Lamb and barley hot pot

Ingredients

• 6 lamb shanks
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions, peeled, roughly chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled, roughly chopped
• ½ swede or turnip, peeled and cut into small chunks
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 250g/9oz pearl barley
• 1½ litres/3 pints chicken stock
• 2-3 tbsp mint jelly
• 3 tbsp roughly chopped fresh flatleaf parsley

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2.

2. Season the lamb shanks with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat a large ovenproof casserole until smoking, add the oil and lamb shanks and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden-brown all over.

3. Remove the lamb from the pan and set aside. Add the onions, carrots, swede and garlic to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until golden-brown.

4. Add the rosemary, bay leaves, thyme and tomato purée to the pan and cook for a further minute, then stir in the pearl barley. Cover with the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.

5. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid, then transfer to the oven to cook for at least three hours, or preferably 5-6 hours, until the lamb is very tender. (You may need to add a bit more liquid.)

6. Remove the pan from the oven and stir in the mint jelly and parsley. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve.