It's got to be lamb

Preparation: 15 minutes Cooking: 3 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 850-900g frozen New Zealand lamb half leg - fillet or knuckle end
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
• 6 tbsp medium curry paste
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 500g/1lb 12oz baby new potatoes
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 150g/5oz young spinach leaves
• Fresh coriander and lime wedges to garnish (optional)
  
  Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the curry paste and fry with the onion for 5 minutes, stirring. Tip into a large casserole and stir in the chopped tomatoes. Unwrap the lamb and place on top. Cover and cook in the oven at 150C/300F/Gas 2 for 1 hours.

2. Remove from the oven and turn the lamb over. Add the potatoes and stir into the sauce. Cover and return to the oven for a further 1 hours until lamb is very tender.

3. Remove casserole from oven and put lamb on a plate. Stir spinach into dish then put lamb on top and cover. Leave in a warm place for 10 minutes for the spinach to wilt. Serve with poppadums, naan bread, freshly cooked rice and mango chutney.

Lamb Stew - Serves: 4

Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking: 1 hours

Ingredients

• 4 frozen New Zealand chump chops
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 500g jar sauce for spaghetti bolognese
• 1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into 2.5cm/1in pieces
• 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into 2.5cm/1in pieces
• 2 medium courgettes, sliced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Fresh thyme to garnish Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Unwrap the frozen chops and place in a large casserole. Scatter the onion over and pour the sauce on top. Cover and cook for 1 hour, stirring halfway through the cooking time.

Remove from oven and stir. Place butternut squash on top of the chops then add a layer of pepper and finally the courgettes. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Cover and return to the oven for a further 30 minutes until the lamb and vegetables are tender.

Serve with freshly cooked rice or mashed potatoes. Garnish with thyme, if liked.

Slow Roasted Lamb - Serves: 4-6

Preparation time: 15 mins Cooking time: 4 - 5hrs

Ingredients

• 1.6-1.8kg New Zealand lamb leg, frozen
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 sticks celery, chopped
• 600ml red wine
• 3 tbsp redcurrant or mint jelly
• 2-3 tbsp gravy granules
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
  Preheat the oven to 130C/300F/Gas 2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the onion, carrots and celery for 6-8 mins until slightly softened and pale golden brown. Spoon into a roasting tin. Unwrap lamb and place on top of the vegetables. Pour wine over. Season with a little black pepper.

Cover tin tightly with lightly oiled foil and cook for 4-4 hours until very tender and falling from the bone. Don't let the liquid boil dry. Top up with extra wine or stock as necessary. Remove from oven and put lamb on a plate. Transfer the wine and vegetables to a large jug. Rinse tin. Increase oven temperature to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

Return lamb to tin and cook for a further 30 minutes until golden brown. Allow cooking liquor to settle for 15 minutes then spoon off fat. Strain liquor into a saucepan, add redcurrant or mint jelly and bring to the boil.

Stir in gravy granules and cook for 1-2 minutes until thickened and smooth, stirring constantly. Season to taste. Serve tender pieces of roasted lamb with lots of rich wine gravy and seasonal vegetables.

One Pan Lamb - Serves: 4

Preparation time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 New Zealand lamb chump chops, thawed if frozen
• 350g tub arrabiata sauce
• 400g can butterbeans, drained
• Olive oil
• Microwaveable rice
• Broccoli
  
  Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large pan. Add the chump chops and brown all over. Remove and set aside.

Tip in the jar of arrabiata sauce. Half fill the tub with water and add to the pan. Bring to the boil.

Stir in the butterbeans along with the chump chops, and a little salt and pepper. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the lamb is completely cooked through. Serve with a selection of mcirowaveable accompaniments such as rice and broccoli.

Gourmet Casserole - Serves: 4

Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 700g/1lb New Zealand lamb shoulder meat, diced
• 375g/12oz sweet potatoes, cut into large chunks
• 225g/8oz shallots, peeled
• 30ml/2 tbsp. bran
• 30ml/2 tbsp. whole grain mustard
• 450ml/pt dry cider
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 175g/6oz cherry tomatoes
  
  Heat oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.

Dry fry the lamb over a high heat until browned. Transfer to a casserole dish.

Add the sweet potatoes and shallots to the frying pan and cook until starting to colour.

Stir in the bran and mustard, then blend in the cider. Bring the sauce to the boil, season, then pour over the meat.

Cover the dish and cook the casserole for 1 hour. Stir in the tomatoes, return the dish to the oven and cook for a further Serve sprinkled with roughly chopped parsley.

Tips: The prepared and cooked casserole, prior to adding the tomatoes, can either be chilled for up to 24 hours, or frozen, sealed and labelled, for up to 4 weeks.

Thaw if required, then reheat thoroughly before adding the tomatoes and continuing as in recipe.

Country Lamb Broth - Serves: 2

Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 100g/4oz cooked New Zealand Lamb meat, cut into fine strips
• 15g/oz butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 15ml 1 tbsp. plain flour
• 900ml/1 pt lamb stock - home made or using stock cubes
• 100-150g/4-6 oz courgette, grated
• 50g/2oz self-raising flour
• pinch of salt
• 15ml/1 tbsp. prepared shredded suet
• grated rind of orange
• 100ml/1 tsp. freshly chopped mint
  
  Sauté the onion and carrot in the butter until soft but not coloured. Stir in the flour, then gradually add the stock.

Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the courgette and simmer a further 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, sift the flour and pinch of salt into a bowl, stir through the suet, mint and orange rind then bind the ingredients together with the orange juice, adding water if required, to make a soft but not sticky dough.

Shape into 8 small balls, bring the soup to the boil, add the dumplings with the pieces of cooked lamb then reduce the heat, cover the pan, and simmer for 10 minutes until cooked. Serve scattered with chopped parsley.

Tips:Boil up the bones left from a joint. Roast with a carrot, onion and bay leaves to make the stock for this broth.

For a different flavour for the dumplings try chopped parsley and 25g/1oz grated cheese