THE STORY OF LAMB

Another childhood memory for me was the Sunday roast, and, especially lamb. To be exact I think it was mutton. Served with onion sauce, or, home made mint sauce. A food memory! Lamb is the one meat that has thus far escaped the attention of the “factory farming” methods. The animals thrive on rough, often inaccessible pasture.

French lamb can be expensive, especially when reared on the salt marshes of Bretagne (Brittany), but it is delicious when served pink, with, haricot blanc (white beans) and, with the heady smell of garlic.

I remember a holiday in the South of France with our dear friends Sally and John many years ago – in 1980 to be exact. We walked to a small village not far from the coast. It was Sunday, and, all you could smell was roasting lamb and garlic wafting from almost every house. What a holiday that was! Two weeks camping, travelling by coach overnight and we hardly knew each other as we were “friends of friends”: But, we have remained firm friends ever since.

A few years ago Terry and Irene (Sheila’s brother and sister in law) were visiting and we decided to cook SEVEN HOUR LEG OF LAMB for the first time. The recipe we had was from a French château book and it described this dish as being a favourite of the Queen Mother. She loved it so much that she demanded that the French chefs from the château be flown over to Scotland to teach her chefs how to prepare the dish. see recipe

Surely a letter would have done the trick.

We have had this dish many times, but, I do think that our changes to the recipe has improved it, he says modestly!

The changes we have made include once the lamb as cooked, we reduce the marinating/cooking liquid by boiling rapidly, and, then blitzing the liquid and vegetables together, and, pushing through a fine sieve. We do remove the herbs, but not the garlic. We have also used shoulder, equally as delicious. Although the leg does have less fat.

Although it is not traditional in France to serve MINT SAUCE with lamb we particularly enjoy a recipe from Sally Clarks book. This is made with shallots, balsamic vinegar and mint.