Lamb Hot Pot

You can use sweet-flavoured shoulder of lamb, gigot chops or inexpensive neck of lamb for this tasty stew, which makes a wholesome one-pot dinner for the whole family and needs only a fresh seasonal green vegetable to make it a completely balanced meal.

Serves 6

700g/11/2lb lamb shoulder meat
4 tbsp plain flour
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 small onion, sliced
1 large leek, sliced
2 large carrots, sliced
100g/4oz swede, cut into cubes
About 600ml/1 pint chicken stock
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
700g/11/2 lb even-sized potatoes
40g/11/2oz butter
Chopped fresh parsley, to garnish

Preheat a moderate oven to Gas Mark 4, 180ºC, 350ºF.

Trim the lamb well and cut into bite-sized pieces. Place the flour in a shallow dish and season generously, then toss the lamb in it to coat the pieces evenly.

Shake off excess flour and arrange half of the lamb in the bottom of a round casserole.

Add a sprinkling of thyme, scatter the onion, leek, carrots and swede on top, then season and add another sprinkling of thyme.

Arrange the remaining lamb on top to cover the vegetables completely, then sprinkle over the remaining thyme.

Pour in just enough chicken stock to cover the last layer of lamb. Cover the casserole with a lid and place in the oven for a good hour, or until the lamb and vegetables are just tender and the stock has thickened slightly.

Meanwhile, simmer the potatoes in lightly salted water for 10 minutes, then drain in a colander and set aside for 5 minutes until cool enough to handle. Slice the potatoes lengthways into 1cm/1/3” thick slices and lay them in a slightly overlapping layer on top of the stew.

Melt the butter in a small pan or in the microwave and brush it over the potatoes. Season to taste and return to the oven for another 40 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through and nicely golden and the lamb stew is bubbling up around the edges of the dish.

Sprinkle the chopped parsley on top and serve straight to the table, along with a seasonal green vegetable such as lightly cooked cabbage or brussels sprouts.