Ingredient Of The Week

Mar 20 2008 By Chris Duffy

BRITISH LAMB

AFTER a winter that seemed to go on forever, spring is finally arriving and all those colourful, flavoursome foodstuffs are about to hit the shops.

What better way to get the season off to a scrumptious start than British lamb.

A good source of Vitamin B, iron and two to three times more unsaturated fat than beef, British lamb has small slender bones and rosy coloured flesh that melts in your mouth. The meat is at its most tender from late March to early June: when buying lamb, look for firm, pinkish meat with creamy white fat. Traditionally, lamb was eaten on Easter Day. So this Sunday, treat the family to a roast-with-a-difference.

Use a small knife to pierce some holes into a leg of lamb and stud it with garlic, then smother it in lots of herbs and some ground cumin, throw some peeled potatoes in beside it and pop it in the oven.

Or be a little less traditional - and more adventurous - and try what we do here in Filini: dice large pieces of rump and marinate them overnight in olive oil, thyme and lemon juice. Take a handful of shallots, garlic cloves and fresh bay leaves; skewer them together with the marinated meat and a sprig of rosemary, then chargrill.

* Chris Duffy is executive chef at Filini, Radisson SAS Hotel, Birmingham.