Ingredients

2 tablespoons plain flour

675g (11/2 lb) shoulder of lamb, well trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces

2 tablespoons pearl barley

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

1 small onion, sliced

1 large leek, sliced

2 large carrots, sliced

100g (4oz) turnip, cut into cubes

Approx 600ml (1 pint) chicken stock

675g (11/2 lb) even-sized potatoes, peeled

1 tablespoon sunflower oil

Freshly ground black pepper


Lamb stew with turnip and pearl barley

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/ Gas Mark 4. Place the flour in a shallow dish and season lightly with pepper, coating the diced lamb. Arrange half of the lamb in the bottom of a round casserole dish with a lid and scatter half of the pearl barley over, with a sprinkling of thyme.

Layer up the onion, leek, carrots and turnip and finish with the rest of the pearl barley, then add another sprinkling of thyme. Arrange the remaining lamb on top to cover the vegetables completely and add the rest of the thyme.

Pour in enough chicken stock to coat the last layer of lamb. Cover the casserole and place in the oven for 1 hour until the lamb and vegetables are almost tender and the stock has thickened slightly.

Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a pan of water and bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside for 5 minutes. Slice the potatoes lengthways into 1cm (1/2 in) thick slices and lay them in a slightly overlapping layer on top of the stew. Brush lightly with the sunflower oil. Return the stew to the oven and cook for 40 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through and nicely golden.

Serves: 6 people

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour, 45 minutes