March falls right in the heart of the hungry gap in the UK, a time when locally grown produce is at its scarcest. For me, this is when simple, wholesome ingredients truly shine: winter roots, stored pulses and hardy greens take centre stage, offering nourishment and depth. These are the months to embrace thoughtful cooking, making the most of what is available and lingering over meals that bring comfort. Whether it’s the aromatic spices of slow-roast lamb or the earthy warmth of soup, both of today’s dishes reflect the beauty of working with what the land provides, and celebrate the joy of slowing down – in the kitchen and at the table.
Carrot, celery, farro and borlotti bean soup (pictured yop)
This comforting, gentle soup is homely in feel, but I’d be more than happy to serve it at the restaurant, too. Farro and borlotti beans are very good together, young spring carrots are delicious and celery is good with almost anything.
Prep 15 min
Cook 35 min
Serves 4
40ml extra-virgin olive oil
1 brown onion, peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
5 sage leaves, roughly torn
Sea salt and black pepper
4 carrots, peeled and chopped into characterful chunks (about 250g)
3 celery stalks, trimmed, cut in half lengthways and then into 1cm chunks
250g cooked borlotti beans
250g cooked farro
600ml chicken stock (homemade, ideally), or water
To finish
1 handful chopped flat-leaf parsley
30ml extra-virgin olive oil
60g parmesan, grated
Put a medium-sized, heavy-based pan on a medium heat and, once hot, add the olive oil, onion, garlic and sage. Season with a pinch of salt, then saute, stirring, for five minutes.
Add the carrots and celery, turn the heat down low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes more. Stir in the cooked borlotti and farro, then pour in the stock. Turn up the heat to medium, cook for 10 minutes more, then taste, adding a generous amount of ground black pepper and a good pinch of salt, if you think it needs it.
Ladle into bowls, finish with the chopped parsley, extra-virgin olive oil and grated parmesan, and serve.
Slow-cooked shoulder of lamb with chilli and fennel seeds
Shoulder of lamb contains more fat than the leg, which gives the meat a sweeter, fuller flavour and, when cooked in this way, becomes meltingly soft and tender. Red-wine vinegar helps to cut the richness, and also gives the dish a sharp yet mellow note. The chilli adds gentle warmth, while the fennel seeds bring a subtle, aniseed aroma that complements the lamb beautifully.
Prep 10 min
Cook 3 hr 45 min
Serves 4
½ shoulder of lamb (about 1kg), bone in
Sea salt and black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
200ml white wine
½ tsp fennel seeds
1 dried red chilli, roughly torn
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 small bunch fresh sage
1 bay leaf
4 anchovy fillets in oil, drained
3 tbsp red-wine vinegar
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Trim the lamb of most of its surface fat, then season it with salt and a few grinds of pepper. Put a large frying pan that’s big enough to hold the shoulder on a medium heat and add the olive oil. When it’s really hot, lay in the lamb shoulder, then brown well on all sides – you want a good colour all over.
Transfer the seared shoulder to a roasting tray, pour off the fat from the frying pan and return it to the hob, this time on a low heat. Add the wine, let it bubble and reduce for a couple of minutes, then pour over the lamb.
Toast the fennel seeds in a dry pan until fragrant, then add them to the roasting tray with the chilli, garlic cloves, sage, bay leaf, anchovies and vinegar. Tightly cover the tray with foil, then put it on the middle shelf of the oven and roast for three hours.
After this time, take the tray out of the oven, remove the foil lid, then return to the oven for a final 30 minutes, by which stage the lamb should be utterly soft and brown.
Serve with boiled new potatoes, or farro or pearl barley.
Skye Gyngell is chef/proprietor of Spring in London, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and culinary director of Heckfield Place in Hampshire
