Slow Cooked Lamb & Barley Stew

Nothing beats the Winter blues better than a home, preferably slow, cooked stew - veggie loaded, thick with broth & meat falling off the bone. Delicious. Happily, the cheaper cuts of meat (such as this neck of lamb) suit slow cooking well, giving you all the benefits of bone broth along with the ease of pretty much just throwing everything in a pot.

You can of course use this simple recipe for a chicken casserole, beef stew, or keep it veggie wtih chickpeas or cannelinin beans. Simply soak your peas/beans overnight and add to the pot, just avoid kidney beans if using this method. Vegetables such as onions, leeks & carrots, along with woody herbs like bay, thyme and rosemary give a depth of flavour and cut through any fattiness from the meat. Include garlic, harrisa or chili, preserved lemons as you wish. A splash of Worcester Sauce goes well with the lamb in this dish. I like to use either barley or puy lentils to add fibre and soak up flavour, with potatoes as side dish, but you can add sweet or white potatoes to the slow cooker just as easily. This is one recipe you can really make your own. Just make sure you give it plenty of time to cook.

Ingredients:

1kg of neck of lamb pieces

1 tbsp plain flour

1/2 tsp chilli powder - optional

2 glugs of olive oil

2 large onions, or 1 onion & 1 large leek peeled & chopped

3 large carrots, or 2 sweet potatoes, peeled & chopped

1.75 lites hot chicken or lamb stock

1 bundle of woody herbs - rosemary, bay, thyme etc

100g barley or Puy lentils (or a mix!) washed

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp Worcester Sauce

Method:

1. Turn on your slow cooker, or find a deep casserole pan with a lid.

2. Season the flour on a plate with chilli powder, or just salt & pepper, then dredge the pieces of lamb in the flour

3. Gently heat the oil in a wide flying pan, then add the onions/leeks & stir.

4. After a few minutes, add the lamb pieces and turn up the heat so the lamb starts to brown. Add a drop more oil if needs be. Don't burn the onions!

5. Boil the kettle and make a litre of stock using a stock cube or boullion

6. Turn the lamb over a few times then add the meat & onions to the slow cooker. If using the casserole, simply continue.

7. De-glaze the pan with some of the hot stock (or a splash of wine), scraping up any tasty bits from the pan & add to the slow cooker, along with any remaining flour.

8. Add the chopped carrots or sweet potatoes & the additional water/stock.

9. Add the lentils or barley, herbs, tomato puree & Worcester Sauce, along with plenty of black pepper & half a tsp of salt.

10. Cook for at least 5 hours on high in the slow cooker, or in an oven at about 170 degrees.

11. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes and steamed & buttered kale or cabbage.

12. Any leftovers will keep for a good few days, or make the perfect next-day lunch.