Recipe: Slow baked mutton

One leg of mutton around 2½ kg

A good handful of chopped fresh rosemary and thyme

Two packets of butter - softened

500ml red wine

250ml of water

Olive oil for sealing

A handful of fresh parsley - chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the cassoulet:

One handful of chopped leek

One handful of chopped spring onion

A few torn basil leaves

One handful of sliced mushrooms

One handful of roughly chopped sun-dried tomatoes

One handful of haricot beans – soaked over night if dried

½ red onion, sliced

Pre-heat the oven to 160°C (gas mark 3).

The idea here is that the mutton is steamed gently in a foil-covered roasting tin. First heat the roasting tin and add a little olive oil. When hot, seal the leg of mutton on all sides to give a little colour. Remove from the heat and, using your hands, smear all the butter over the meat. It seems a lot of butter but it’s important for the finished dish. Sprinkle the chopped herbs over and season with pepper. Sprinkle a little salt if the butter was unsalted.

Add the wine and water to the tin, cover loosely, but well sealed, with foil and bake in the oven for around three hours. Remove from the oven and drain off the liquid into a bowl. Place the foil back onto the meat and a tea towel on top to keep warm while it rests.

Using a ladle, remove most of the fat from the liquid in the bowl to leave a stock for the cassoulet. Heat a large frying pan or saucepan, add a little olive oil and sauté all the cassoulet ingredients for a couple of minutes. Add around 350ml of stock from the bowl and simmer for a few minutes but don’t overcook. Taste and add seasoning as necessary.

To serve, carve some mutton in thick slices. Place some of the cassoulet onto warmed serving dishes or bowls, lay the mutton on top and sprinkle with a little chopped parsley.