Easter is, in fact, not the best time for British lamb. The truth of it is, the lamb in this country simply isn’t old enough to eat when the holiday rolls around; it needs more time to grow, more time to eat, more time for its flavour to develop. British lamb finds its finest form as the summer begins to tail off. But there will still be lamb in the supermarket this April, likely from New Zealand, and it has become the traditional dish to have, representing the season’s motifs of new life and new beginnings. Here, Richard Corrigan shares his favourite recipe for roast lamb given freshness from both lavender and rosemary.
Ingredients
- 2kg/4½lb leg of lamb, on the bone
- 1 small bunch of English lavender
- 5 sprigs of Rosemary
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 small jar of honey
- 30g salt
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400F/Gas 6.
- Remove the lavender buds from the stalks and add them to the honey.
- Pull the Rosemary leaves from the stalks and place in a blender. Add the salt and blitz.
- Rub the lamb all over with the salt and place in a roasting tray.
- Cover with foil and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Afterwards, remove the foil and leave to roast for a further 40 minutes (for medium; for rare, knock off 10 minutes or so).
- Pour over the lavender and honey, return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
- Remove the lamb and leave it to rest for 10-15 minutes, with some foil on top to keep it warm.
- Serve with the pan juices and spring vegetables.
Richard Corrigan is the chef patron of the Corrigan Collection, which includes Bentley’s and Daffodil Mulligan
