This is a perfect Sunday lunch and will be a favourite with all the family. Shoulder of lamb is an economical cut of meat and it's incredibly tasty. Quinoa is a grain grown for its seeds and is a versatile and nutritious alternative to barley.

Ingredients

Serves: 6

  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 x 1.4kg shoulder of lamb, boned and tied (ask your butcher to do this for you)
  • 400g pearl onions or shallots, peeled and left whole
  • 2 celery sticks, chopped
  • ½ leek, white part only, chopped
  • 500ml lamb stock
  • 1 dessertspoon honey
  • Summer vegetables and quinoa:
  • 100g quinoa
  • 700ml water
  • 100g carrots, thinly sliced
  • 100g fresh broad beans, podded and individually peeled
  • 8 asparagus spears, ends snapped off
  • ½ courgette, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp roughly chopped fresh mint

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 140°C.
  2. Mix the garlic, olive oil and cumin seeds with some salt and pepper in a small bowl. Pour this over the lamb and rub it into the meat.
  3. Place the lamb in a deep casserole dish with the onions, celery, and leek and pour over the stock. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 3 hours, until the lamb is cooked through and soft to touch.
  4. Remove the casserole dish from the oven. Take the lamb out of the dish, place it in a roasting tin and glaze with the honey. Reserve the cooking liquor in the casserole dish.
  5. Increase the oven temperature to 180°C. Return the lamb to the oven for 15–20 minutes to crisp it up. Remove the lamb from the oven and leave to rest, loosely covered with some tin foil.
  6. Meanwhile, rinse the quinoa well and place it in a saucepan with the water and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and cover with a lid, then reduce the heat and gently simmer for 10 minutes, until the grain unwinds. Turn off the heat and leave to cool slightly, then drain off any remaining water, fluff up with a fork. Season the quinoa with salt and pepper and set aside.
  7. Using a large spoon, remove any surface fat from the top of the cooking liquor in the casserole dish. Add the carrots, broad beans, asparagus and courgette slices and return to the hob to heat for 3 minutes. Add the quinoa and chopped mint and stir to combine.
  8. Transfer the quinoa and vegetables to a large warmed serving dish. Remove the string from the lamb and carve into thick slices. Sit the lamb on top of the bed of vegetables and quinoa and serve.