Easter is a holiday of feasting; a holiday for family to gather around a table teetering with treats.
Despite it hardly being the best season for it — around autumn is better — lamb is often the go-to meat for those celebrating. Below, three of the country’s very best chefs share their tips for lamb with a twist, while Paul Ainsworth offers an alternative pudding that still feels spot on for the occasion. Got leftovers? There’s a recipe for that here, while those avoiding lamb altogether should try this. Whatever you go for, have a very happy Easter.
Chet Sharma
I’d suggest braising a shoulder of lamb — that way you don’t have to worry about the timings too much and you can relax with your family. Inspired by a trip to Andalucia, where I enjoyed beer-braised suckling goat up in the mountains near Málaga, I’ll be trying to recreate this amazing dish with lamb. The shoulder will need about 4 hours in an oven set to 140°C, half covered in a mixture of stock, beer and woody herbs and covered in foil. In the last 40 minutes, pick up the joint and add a bed of finely sliced onions and potatoes. Place the shoulder back on and continue cooking without the foil. You’ll get the most amazing boulangère potatoes to accompany the lamb.
Chet Sharma is the chef-patron of Bibi, 42 North Audley Street, W1K 6ZP, bibirestaurants.com
Will Bowlby
One of the cuts of lamb I love most is lamb belly which I like to braise on the bone at Easter, Kashmiri style in milk, aromatic spices and saffron until it’s soft and yielding. I remove the meat from the juices and allow to cool slightly with a good weight on top of it so that it presses to an even level. If it’s a nice day, I light up the BBQ and cook the ribs until smoky and crisp, glazing half way through with a little blood orange and dark brown sugar. Serve it up finger food style, like a meat lollipop with a dollop of fresh mint chutney.
Will Bowlby is the chef and co-founder of the Kricket restaurants, kricket.co.uk
Tommy Banks
Hogget is a really great alternative to lamb for Easter, and totally underrated in my opinion. The depth of flavour is more pronounced with hogget and works so well for koftas. I often make them for the family, serve them with a herby dressing on warm flatbreads. I generously scatter over some pickled chillies and fermented turnips, to cut through the rich fattiness of the koftas. A big vibrant green salad works great with it too, it keeps the whole meal really fresh! Easter might be early this year but I’m still hoping for some sunshine and this is the perfect dish to go with it.
Tommy Banks is the founder of the Tommy Banks Group, tommybanks.co.uk
Ben Tish
On Easter Sunday, I usually like to do my lamb with a twist — I’ll get the BBQ out whatever the weather and grill a butterflied leg of lamb (ask your butcher to do this for you). It cooks nice and quickly — and most importantly, evenly. It’s best served with a warm vinaigrette made from olive oil, red wine vinegar, the lamb juices, cumin seeds, garlic and handfuls of fresh mint and, on the Easter Monday, you can use what’s leftover for some lamb buns. Just place any leftover meat into a rich and sticky gravy then shove into warm, lightly toasted brioche buns with fresh mint sauce, watercress and some cucumber pickles — a great hangover cure!
That said, this Easter I’m going to be cooking arrosticini — Puglian style lamb skewers. I'm addicted to these. We’ve just put them on the menu of our most recently relaunched pub at Cubitt House, The Orange. They’re perfect for snacking, or as a sharing dish, with 2-3 chunks of meat per skewer. To make them, I use diced lamb leg or shoulder and marinade the meat in extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic and rosemary. I then grill them over a griddle or on the BBQ until charred, smokey and pink inside. They’re perfect served with a wedge of lemon and a dip like aioli or salsa verde. Add some homemade charred focaccia, even better!
Ben Tish is chef-director of Cubitt House, cubitthouse.co.uk
Richard Corrigan
When it comes to Easter, it has to be lamb for me. Always. To shake things up a bit — as you don’t want to be cooking the same thing year on year, now do you? — I like to take a shoulder of lamb (the bigger, the better), generously drizzle it with tahini and slow roast it in the oven with lemons and wild garlic. A big bowl of soft polenta is the perfect companion, it’s like eating a hug. The whole thing is simple, easy to cook, and my gosh — the flavour! If that’s not your bag, try shoulder with fresh lavender, rosemary, garlic, honey and salt. Pick your rosemary straight from the garden and blitz the leaves with salt in a blender. Remove the lavender buds from the stalks and add them to the honey. I rub the lamb all over with salt before placing in a roasting tray in the oven, covered with foil, for 20 minutes at 200°C. Remove the foil and leave to roast for a further 40 minutes before pouring over the lavender and honey and returning to the oven for a final 10 minutes. Resting is key — I do this for 10 to 15 minutes with some foil on top to keep it warm, before serving with pan juices and spring vegetables.
Richard Corrigan owns the Corrigan Collection, which includes Bentley’s and Corrigan’s Mayfair, corrigancollection.com
Paul Ainsworth
For an indulgent dessert this Easter, I love to add caramelised bananas, chocolate sauce and whipped cream to toasted hot cross buns, creating the ultimate banoffee pudding. Alternatively, for an Easter treat at breakfast time, dip your hot cross buns in egg, vanilla and sugar mix and fry for a sort of French toast and serve with crispy bacon and maple syrup.
