Roast Herdwick Lamb with Black Badgers & Growing Well Spinach

Ingredients

• Herdwick lamb joint
• Chicken stock
• Fresh Growing Well spinach
• 200g Hodmedod’s whole dried black badgers (soaked overnight)
• 50g bacon lardons
• 50g butter
• 1 onion (finely sliced)
• 2 shallots (finely diced)
• 5 cloves of garlic (lightly crushed)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp coriander seeds
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• Sprigs of thyme
• Flat leaf parsley (to garnish)
• Salt & pepper (to season)
• Olive oil (for rubbing)

Method

Rub the lamb joint all over with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, cumin and coriander seeds.

Place the joint in the bottom of a roasting tray with the onion, 4 of the garlic cloves and a few sprigs of thyme. Roast for 30 minutes to seal the meat before adding cold water to the tray. Continue roasting (15 minutes per lb for medium rare, 20 minutes per lb for medium).

Remove the joint from the tray and wrap in tin foil. Leave to rest on a plate for at least 30 minutes before carving.

Sauté the shallots in half of the butter with the lardons and remaining garlic. Add the black badgers, bay leaf, tomato puree and enough chicken stock to ensure the lentils are covered. Simmer for 45 minutes and season with the parsley.

Wash the spinach and sauté in the rest of the butter until wilted. Season and add ground nutmeg.

Mix the spinach into the black badgers and serve with the lamb.