Serves 4-6
1.5-2kg leg of lamb
8 small sprigs fresh rosemary
2 tbsp honey
25g butter, melted
150ml dry cider
Salt and ground black pepper
For the mint sauce:
A large handful of fresh mint leaves
1 tbsp caster sugar
3-4 tbsp cider or wine vinegar
2 tbsp boiling water
- Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6.
- Using a sharp knife, make small cuts in the leg of lamb and insert the rosemary.
- Mix the butter and honey together with some salt and pepper and pour this over the leg of lamb. Put into a roasting tin, pour the cider in and cover loosely with tin foil.
- Roast the lamb between 1.25 and 1.5 hours (allowing 20 minutes per 500g and 20 minutes extra).
- When half-cooked, remove the foil and baste frequently with juices from the roasting tin for the remaining time.
- Remove the joint from the oven, lift the lamb onto a warmed serving plate, cover loosely with foil and leave to stand for 20-30 minutes.
- For the mint sauce, finely chop the mint leaves and mix with the sugar in a small bowl. Add the boiling water and stir well until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the vinegar to taste and leave the sauce to stand for half an hour before serving.
Recipe from Flavours of England: Roasts by Gilli Davies, published by Graffeg Limited
Photography by Huw Jones