COOK ENGLISH ROAST RECIPES

1. Remove the lamb shoulder from the fridge and allow to come up to room temperature.
2. Preheat the oven at 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6.
3. Pick most of the rosemary leaves into a pestle and mortar and bash with a pinch of sea salt. Peel and add 2 cloves of garlic and bash again. Muddle in the English mustard and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
4. Slash the lamb all over with a sharp knife, season with black pepper, then rub the rosemary mixture all over the lamb, making sure to get into all the nooks and crannies.
5. Peel and thickly slice the onions, then place in a large deep roasting tray with the remaining rosemary and unpeeled garlic cloves. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and pour in 200ml of cold water.
6. Place the lamb shoulder on top and roast for 20 minutes.
7. Carefully remove the tray from the oven and cover tightly with a double layer of tin foil, then return to the oven, turn the heat down to 160ºC/315ºF/gas 2½, and cook for 4 hours, or until the meat pulls easily away from the bone.
8. Remove the shoulder to a platter, cover loosely with the foil and leave to rest.
9. Skim the fat from the tray, pick out and discard the rosemary, and squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins.
10. Place the tray on the hob over a medium heat, stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes.
11. Add 500ml of boiling water and the wine (if using), and stir well. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until thick and glossy.
12. To make the root veg mash, peel and roughly chop the carrots and peel 2 cloves of garlic. Place in a large pan of boiling salted water over a medium-high heat and cook for 5 minutes.
13. Meanwhile peel and roughly chop the potatoes and parsnips, add them to the pan of boiling water with the carrots then cook for a further 15 minutes, or until tender.
14. Drain in a colander and leave to steam dry. Tip back into the pan, add a lug of extra virgin olive oil, then mash with a potato masher. Season to taste.
15. Shred up the lamb and serve up with the mash and onion gravy. Delicious served with steamed seasonal greens.

Place the thyme, paprika and mustard powder in a bowl with a teaspoon each of salt and pepper, then mix to combine.

Wipe the meat with damp kitchen paper and then spread a thin layer of the mustard all over the fat side of the joint. Sprinkle the spice powder on top, patting it down gently to help it stick.

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 7, 220ºC (425ºF). Pour the olive oil into roasting tin and heat in the oven for 5 minutes. Add the onion and carrot, tossing to coat. Season with salt and black pepper.  Sit the beef on the bed of vegetables.  Place the roasting tin in the pre-heated oven.

Reduce the oven temperature to Gas mark 5,190ºC (375ºF). Roast the beef for 1 hour and 15 minutes for rare, an extra 15 minutes for medium-rare and an extra 30 minutes for well done. Remove the beef from the tin and place on a large dish. Rest in a warm place for at least 20 minutes before carving.

To make the gravy, stir the flour into the juices in the roasting tin and then gradually stir in the stock. Place directly on the hob to heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to release any sediment. Season and pour through a sieve into a gravy boat, discarding the vegetables that the beef has been roasted on.

Carve the beef into slices and arrange on warmed plates with a dollop of creamed horseradish and the roasted root vegetables. Hand round the gravy separately.

1. Leave the pork uncovered in the fridge overnight to dry out the skin.
2. Preheat the oven to full whack (240°C/475°F/gas 9).
3. Carefully score the pork skin with a sharp knife or scalpel.
4. Place the bay leaves in a pestle and mortar with the sea salt and give it a good bashing. Add the coriander seeds, fennel seeds and peppercorns, then bash again until fine.
5. Rub 2 tablespoons of the flavoured salt all over the pork, massaging it into all the nooks and crannies, saving the rest for another day. Brush away any excess.
6. Clank up the onions into wedges and arrange them skin-side up in rows. Lay the pork directly over the onions, then roast for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the crackling is golden and super crunchy.
7. Meanwhile, prepare the veg. Scrub the carrots and potatoes, trim the celery and fennel, then clank up into 2½cm chunks and place on a large baking tray. Pick over the rosemary leaves, then break up the garlic bulb and scatter over the cloves, leaving the skin on. Season with salt and pepper, then give it a good mix.
8. Remove the pork from the oven and reduce the temperature to 150°C/300°F/gas 2.
9. Using tongs, carefully lift the pork off the onions and place it directly on the top bars of the oven. Position the tray of veg exactly underneath to catch the tasty juices. Cook the pork for a further 2 to 4 hours – after 2 hours, the meat will be soft and easy to carve, after 4 hours, the meat will be soft enough to ‘pull’. Toss the veg occasionally, turning to coat in the pork juices until caramelised and cooked to your liking, then remove. (Pop an empty tray under the pork to prevent the juices from making a mess in your oven.)
10. To make the gravy, carefully drain the fat from the onions and reserve for another day. Place the tray on the hob over a medium heat, then pour in the cider and let it bubble away for a few minutes, scraping up all the sticky goodness from the base of the tray.
11. Gradually stir in the flour, then pour in 1.5 litres of boiling water and stir on the heat for 15 minutes, or until thickened and reduced.
12. When it’s time to dish up, arrange the veg on a serving platter with the pork and strain the gravy into a jug. Carve or pull the pork and plate it up with a little bit of everything. Delicious served with a simple watercress and apple salad, and a dollop of English mustard.