Loads of garlic lamb in Cumberland ale

Here, by popular demand we have one of our most popular lamb casseroles from the restaurants for you.  The beauty of a casserole is that after a little bit of initial faffing about, it looks after itself whilst it braises, giving you time to do whatever else you choose rather than having to stand over it.
We’ve had to get the calculator out in order to scale DOWN our recipe for you, as the one we use in the restaurant starts with 20 kilos of lamb!  Perhaps that’s slightly larger than the average household’s requirements.

Serves 4

500g diced leg of lamb
Oil
Butter
2 onions, peeled and diced
2 sticks celery, washed and roughly chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 whole bulb garlic, cloves separated, peeled and cut in half lengthways
1 tblsp tomato puree
2 bay leaves
2 tsp mustard powder
2 lamb or beef stock cubes
Few splashes of gravy browning
1 bottle Cumberland ale (we use Jennings, but you can use any similar or in fact substitute for red wine if you prefer)
500ml water
Salt and pepper
½ pack rosemary, sprigs separated from the stalks and roughly chopped

Take a large casserole pan and fry off the lamb in batches in a little oil and butter, seasoning each batch as you go with salt and pepper.
You should fry each batch for about five minutes on full heat so that the lamb gets a good colour.
Take your time over this part and do not overcrowd the pan otherwise the meat will not get the opportunity to seal and the juices will run out of it, causing the meat to boil in its own juices.
As you remove each batch from the pan, drain it in a colander, placed over a large bowl, to remove any excess fat.

Once the lamb is all done, add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic to the same pan – you may have to add a little more oil if necessary.
Cook the vegetables for about five to ten minutes over a medium heat until they begin to soften.

Return the drained lamb to the pan along with any of the drained juices that have collected in the bowl (remembering to skim off any fat sitting on top of the juices first).

Add the tomato puree, bay leaves, mustard powder, stock cubes and gravy browning.  Mix well into the lamb and vegetables.

Now add the ale (or whatever you choose to use) and water.
Simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours until the lamb is very tender and the liquid in the casserole is at a suitable serving consistency.
During this simmering time you will have to attend to the pan every now and again, but trust us, it’s not too taxing a job.
Skim any fat and froth that forms on top of the casserole and discard (we probably check it for this every 20-25 minutes or so) and top up the casserole with a little water if it has reduced too much.
Add the rosemary five minutes before the end of the cooking time and taste to check the final seasoning, adjusting if necessary.
Serve with some beautifully comforting creamy mashed potato.