Easter is coming up this weekend and I am so excited. I love everything about this holiday from the beautiful Spring weather to hot cross buns and copious amounts of chocolate. There’s just something about this time of year that puts a ‘spring’ in your step. Sorry.

One of my other favourite things to eat is lamb. We don’t eat it often, so it feels like a lovely treat at Easter. There’s so many ways to prepare it, whether roasted, slow cooked or pan fried. I decided to slow cook a shoulder of lamb this time and it was absolutely heavenly. The preparation was so quick and resulted in succulent meat literally falling off the bone. It was so tender and effortless. I garnished the lamb with pomegranate seeds and mint leaves and it made such a difference. A little pop of sweetness with the spicy lamb was just perfect.

I simply marinated the lamb the night before then slow cooked it in the oven the next morning for 4.5 hours. I hardly had to attend to it and it gave me time to prepare any side dishes.

I served my lamb with gunpowder potatoes (a recipe from an incredible restaurant called Dishoom) and honey glazed roasted carrots spiced with cumin. The gunpowder potatoes were insanely delicious and paired really nicely with the lamb. And the sweet carrots stood out against all the spice.

Drizzled in a gravy made from the cooking juices and a side of mint yoghurt, I can safely say my husband and I were in food heaven! Everything about this meal was so tasty with a mix of spice and sweetness. An absolute treat for Easter weekend and one you will love!

Why not give it a go and let me know how it turned out? I would love to see your creations! Here’s how I made mine:

Ingredients:

• 1kg lamb shoulder
• 2 tbsp yoghurt
• 1 heaped tsp garlic paste
• 1 heaped tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp whole fennel seeds, coriander seeds, crushed
• 1 tsp each turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder, chilli powder, smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• juice of half a lime
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• salt and pepper
• small bunch fresh coriander, chopped
• pomegranate seeds
• mint leaves

Method:

1. To make the marinade, add the yoghurt, ginger and garlic paste, crushed and ground spices and chopped coriander to a bowl. Add a squeeze of lime juice and a tsp of oil and mix.
2. Marinate the lamb shoulder overnight or at least a couple of hours. Place in a roasting dish and cover with foil and place in the fridge.
3. Take the lamb out of the fridge an hour before roasting.
4. Add approximately 200 ml of water to the bottom of the roasting tray or enough water to be 1cm deep. Put the foil cover back on.
5. Roast the lamb at 170c for approximately 4 hours. Then take the foil off, baste with the cooking juices and let it roast for a further 30 mins to brown.
6. Remove from the oven and place the lamb on a chopping board and rest for approximately half an hour.
7. Place the roasting pan with the juices back on the hob to make a gravy. Add a tablespoon of plain flour and whisk through. Add a splash of water and let it simmer until thickened.
8. Pull the meat apart with two forks and serve with pomegranate seeds, mint leaves and any sides you wish. Enjoy!

I really do love this recipe and will be making it again. I hope you do too! Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great Easter weekend!

I am a food photographer and stylist based in Milton Keynes. Please check out my website to see more of my work at www.jbimagery.co.uk