I’m going to state something pretty controversial: Easter is probably my favourite major celebratory time of the year food-wise. Sorry Christmas, but Spring is on its way, bringing with it some of the year’s best ingredients and there isn’t that huge pressure to entertain. It is usually a brilliant excuse to gather together family or friends around the table and share the all of the wonderful produce that this season has to offer. Hopefully this Easter weekend will be balmy enough to gather around an outside table! We've got some lovely lamb in the online shop so if you're planning on making this for Easter, make sure you have a look.
P.S. Did you know we're delivering nationwide now?
This lamb dish is a very hands-off affair which is one of the reasons why I love it so much. Wild garlic is everywhere at this time of year and you can usually pick it up at your local farmer's market or online. If you're feeling adventurous, you can forage for it, as it's likely to be growing within a mile of your back door. Make sure that you look up safe foraging tips online first though to avoid any nasty surprises.
Ingredients for 6 generous helpings:
Whole shoulder of lamb
Salt and pepper
Large glass white wine
150g butter
80g wild garlic leaves, roughly chopped
1. Preheat the oven to 120C. Pat the shoulder dry with some kitchen paper, rub with salt and sprinkle with pepper. Place in a deep baking tray, pour in the white wine and cover tightly with foil. Roast for at least 5 hours, until the meat is soft and pulls apart easily. You could do this overnight, just adjust the oven to 110C and add a glass of water to the tray along with the wine.
2. For the wild garlic butter, melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat then add the chopped wild garlic. Reduce the heat to a very low simmer and allow the leaves to wilt and infuse for ten minutes.
3. Serve the lamb on a large board or serving dish, pulling it apart with two forks and dousing it in the wild garlic butter.
Creamy polenta and wilted spring greens
These two side dishes are the perfect option for this time of year, when there’s still a chilly bite in the air. They’re also pretty much fool proof, quick and super-thrifty.
Ingredients for 6 servings:
For the polenta:
250g quick-cook or instant polenta
500ml chicken or vegetable stock
250ml milk
100g butter
300ml double cream
4 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan
For the spring greens:
2 heads spring greens
50g butter
1. Heat the stock with the milk in a saucepan until just boiling. Add the polenta and whisk vigorously for one minute until thick and cooked through. You may need to add a little water if it gets really thick.
2. Beat in the butter, cream and parmesan until you have a thick, creamy consistency that drops reluctantly off a spoon. Keep warm until ready to serve.
3. Roughly rip the greens, discarding any leaves that are going a bit yellow.
4. Heat butter with 100ml water in the bottom of a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid.
5. Add the greens and steam for two or three minutes until wilted.
What are your plans for Easter lunch? Whatever you're eating, meat-wise, we've got you covered. Have a look at the special Easter section of our online shop for inspiration.
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