Lamb born in spring graze on sweet summer grass all summer and make the most fantastic meat come autumn.
This is a boneless shoulder, fatty, and best slow cooked to give it the respect it deserves.
Immerse the lamb shoulder in a lidded ovenproof dish filled with boiling water, flavoured with some bouillon and spiked with garlic and herbs. Thyme, in my case.
Pop it into the oven and let it cook for 4-6 hours at 150C/300F.
About an hour from the end, pop in some leeks cut into inch sections into the same dish.
When you are ready to eat, retrieve the lamb from the liquor and wrap it in tin foil to keep warm.
Retrieve the leeks and pop them back in the oven to keep warm. Switch the oven off, using the residual heat.
Skim off as much fat as you can from the top of the liquid and reserve that for later - you can use it for frying.
There's a lot of liquor, so pour off some of it to boil your vegetables - I had savoy cabbage and celeriac mash.
Boil, mash and otherwise prepare your vegetables however you do.
Meanwhile, the remainder of the liquor can be blended and reduced in a pan. Thicken with a little arrowroot and just before pouring, whisk in a couple of knobs of butter.
Serve out a few slices of the meat, veggies alongside, gravy poured over and a few capers sprinkled over the meat.
