Sunday is the one day of the week when everyone comes together and we have time to make more of an effort preparing the meal.

A big part of the appeal of cooking a roast on Sunday is that everyone can pitch in – meaning the cook can enjoy the process as much as everyone else.

Lamb is coming to the end of its season (the game season is just around the corner),so take the opportunity over the following weeks to prepare a delicious roast lamb while you still can.

There are two methods of roasting – on a spit and in an oven – with spit roasting being the superior option. This is because the steam produced when roasting in a closed oven reduces the meat’s flavour. Spit roasting provides a drier atmosphere that enables the joint to retain its own particular flavour.

As most of us roast in the oven, I find using a longer period of roasting at a lower temperature yields the best flavour and makes the meat much more tender.

Another way to ensure tender meat is to choose a cut that has been hung for a sufficient period of time. Talk to your butcher a few weeks in advance and ask him to hang your chosen piece of meat for you.

As the meat will lose moisture and therefore, lose weight in the hanging process, it is normal for the butcher to charge you for the weight loss.

Roast leg of lamb

Ingredients (serves eight)
1 leg of lamb
2 bulbs of garlic, separated and peeled
Bunch of rosemary
Rock salt
Freshly milled black pepper
10ml extra virgin olive oil
2 carrots (washed, peeled and roughly chopped)
1 Spanish onion (washed, peeled and roughly chopped)
1 head of celery (washed, peeled and roughly chopped)
1 turnip (washed, peeled and roughly chopped)
2 litres of lamb stock

Method
Pierce the lamb with a knife and get your helpers involved in studding the leg with whole cloves of garlic. Rub olive oil around the joint and sprinkle with rock salt, black pepper and fresh rosemary.

It is important to place the leg of lamb on a trivet or something that will elevate the meat from the tray into which the chopped vegetables are placed.

Rub the base of the tray with olive oil and sprinkle the vegetables onto the tray. Place the leg of lamb on top and place the tray in a warm oven at 110C. Cook for 60 minutes per kilogram. If speedier cooking is required, cook at 170C for 35 minutes per kilogram.

Constant basting is important when cooking lamb – again, put your helpers to work here. For the last 20 minutes of cooking, turn the oven to a higher temperature (180C) until the lamb turns golden brown in colour.

Remove the lamb from the oven and rest for ten minutes before carving.

To make the sauce, drain the excess fat from the tray and keep a little of it aside for the Yorkshire pudding tray (see below). Place in a large pot along with the lamb stock and bring to the boil.

Reduce the liquid to half by simmering, then pass it through a fine sieve and skim any excess fat from the top.

Return the liquid to a pot and bring to the boil. Taste and correct the seasoning. Add the unsalted butter and serve.

Yorkshire pudding
Ingredients
500g plain white flour
7g sea salt
Fresh milled white pepper
1/2 nutmeg grated
4 free range eggs
1l milk
1/2l cream

Method
The day before you plan to eat this dish, sieve the flour into a bowl, then add the seasoning and nutmeg. Make a well and add the eggs, cream and milk and mix well. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve to remove any lumps. Cover and place in the fridge overnight.

To cook, heat a bun tray and rub with olive oil (the oil can be flavoured by mixing olive oil with a little of the fat left from the cooked lamb tray). Heat the tray by placing in oven at 170C for few minutes.

Remove tray and pour the Yorkshire pudding mixture into the bun moulds. Bake in oven at 170C until golden brown. Remove and serve with lamb, roast potatoes and veg.

Tags: lamb, meat, roast, yorkshire pudding