quick meal to cook – they are great on a week night when you really don’t have the time or energy to think about cooking. The cumin and coriander, with the lovely zing of orange, really make this easy dinner extra special, serve simply with potatoes or rice and some steamed greens or a green salad. I found this recipe in Tom Kerridge’s cookbook, ‘Best Ever Dishes’, and it’s definitely one of those!

4 thick Barnsley chops

4 tablespoons cumin seeds

4 tablespoons coriander seeds

Vegetable oil

15g butter

juice of 1 lemon

finely grated zest of 2 oranges

sea salt and black pepper

1. In a dry frying pan, toast the cumin and coriander seeds until they are lightly toasted (a few minutes). Crush the seeds finely in a pestle and mortar, then sieve them on to a plate to get rid of any woody bits.
2. Push one side of the chop into the spice mixture making sure it gets a good coating. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Heat a little oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. When it is hot place the chops in the pan so that they are standing on their outer fat side, cook until the fat runs out and the skin starts to brown, then pour off this fat.
4. Turn the chops, seasoned-side down, and cook for  8-10 minutes, until dark brown and caramelised. Turn the chops over and cook for a further 2-3 minutes for medium-rare lamb.
5. Add the butter and lemon juice to the pan, and baste the chops with the buttery juice. Remove to a plate to rest for 5 minutes.
6. Serve the chops with the grated orange zest sprinkled over.

Lamb Kofta Curry with Rice (Serves 4)

This Kofta Curry is taken from Simon Hopkinson’s wonderful cookbook, ‘Roast Chicken and Other Stories; Second Helpings’. It is an absolutely delicious, mildly spiced dish with a creamy finish, the flavours have real depth; don’t be alarmed by its slightly oily, separated look, as, as Hopkinson himself says, “this is a sure sign of its authenticity”. Admittedly, although a very straightforward recipe, it’s not the quickest meal for midweek, as you have to make the meatballs and fry them before adding them to a sauce, so you might prefer to make this at the weekend – but do try it, as it is very tasty! I like to serve this with white long grain rice, it is also good with some poppadoms and chutneys on the side!

4 onions, finely chopped (to save time I use a food processor for this!)

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

700g minced lamb

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 tablespoon garam masala

½ teaspoon chilli powder

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped

1 egg, beaten

Flour (gluten free if required)

50g butter

½ stick cinnamon

4 cloves

4 cardamom pods

4 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped

Juice of 1 lemon (or 2 limes)

12 fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped

400ml coconut milk

(To serve: rice, poppadoms and chutneys)

1. Fry the onions and garlic in the oil until golden brown. Place on a plate to cool.
2. Meanwhile, in small frying pan, dry roast the coriander and cumin seeds until fragrant (a couple of minutes), then grind in a pestle and mortar.
3. Place the lamb in a bowl, adding the fried onions and mixing in the ground coriander and cumin, the turmeric, garam masala, chilli powder, pepper, salt, mint and egg. Form the mixture into walnut sized balls (koftas), roll in the flour and fry in the butter, in batches, until golden brown all over, remove to a plate.
4. Add the cinnamon, cloves and cardamom pods to the pan, fry for a minute or so, then stir in the chopped tomatoes and top with the koftas. Cook gently for about 10 minutes until the tomatoes are softened and pulpy.
5. Add the lemon or lime juice, roughly chopped mint leaves and the coconut milk, stir gently.
6. Bring to a simmer and gently cook for 20-25 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Taste for salt.
7. Serve on a bed of rice, with chutneys and poppadoms on the side.

Roast Leg of Lamb with Redcurrant & Mint Sauce (Serves 6)

I have combined two recipes for this Roast Leg of Lamb dish. The redcurrant sauce is from Delia Smith’s ‘Summer Collection’ cookbook, whilst the lamb is from Diana Henry’s ‘How to Eat a Peach’. The lamb is stuffed with herbs and lemon zest, the flavours are wonderful, particularly in the spring, and I find that Diana Henry’s cooking times result in a perfectly cooked, pink, meat (Delia’s recipe for the lamb leg is a little more dated, the meat is cooked too well done for my taste). The redcurrant & mint in the sauce is a match made in heaven and it perfectly complements the lamb. This leg of lamb is delicious served with ‘Fine Green Beans with Almonds’ and potatoes of your choice – I am rather partial to serving ‘Concetta’s Potatoes’ with this dish (recipes here).

For the Lamb:

1.8 -2kg leg of lamb

10g parsley leaves, roughly chopped

10 thyme sprigs, leaves picked

2 rosemary sprigs, needles chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped plus another 6 cloves peeled and left whole

6 tablespoons olive oil

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

Sea salt and black pepper

1. The day before you are going to cook the lamb, put the herbs, 4 chopped garlic cloves, sea salt and black pepper into a mortar and grind to a paste, gradually adding the olive oil and lemon zest. With a sharp knife make incisions all over the lamb and loosen the meat round the protruding bone (at tapered end of the joint) to about one-third of the way into the joint. Cut the remaining 6 cloves of garlic into slivers and tuck these into the incisions you have made. Rub the herb paste all over the lamb, pushing it down inside the incisions and around the bone. Cover loosely with cling film or foil and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, bringing it to room temperature before cooking – this will take around 2 hours.
2. When you are ready to cook the lamb, put it in a roasting tin in a preheated oven, 220’c fan, and cook for 15 minutes.
3. Then, reduce the oven to 180’c fan, and continue to roast the lamb for another 45 minutes (allow a few minutes longer if the lamb leg is larger).
4. Remove from the oven and cover well with foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, if there are any juices left in the tin, reheat them to serve alongside the meat – this is not supposed to be a ‘gravy’, just a light jus.
6. Serve the lamb with ‘Redcurrant & Mint Sauce’. This is also good with ‘Fine Green Beans with Almonds’ and ‘Concetta’s Potatoes’ (all recipes below).

For the Redcurrant & Mint Sauce:

3 tablespoons redcurrant jelly

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

4 tablespoons mint, chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Put the redcurrant jelly and the vinegar in a small saucepan, whisk over a gentle heat until the jelly has melted into the vinegar.
2. Add the chopped mint, seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Lamb with Garlic and Coriander (Serves 4)

This is a wonderful ‘all in one’ roast, the lamb is cooked on top of the potatoes which soak up all the delicious fatty juices!

2 racks of lamb with 6 cutlets each

2 heads of garlic

5 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1½ teaspoons coriander seeds, lightly crushed

8 sprigs of thyme

1kg small salad potatoes such as Charlotte, peeled and halved

350g shallots, peeled and halved

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Cut each rack into three, so that you have 6 pieces (double chops).
2. Peel and chop two cloves of garlic and whisk together with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, the vinegar, coriander seeds. Add a couple of chopped thyme sprigs and some black pepper. Marinate the lamb in this mixture in the baking tin that you will cook it in, for several hours or overnight, turning once or twice and rubbing in the marinade.
3. When ready to cook, remove the lamb from the baking tin and set aside. Add the potatoes, the remaining, unpeeled garlic cloves and the shallots to any marinade left in the tin, adding 2 tablespoons of olive oil and lots of sea salt. Give it all a good mix and roast in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 30-35 minutes, until the potatoes are just tender when tested with the tip of a sharp knife, but not quite done.
4. Turn the oven up to 220’c and place the lamb on top of the potatoes, tucking in the remaining thyme sprigs. Roast for a further 15-20 minutes.
5. To serve, cut two of the pieces (double chops) of lamb in half so that you have four individual chops, then place one double chop and a single chop on each plate, alongside the delicious roast potatoes and shallots. Green beans with Almonds are very good served with this dish (recipe here).

‘My Favourite’ Shepherds Pie (Serves 4)

If you have grown up in the British Isles there is no doubt that you have eaten numerous variations of this traditional dish. Shepherds pie is the perfect winter comfort food, and this recipe by Delia Smith is my all time favourite, the addition of the cheese and leeks, slightly caramelised on top of the mashed potato takes the dish to a higher level!…Serve simply with peas.

450g minced lamb

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

75g swede, peeled and chopped

75g carrot, peeled and chopped

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1 tablespoon fresh parsley

1 tablespoon plain flour (gluten free if required)

275ml lamb stock

1 tablespoon tomato purée

Salt and black pepper

For the topping:

50g mature Cheddar, grated

2 medium leeks, cleaned and cut into 1cm slices

900g floury potatoes (such as Maris Piper or King Edward)

50g butter

Salt and black pepper

(You will need a buttered baking dish approx. 19cm square x 5cm deep)

1. Gently heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Add the onions, fry for 5 minutes until slightly browned. Add the chopped carrot and swede and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove all the vegetables to a plate.
2. Now turn up the heat, and brown the meat, stirring to break it up.
3. Add a good seasoning of salt and pepper, return the vegetables to the pan along with the cinnamon, thyme and parsley. Next stir in the flour and gradually add the lamb stock, stirring to incorporate. Finally stir in the tomato purée.
4. Cover the pan with a lid and turn the heat to low, cook gently for about 30 minutes .
5. While the meat is cooking, make the topping. Peel the potatoes and cut into even sized chunks, steam until they are completely tender.
6. Drain the cooked potatoes and mash with the butter and some seasoning (you can use an electric hand whisk, on a low setting, to do this)
7. When the meat is ready, spoon into a baking dish, level it out, then top, evenly, with the mashed potato. Sprinkle over the leek slices and finally with the cheese.
8. Bake in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for about 25 minutes, until the top is crusty and golden.

Provençal Rack of Lamb with Crushed Peas (Serves 4)

This is really one of the best rack of lamb recipes I have come across. It is simple yet elegant and is quick to cook, so you could easily serve it as a mid-week treat. It is definitely special enough to serve to guests, in fact it has been a favourite dinner party dish of mine over the years. It’s ideal for dinner parties as you can prepare the majority of the recipe beforehand – the lamb once bread-crumbed will happily wait to be cooked until your guests arrive – it just needs about 15-20 minutes in the oven. For a quick option, this recipe is great with steamed new potatoes, but to make it extra special serve with Dauphinoise potatoes with Gruyére cheese, recipe below. I make Dauphinoise potatoes both with and without the Gruyére, I think this lamb dish suits the latter but if you prefer it without use my other recipe (recipes here)

This recipe is from Raymond Blanc’s cookbook ‘Foolproof French Cookery’, a title which contains all my favourite words, particularly ‘foolproof’! I like to serve lamb on the pinker side, so if you prefer it more well done, cook it for a little longer. The recipe calls for fresh marjoram but this can be difficult to get so I often replace it with fresh sage, and because sage is slightly stronger in flavour I reduce it to one tablespoon instead of two (see recipe).

Ask your butcher to not only French trim the rack of lamb but also to remove the fat covering the meat, this may seem usual as the fat is normally kept to keep the lamb moist and for flavour, but in this recipe the breadcrumbs will protect the meat and give it flavour.

Gluten Free Note: Almost, all of my recipes on Menu Mistress are gluten free, or suggest substitute gluten free ingredients. Unfortunately this recipe uses breadcrumbs which cannot be substituted. If you avoid gluten but don’t have an allergy, thus can eat ‘gluten contaminated’ food, then you could eat this recipe – just scrape off the breadcrumb crust when serving the lamb, believe me it is still delicious with the crushed peas! However, if you do have an allergy to gluten unfortunately this recipe is not for you!

A Tip:  Breadcrumbs – If you don’t have stale bread at hand for the bread crumbs use a fresh ciabatta loaf , it’s texture is naturally drier so it actually will make great breadcrumbs even if it is fresh – just slice off the crusts.

For the Crushed Peas:

600g peas, thawed if frozen

85ml extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped marjoram, or 1 tablespoon chopped sage (see note above)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint

Juice ½ lemon

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Provençal Breadcrumbs:

75g thickly cut stale white bread (or fresh ciabatta – see ‘tip’ above)

2 handfuls fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 teaspoon thyme, finely chopped

1 teaspoon rosemary, finely chopped

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

For the Lamb:

2 x  racks of lamb, French trimmed and trimmed of fat (see note above)

2 tablespoons olive oil

20g unsalted butter

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Sea salt and black pepper

1. First prepare the peas. Put them in a food processor and gently pulse to just crush them – you want them to retain a lot of texture, so be careful not to purée them! Transfer to a small saucepan, stir in the olive oil, chopped herbs and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. To make the breadcrumbs place the bread in the clean food processor and pulse to make coarse breadcrumbs. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the herbs, olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Season the racks of lamb with salt and pepper. Melt the butter with the oil in  frying pan and brown the meat for 3-4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a preheated oven, 190’c fan, for 10 minutes.
4. Remove the lamb from the oven, brush over with the mustard – avoiding the bones and ends of the meat. Press in the Provençal breadcrumbs so that the meat is coated, apart from the two ends, (you can do this a few hours in advance).
5. Return the lamb to the oven and cook for a further 15 – 20 minutes (if you have a meat thermometer it should register 65-70’c). Rest for 5 minutes before carving.
6. Meanwhile finish cooking the peas. Cook the crushed peas over a medium heat with the lid on for 4 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and check the seasoning.
7. Serve the hot crushed peas on plates and top with the carved lamb cutlets.

Roast Lamb & Cider served with Flageolet Beans (serves 6) 

Cider with lamb may sound like a strange combination, but believe me it works beautifully and is absolutely made for more autumnal days. Like all of the recipes I share, this is very easy to cook – making it possible to cook midweek if you fancy. This recipe is taken from ‘Pure, Simple, Cooking’ by Diana Henry (yes, her again!); she recommends that this dish is served with flageolet or cannellini beans (recipe here) – and of course she is absolutely right!

1 Leg of lamb (approx. 1.8kg -2kg), trimmed of excess fat

2 large cloves garlic, cut into slivers

2-3 sprigs thyme

50g unsalted butter, softened

250ml dry cider

A good slug of calvados or brandy

570ml chicken or lamb stock

175ml crème frâiche or double cream

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Make small incisions all over the leg and stuff with a slivers of garlic and a little thyme. Rub the butter all over, stuffing some down the incisions as you do so, season generously.
2. Place in a preheated oven, 220’c fan, roast for 15 minutes then turn down the heat to 180’c, and continue to roast for another 45 -50mins.
3. Remove the lamb to rest in a warm place covered with foil for about 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile pour the cooking juices into a jug and skim off the fat and discard.
5. Set the roasting tin over a medium heat, add the cider and calvados, boil to reduce by two-thirds. Then add the stock and the reserved cooking juices, reduce this  by two-thirds, then add the crème frâiche (or cream). Boil until slightly syrupy.
6. Serve the lamb, sliced, with the sauce in a warm gravy boat and the flageolet beans on the side (recipe below).

Lamb Biryani (Serves 4)

This is a lovely ‘one pot’ recipe, great for using up leftovers – you could make it with other roast meats such as chicken, beef or pork. It’s definitely a recipe that you will want to make again and again, an easy Monday option!

200g basmati rice

1 tablespoon olive oil

2cm piece ginger, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 onion, chopped

3 handfuls baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 tablespoon plain flour (gluten free if required)

2 tablespoons mango chutney

200g leftover roast lamb, or whatever you have left (see note above)

1 cup lamb or chicken  stock

50g almond flakes

50g butter, melted

Sea salt and black pepper

Greek natural yogurt to serve

Fresh coriander, chopped, to serve

1. Cooke the basmati rice according to the instructions on the packet, and set aside.
2. Place the oil, ginger, garlic and onion in an ovenproof dish and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes.
3. Add the spinach and cook for a further 5 minutes.
4. Add the curry powder, flour, chutney, and the chopped lamb, season with salt and pepper then stir well. Pour in the lamb stock. Top with the reserved, cooked rice, sprinkle with the almonds and drizzle with the melted butter. Cover with a lid (or tin foil) and place in a preheated oven, 200’c fan.
5. After 20 minutes remove the lid and continue to cook for a further 20 minutes.
6. Serve topped with the yogurt and the chopped coriander.

Lamb Chops & Parsley Butter served on a Bed of Watercress with New Potatoes (Serves 4)

Despite the simplicity of this recipe it has lots of flavour. The watercress is an excellent accompaniment to the lamb and the parsley butter with its touch of lemon juice enhances the flavours superbly. A real midweek treat! You won’t use all the butter, but it is great to have in the freezer – ready to slice and add to steamed potatoes on any occasion. This recipe calls for curly parsley rather than flat leaf, simply as it adds a little more texture and has a milder flavour, but you can use either type.

400g new potatoes

8 lamb chops

A little olive oil

100g butter, softened and cubed

A bunch of curly parsley, chopped (see note above)

Juice of ½ lemon

200g watercress, trimmed

Sea salt and black pepper

1. First make the parsley butter. Place the butter in a bowl with the chopped parsley, lemon juice and seasoning, mix well. Spoon on to a sheet of cling film and roll into a log shape, place in the freezer, wrapped in the clingfilm. Do not wash up the bowl that you used for mixing the butter – you can use it to season the steamed potatoes when serving!
2. Steam the potatoes for 20 minutes or so until cooked.
3. Meanwhile place the watercress on your plates.
4. Season the lamb chops and brush with a little olive oil, fry on a griddle pan (or in a normal frying pan) for about 2½-3 minutes each side so that they are still pink in the middle. Place the chops on the plates, on top of the watercress.
5. Now take your reserved ‘butter bowl’ and place the cooked potatoes in it, mix them around so that they get a good coating of the leftover butter, then place them on the plates.
6. Finally cut four slices from the parsley butter and place on top of the chops.

Pomegranate & Honey Glazed Chops with a Radish and Cucumber Tzatziki (Serves 4)

This recipe is from Diana Henry’s cookbook ‘Pure, Simple Cooking’, it is one of those cookbooks which I find myself going back to again and again, it has lots of really simple yet stunning recipes. This recipe has the flavours of Greece, it is a perfect summer dish, and if the UK weather permits, even better al fresco! I like to serve it with white long grain rice. Make sure you allow time to marinate the chops, anything from 1-24 hours – but the longer the tastier!..

8 thick lamb chops (chump chops)

Olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

Marinade:

2½ tablespoons pomegranate molasses

8 tablespoons olive oil

1½ tablespoons honey

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

Radish and Cucumber Tzatziki

200g radishes, finely sliced

½ cucumber, cut into small cubes

300g plain Greek-style yogurt

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons mint, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

To serve:

Large bunch of coriander, leaves picked

Olive oil

1 lemon

3 tablespoons of fresh pomegranate seeds

1. Mix the marinade ingredients together, coat the chops generously and leave to marinate, refrigerated, for 1 to 24 hours.
2. To make the Tzatziki simply mix the radishes, cucumber, yogurt and garlic together, then stir through the mint leaves and olive oil.
3. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan, cook the chops for about 3 minutes on each side, do not have the heat up too high otherwise you will burn the honey and pomegranate mixture.
4. Serve the chops on a bed of the coriander leaves, dressed with a little olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and the tzatziki on the side, sprinkle over pomegranate seeds. Serve with rice.

Lamb Chops with Shallot Chutney (Serves 4)

This recipe is best cooked on a griddle pan, but you can use a regular frying pan. The tangy chutney complements the lamb beautifully; it really is a winning combination. This recipe is from Marcus Wareing’s book ‘Marcus at Home’, despite being a Michelin starred, super chef, his recipes in this book (as the name suggests), are mostly straightforward and of course tasty! I like to serve this dish with tarragon green beans (courtesy of ‘Leiths How to Cook’ book), as I think that they work particularly well with the chutney, you can find the recipe for these on my Recipes Pages.

8 lamb loin chops

olive oil

sea salt and black pepper

For The Shallot Chutney…

3 large echalion shallots, chopped

200ml malt vinegar, plus 1 tablespoon

50g capers

30g caster sugar

2 teaspoons nigella seeds(optional)

1. To make the shallot chutney, put the shallots, 200ml vinegar, capers, caster sugar, nigella seeds (optional) and 75ml of water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and reduce until there is no liquid remaining. Finally stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of vinegar.
2. Heat the griddle pan (or frying pan) until very hot. Brush the lamb chops with oil and season with salt and pepper. First place the chops in the pan on their fat-side, lean them against each other for support. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the fat renders and becomes crisp.
3. Lay the chops on their sides and cook 3-5 minutes on each side, basting with the rendered fat. Remove and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
4. Serve with the tarragon green beans, some buttered new potatoes and drizzle the shallot chutney over the top.