12 lamb recipes that prove Easter lunch doesn’t have to be boring
Lamb at Easter is as inevitable as a cold snap over the bank holiday. Still, just because tradition dictates it, doesn’t mean it has to be dull. The roast leg, basted in rosemary and garlic, has had a good inning – no disrespect to your nan – but it’s time to shake off the mint sauce shackles and cook something with a bit more bite.
This year, Easter falls late enough that spring is in proper swing, and the lamb is all the better for it – sweet, tender and ripe for celebration. The recipes here are proof that lamb doesn’t need to be predictable.
There’s the classic done well – a proper roast with lemony garden veg and feta – and the more adventurous: think lamb with miso cream and chicory; spiced shoulders slow-cooked into collapse; a show-stopping saddle stuffed with garlic confit and spinach. We’ve even got hogget meatballs swimming in a cep-spiked sauce, for those who prefer a little whimsy with their feast.
Whether you’re feeding a crowd, cooking for two, or simply looking to outdo the neighbours’ roast, this is lamb given the love it deserves. It’s the centrepiece, the conversation starter, the thing that makes everyone say “just a bit more” even when they’re already loosening their belts.
Here are 12 of the best lamb recipes for Easter – because if you’re going to follow tradition, you might as well do it properly.
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
For the lamb:
1 leg of lamb, about 2 kg
2 garlic cloves, sliced
Olive oil
A handful of rosemary and thyme sprigs
A generous glass of red wine
For the vegetables:
400g broad beans in their pods, or 200g frozen broad beans
300g French beans
100g peas (fresh or frozen)
Leaves from 3 sprigs of oregano
Zest of 1 lemon, juice of half
Olive oil
50g feta
Salt and pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C (400F), gas mark 6. Make sure your lamb is at room temperature before you cook it, so take it out of the fridge 20 minutes or so beforehand. With a knife, make small, deep cuts all over the leg of lamb and push a slice of garlic into each one. Rub over some olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.
2. Put the rosemary and thyme sprigs in the bottom of a roasting tin and place the lamb on top. Put in the oven and cook for about one hour and 10 minutes if you want your lamb to be pink (it is so much nicer when it is) or for longer if you want it cooked through. Remove from the oven, put the lamb on a board and let it rest for 10 minutes or so before you carve it.
3. Remove the rosemary and thyme sprigs from the tin and put it over high heat on the hob. Add the wine to the juices and let it bubble for a moment or two to form a thin but tasty gravy. Pour into a jug and keep warm.
4. Cook the broad beans (shelled, if fresh) in boiling water for about two minutes. Drain and tip them into a bowl of cold water. Slip off the skins to reveal the bright emerald green beneath. This is, I admit, a bit of a faff, and you don’t have to do it, but they taste so, so much nicer without the skins. Set aside. Cook the peas briefly in boiling water, drain and set aside. Trim the tails off the French beans and steam or plunge into boiling water and cook until they are al dente. Drain and put in a bowl together with the broad beans and the peas.
5. Finely chop the oregano leaves and add all but a few (saved for garnish) to the vegetables. Add the lemon zest and then drizzle over a bit of olive oil to make the vegetables glossy, but not swimming in it. Squeeze over the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and mix gently. Tip into a pretty serving bowl, crumble over the feta and scatter with the remaining oregano leaves. Carve the lamb, pour the gravy over the slices and serve the vegetables alongside.
Recipe from ‘Home Cooked: Recipes From The Farm’ by Kate Humble (Gaia, £25)
Ingredients:
2kg leg of lamb, on the bone
1 small bunch of English lavender
5 sprigs of rosemary
2 cloves garlic
1 small jar of honey
30g salt
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. Remove the lavender buds from the stalks and add to the honey
3. Pull the rosemary leaves from the stalks and place in a blender. Add the salt and blitz.
4. Rub the lamb all over with the salt and place in a roasting tray.
5. Cover with foil and place in the oven for 20 minutes. After which remove the foil and leave to roast for a further 40 minutes (for medium).
6. Pour over the lavender and honey, return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
7. Remove the lamb and leave it to rest for 10-15 minutes, with some foil on top to keep it warm.
8. Serve with the pan juices and spring vegetables.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
750g boneless lamb shoulder meat, trimmed and cut into 2.5cm dice
6 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
12 cloves
4 black cardamom pods
2 bay leaves
2 onions, finely chopped
6 green chillies, slit lengthways
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp garlic paste
200g sweetcorn kernels, either frozen or canned is fine
250g plain yogurt
125ml lamb stock or water, plus extra if necessary
6sm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped finely
50g fresh coriander leaves and stalks, chopped
Juice of lemon
Method:
1. To start making the curry heat the ghee to smoking point in a heavy-based pan and add the cloves, cardamom pods and bay leaves. When they crackle, add the onions and cook on a medium heat until golden.
2. Add the green chillies, salt, ground coriander, cumin and turmeric and stir for minute. Stir in the garlic paste and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes.
3. Now add the lamb and cook, moving it around on high heat, for 4-5 minutes, until lightly browned all over. Stir in three-quarters of the sweetcorn kernels and gradually add the yoghurt, stirring well after each spoonful. If you add it too quickly, it will split and make the curry grainy.
4. Once the yoghurt is incorporated, continue stirring and allow the mixture to come to the boil.
5. Add the lamb stock, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sweetcorn is creamy and soft, and the sauce has thickened.
6. Add the ginger, fresh coriander and the remaining sweetcorn kernels, pour in a little more lamb stock or water, if required, and continue simmering over low heat for 10 minutes. Check the seasoning and finish by squeezing in the lemon juice.
7. Serve the curry hot with rice or chickpea breads.
“Braised chicory is one of the first things I was taught to cook in a traditional French way by section chef Ben Towill at The Seafood Restaurant. He had just come from Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir Aux Quat Saisons and was a real influence on me at the start of my career. When it comes to chicory, you cut and trim them and then fry them in a little oil and butter to colour and then finally braise them in stock; this prevents the leaves from oxidising and changes the bitter note to a sweet one. The white miso cream in this recipe is addictive and simple; it complements the lamb and chicory perfectly. And the lovely pink pickled onions make the dish look so appealing.”
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
2kg lamb shoulder
6 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
6 sprigs of thyme, cut in half
6 anchovies, cut in half
1 tbsp olive oil
4 chicory
1 tbsp vegetable oil
60g butter
500ml chicken stock
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp salt
Sea salt
For the white miso cream:
300ml double cream
300ml chicken stock
1 tsp white miso paste
50g butter
To serve:
1 red onion, pickled
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C fan (220C/gas mark 7).
2. Make about 10 cuts in the lamb shoulder and push the garlic, thyme and anchovies into the cuts. Season with 20g salt, rub with the olive oil, and roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Lower the temperature to 140C fan (160C/gas mark 3) and cook for another 2½ hours.
3. Cut the chicory in half lengthways and remove the core (which is bitter). Brown them, cut side down, in a pot with the vegetable oil for 5 minutes. Add the butter and cook for 1 more minute. Now add the stock, lemon juice and salt, and turn the chicory halves over. Put a lid on and braise over a low heat until soft (20 minutes).
4. Now make the miso cream. Pour the double cream and stock into a pot; add the miso paste and whisk together. Cook over a medium-high heat, whisking occasionally. Keep on the heat until reduced by half, then remove from the heat and whisk in the butter. Pour into a serving dish.
5. Serve the lamb shoulder on the bone and carve at the table.
6. Place the chicory alongside each serving, topped with slices of pickled red onion and pass round the dish of miso cream.
Recipe from ‘World On A Plate’ (Bloomsbury Cooks and Absolute Press, 2018).
Serves: 8 people
Ingredients:
For the lamb shoulder:
100g cardamom
100g coriander seeds
4 cinnamon sticks
50g chilli flakes
2l chicken stock
10 bay leaves
4 sprigs rosemary
10 sprigs thyme
For the hummus:
1 tin chickpeas, drained
1 small red onion finely sliced
2 cloves garlic finely sliced
2 cm peeled ginger root finely sliced
1 lemon, juiced
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
80g vegetable oil
For the roast red onion:
8 small onions
Sumac
Olive oil
Mint
Method:
1. To make the lamb, blitz the spices and rub into the lamb. Cover and leave in the fridge for 24 hours. In a hot pan colour the lamb all over then transfer to a roasting dish. Bring the chicken stock to a boil and add to the dish. Add the herbs, cover with paper and seal with tinfoil.
2. Cook in the oven at 160C for 3 hours approximately. Once tender leave to rest for 15 minutes.
3. To make the hummus, sweat the onion, garlic, ginger, cumin and coriander in half of the oil with a pinch of salt until softened.
4. Blitz all the ingredients together in a blender until smooth. Adjust the seasoning with salt and lemon juice as needed. This can be made a day ahead and stored, covered in the fridge.
5. To prepare the roast red onions, peel the onions. With the base on a chopping board cut down almost to the root into quarters.
6. Place in an oven proof dish and drizzle with olive oil.
7. Bake for fifteen minutes by which time the onion will have opened up.
8. Season with salt and sumac and return to the oven for 20 minutes.
9. Serve with mint leaves scattered over the onion.
Recipe by Alistair Craig, head chef at The Montagu Arms
Ingredients:
For the hummus:
350ml tap water
60ml lemon juice
200g tahini
500g cooked chickpeas
For the lamb braise:
1 lamb shoulder
30g cumin ground
30g coriander ground
30g pepper
30g salt
For the zhoug/green chilli paste:
25ml vegetable oil
25g Dutch green chillies
125g coriander
20g garlic, peeled
30ml lemon juice
100g tomatoes
1.5g black cracked pepper
2 cardamom pods
6g Maldon sea salt
For the saffron apricots:
250g apricots
150ml water
75g sugar
25ml lemon juice
¼ tsp saffron powder
For the ras el hanout almonds:
250g almonds
12.5g ras el hanout
12.5ml olive oil
5g salt
Method:
To make the hummus:
1. Blitz water and chickpeas together.
2. Whisk in tahini and lemon juice.
3. Season with salt to taste.
To make the lamb braise:
1. Mix spices together and rub gently into lamb shoulder.
2. Place in a shallow paper-lined tray.
3. Roast at 200C for 1 hour.
4. Leave to cool, the add 2 cm water.
5. Place paper on top to stop lamb sticking to the foil.
6. Double wrap with tin foil. And cook overnight at 110C in lower oven.
7. Take the lamb out of oven, drain off liquid and leave to cool for 20 minutes.
8. Pull the meat of the bone in large chunks. Removing any large fat deposits.
9. Remove the skin/sinew and chop up and mix through rest of meat.
10. Chill the stock and remove fat. Then reduce by half.
To make the zhoug:
1. Place all ingredients apart from olive oil into a blender or handmixer.
2. Blitz into a paste.
3. Transfer paste to a bowl and fold in the olive oil.
4. Taste and season appropriately.
To serve:
1. Spoon 2/3 spoonfuls of hummus onto your chosen platter/bowl.
2. With your spoon make a well like hole in the middle of the hummus.
3. Firstly place the braised lamb in the well, followed by the zhoug, a sprinkle of sumac and a large drizzle of olive oil.
4. Top with sliced apricots and toasted almonds (optional).
Optional toppings:
Saffron apricots:
1. Slice apricots in half.
2. Make a sugar syrup in pan with the water, sugar and saffron.
3. When sugar has dissolved, and syrup is simmering add apricots and simmer for 10 minutes. Then take off heat.
Almonds:
1. Toast almonds at 160C for 5 minutes. Turn and toast for another 5 minutes.
2. Mix oil with spices and salt
3. Then roll through almonds
4. Leave to cool.
Recipe from Eran Tibi, head chef and co-founder of Bala Baya and Kapara
Ingredients:
1 loin of lamb cut in half
1 green courgette, sliced thinly
100g morels, cleaned
25g butter
1 lemon
Olive oil
For the lamb jus:
1kg lamb bones
1.5l brown chicken stock
250ml white wine
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 onions, chopped
Sprig rosemary
For the herb crust:
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, picked
4 slices white bread, dried in the oven at 80C until crisp
40g Gruyere, diced
250g unsalted butter (room temperature)
For the crispy lamb belly:
1 lamb belly
300g duck fat
1 sprig rosemary
For the artichoke puree:
1 jar cooked artichokes in oil
1 lemon
100ml chicken stock
Method:
1. To make the crispy belly, season the belly with salt and pepper. Place in a pan, cover with duck fat, add the rosemary and slowly simmer for two hours or until a metal skewer slides into the lamb belly easily. Cool, then take out and place flat on a tray skin side down. Place a sheet of baking parchment on top and place another tray on top to weigh it down. Chill in the fridge. Once cold, slice into rectangles 2cm x 5cm and pan fry in olive oil until crisp.
2. To make the lamb jus, roast the bones in an oven tray for one hour or until it has caramelised. Drain in a colander. Add the white wine to the tray and scrap the bottom to remove the residue. Pour this into a clean pot with the lamb bones. Caramelise the onions in a pan with olive oil until golden. Drain in a colander. Add this along with the tomatoes to the lamb bones.
3. Cover with brown chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and gently cook for 3 hours. Allow to cool then strain through a fine sieve. Bring the lamb jus to a boil and reduce for 20 minutes or until the desired flavour and consistency has been achieved.
4. For the herb crust, place all the ingredients apart from the butter into a blender and blitz until you have a fine green crumb. Season lightly then add the softened butter and mix. Take 2 sheets of baking parchment 30cm x 30cm. Place the butter in the centre of one piece of baking parchment, place the other sheet on top and using a rolling pin, roll out until it is 1/4cm thick. Place on a tray and chill in the fridge. Once it is hard, cut a piece the same size as the lamb.
5. Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Render the lamb fat side down in a pan until golden. Flip over and caramelise. Cook in the oven at 200C for 10mins. Place the herb crust on top and cook for a further 2mins. Take out and leave the rest for 6mins.
6. Add the butter to a pan and heat up. Add the morels, season and sweat for 3mins. Take out of the pan and add to the sliced courgettes. Dress with olive oil and lemon juice.
7. To make the puree, place the artichokes in the blender, add the lemon juice, chicken stock and blitz. Slowly add the olive oil from the jar. Season with salt.
8. Slice the lamb in half and place on a plate. Spoon the artichoke purée onto the plate, add the courgettes and morels.
This recipe from Greg Marchand, chef patron at Frenchie, is a delicious twist on a classic lamb roast that won’t take hours to prepare. Complete your masterpiece with buttery potatoes and you’ll have an Easter dish you’ll remember for years to come.
Serves: 4
Preparation: 1 hour 30 minutes
Ingredients:
For the stuffing:
2 shallots, finely sliced
50ml water
50ml white wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
200g mint, blanched and coarsely chopped
200g sandwich bread, toasted and cooled
45g pistachio nuts, roasted and coarsely chopped
40g parmesan cheese
3 anchovies
Dash of Tabasco sauce
2 eggs
½ tsp thyme
For the lamb:
1 leg of lamb, deboned, you can ask your butcher to remove the bone
For the Jersey royal potatoes:
600g Jersey royal potatoes
200g butter
½ bunch mint, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
Pinch of salt
Method:
1. For the stuffing, combine all ingredients and cook over medium heat until the liquid evaporates and the shallots are translucent. The mixture should be moist and should hold its shape if rolled into a ball.
2. For the lamb, preheat the oven to 220C (gas mark 7).
3. Stuff the leg and tie it up. Heat the oil in a skillet or frying pan and brown the meat well on all sides. Roast the leg with 3 lemons, halved, for 30 minutes, and then reduce the temperature to 180C (gas mark 4) and cook for a further hour.
4. Take the meat out of the oven, wrap in aluminium foil, and rest for 20 minutes.
5. For the potatoes, in a stockpot, cover the potatoes with cold water and add plenty of salt. Bring to a boil and cook the potatoes until they are soft, about 20 minutes, then drain.
6. Heat the butter in a large skillet or frying pan and brown the potatoes over low heat. Add the mint and season with lemon juice and salt.
7. Serve the potatoes in a side dish. Carve the lamb at the table and serve with the roasted lemons.
Take inspiration from traditional Syrian cuisine for your Easter feast with this recipe from chef Imad Alarnab.
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
For the marinade:
5 garlic cloves, grated
2 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp mild Madras curry powder
½ tbsp ground black pepper
3cm piece of fresh ginger, grated
1 tbsp baharat (a spice mix blend)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp tomato puree
2 tbsp red pepper paste
Good pinch of salt
150ml olive oil
For the lamb:
1.5-2kg lamb shoulder, bone in
10 garlic cloves, peeled
4 sprigs of thyme
4 sprigs of rosemary
Method:
1. Mix together all the marinade ingredients in a large container. Rub the marinade all over the lamb so it’s completely covered. Cover and marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, ideally overnight.
2. When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas mark 3.
3. Take the lamb from the fridge, then get a high-sided oven tray and line with a layer of foil and a layer of baking paper, large enough to cover the lamb. Add the garlic and herb sprigs to the middle, followed by the lamb and all the marinade (you can also add onions, carrots or potatoes at this stage, if you like). Fold the foil and baking paper over the lamb like a parcel, then flip it over and wrap it again in another layer of foil so the lamb is tightly wrapped and there are no gaps. We want to cook the lamb in its own juices, so it’s really important that it’s completely covered at this stage.
4. Place in the oven and cook for 4 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone. Remove from the oven, unwrap, increase the temperature to 200C/fan 180C/gas mark 6 and roast until browned on top.
5. Serve with kabsa rice or plain bulgur.
Ever thought of turning your lamb into meatballs? Well, with this dish from The Black Swan’s Tommy Banks, you can!
Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 15-20 minutes | Cook time: 55 minutes
For the meatballs:
600g minced hogget (or lamb)
60g dried prunes
40g breadcrumbs
½ medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp crushed garlic
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp mace (optional)
For the sauce:
1 large onion, sliced
200g cep mushrooms, cut in half
100ml medium sweet white wine
200ml lamb stock
500ml double cream
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp cep powder (optional)
1 bouquet garni
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200C (180C Fan). Then, in a large mixing bowl, combine all meatball ingredients. Using your hands mix all the ingredients together really well, squeezing and mashing the mince so everything is nicely combined.
2. Roughly divide the mixture into around 16-18 golf ball-sized balls.
3. In a medium pan over medium heat, add your meatballs, in batches if needed, and brown until golden, about 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside. In the same pan, add 1tbsp sunflower oil. Add your onions, garlic and mushrooms and allow to sweat down, about 5 minutes.
4. Continue cooking until ingredients begin to caramelise, a further three minutes, then add your white wine. Allow the wine to bubble and reduce for about 2 minutes. Add lamb stock and allow it to reduce, for a further 5 minutes. Add your cream, and cep powder if using, and stir vigorously to fully incorporate. Remove from heat.
5. In an ovenproof baking dish, add your meatballs and cover with your cream sauce. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
6. Serve with fresh, toasted sourdough.
If you are committed to cooking your lamb low and slow, this recipe from Adam Gray is sure to stir up an appetite.
Time: 3 hours
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 small boned saddle of Lune Valley lamb, retaining bones for gravy
10 garlic cloves, peeled
500ml of rapeseed oil
500ml of lamb stock
1 sprig of rosemary
500g of baby spinach
Salt
White pepper
To serve:
200g of runner beans
75g of unsalted butter
4 large potatoes, cut into 8 cm discs
200ml of rapeseed oil
75ml of water
Method:
1. Start by making the gravy. Preheat the oven 180C. Chop the bones from the lamb saddle into evenly sized pieces and place in a roasting tray in the oven. Cook until evenly golden brown. This will take over an hour. Meanwhile, gently heat enough rapeseed oil in a pan to cover the whole garlic cloves, add the garlic and let it simmer for 40 minutes to 1 hour until the garlic is soft. Strain off the oil and set aside.
2. When the lamb bones are evenly browned, remove from the oven and transfer to a saucepan. Cover with the lamb stock and rosemary sprig, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 20 to 30 minutes. Pass the lamb gravy through a fine sieve. Reheat when ready to serve.
3. To stuff the lamb, lay the boneless saddle flat on a chopping board, so the two portions of meat are facing away from you. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Place the cooked, drained garlic cloves lengthways along the centre of the saddle.
4. Blanch and refresh the spinach, then squeeze out any excess water. Lay the spinach over the garlic cloves, along the centre of the lamb saddle. Fold the lamb saddle over so the flaps of fat overlap each other. Tie the saddle tightly with butcher’s string in 2-3cm intervals along the whole saddle and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 200C. Heat an ovenproof frying pan to a medium heat and place the lamb saddle in without any oil. Seal the lamb saddle all over until light golden brown, then place the pan in the oven. After 5 minutes turn the oven down to 180C and continue cooking for a further 15 to 20 minutes for medium rare cooking or more if you like it well done. Remove the cooked lamb saddle from the oven and leave to rest on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
6. Next, cook the potatoes by placing in salted cold water, bring to the boil and simmer until almost tender. Drain and set aside. To prepare the runner beans, slice them on an angle and blanch in boiling salted water until tender. Strain and place into iced water immediately.
7. Return the cooked lamb saddle to the oven for 3 to 4 minutes to reheat, then remove. While the lamb is heating through, pan-fry the cooked potato discs in a little rapeseed oil until golden brown on both sides. Season with salt and pepper. Place the golden brown potato discs in the centre of the serving bowls.
8. In a separate saucepan melt the unsalted butter with 75ml water and bring to the boil, then add the runner beans. Coat the runner beans with the butter and water emulsion, then season with salt and pepper. Keep warm. Cut all the string from the lamb saddle and then carve the saddle into 1.5 cm slices and arrange on top of the potato discs. Put the buttered runner beans in a separate serving dish and pour the lamb gravy into a jug. Serve immediately.
TikTok-famous chef Poppy O’Toole described her mouth-watering dish as “a slow-roasted number that will turn even hardened lamb-haters”. If that doesn’t convince you, we don’t know what will…
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
The core:
2 recipe quantities of easy flatbreads (8 flat breads; see below)
For the lamb:
2tbsp rose harissa paste
3tbsp ras el hanout
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
5 garlic cloves, peeled
1tbsp light brown soft sugar
6 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
6 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked
2tbsp almond butter
2tbsp olive oil
1.4-1.5kg/3-3 ¼lb lamb shoulder on the bone
For the couscous:
200g/7oz couscous
Seeds of 1 pomegranate
A small bunch of mint, leaves picked and chopped
A small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped
5-6 black or green olives, pitted and sliced
1tbsp dried oregano
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and black pepper
For the flatbreads (makes 4):
250g/9oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
250g/9oz Greek yogurt (or 125ml/½ cup warm water + 2tbsp vegetable oil, if you’re vegan)
1tsp onion seeds, poppy seeds or sesame seeds
1tsp baking powder
Salt and black pepper
Method:
1. Start this the night before you want to cook. Place all of the lamb ingredients apart from the meat itself into a blender and blitz to a smooth paste to make a marinade.
2. With a knife, make some little incisions into the lamb shoulder to help the marinade get right into the meat. Rub and massage the marinade into the shoulder like it’s date night, until it’s completely covered.
3. Transfer the lamb to a roasting tin, cover with foil and place it in the fridge overnight (or for a minimum of six hours).
4. Make the flatbreads: in a bowl mix all the ingredients – flour, yoghurt, seeds, baking powder and seasoning – into a dough. Knead for about three minutes, to a soft but not sticky ball. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave for 10 minutes to rest.
5. Cut the ball into four equal pieces and use a rolling pin to roll each one out to a thin round. You’re aiming for them to be about 12cm/5in diameter – but don’t worry if they look rustic in shape. Set aside the rolled-flat flatbreads on a lightly floured surface.
6. Place a large, dry frying pan over a high heat. Leave it to get hot, then throw in the first flatbread. Once bubbles start to form in the dough (about 30 seconds) and you’ve got a little bit of char on the underside, flip over the flatbread and cook the other side for about 30 seconds, to get a little bit of char there, too. Keep warm while you do the same with the remaining three flatbreads. That’s it, remove from the pan and either serve right away or cool and tightly wrap to store.
7. Put the couscous into a container big enough to allow it to double in size and pour in 400ml/about 1½ cups of cold water. Cover the bowl and transfer it to the fridge. Leave this overnight, too.
8. Remove the meat from the fridge 30 minutes before you intend to start cooking so that it can come up to room temperature, and preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/375F/gas 5.
9. When you’re ready to cook, roast the lamb, still covered with the foil, for 4 hours, until it is charred a little on the outside and the meat is tender and pulls apart.
10. Drain the couscous through a fine sieve, so you don’t lose any of it. Mix all of the other couscous ingredients into it. Season with salt and pepper to taste and leave on the side to come up to room temperature.
11. Towards the end of the lamb cooking time, heat a dry frying pan over a high heat until it’s smoking hot. Place the flatbreads in the pan and warm through (or reheat them in a microwave).
12. Either serve your massive hunk of delicious lamb in the tin as it comes, or transfer it to a wooden board and pour all of the sauce that is left in the bottom of the roasting tin into a little jug.
13. Just let people dig and tear into this huge, sharing-lamb deliciousness, with the warmed flatbreads, the couscous and the sauce served alongside.
Freddie Flintoff’s horror Top Gear crash shown in documentary trailer
Images of Freddie Flintoff’s terrifying Top Gear accident have been released as part of the forthcoming Disney+ documentary about his horror crash.
The former cricketer, 46, was involved in a near-fatal incident that left him with significant facial injuries and broken ribs while filming the motoring show Top Gear in December 2022.
The crash led the BBC to suspend production for the “foreseeable future”, deeming it inappropriate to continue. He received £9m in compensation as a result of his injuries.
In the trailer for new documentary Flintoff, the sportsman reflected on the horrifying crash, which saw him retreat from public life for over half a year.
“I’ve lived under [the] radar for seven months,” Flintoff said in the preview. “One of the real frustrations was the speculation – that’s why I’m doing this now. What actually happened.”
Speaking about his “life-altering” injuries, the cricketer said: “I’m not saying I’m embracing them, but I’m not trying to hide my scars.”
He added: “It’s almost like a reset. I’m trying to find out what I am now. I’ve always seemed to be able to flick a switch, I’ve got to find that switch again.”
Flintoff will explore the ramifications of his accident in the new documentary, which will premiere in the UK and Ireland on 25 April.
His wife Rachael Wools, will also appear in the film. The pair married in March 2005 after they met at Edgbaston Cricket Ground three years earlier.
Also being interviewed for the documentary are the sportsman’s close friends: cricketer Michael Vaughan, presenter James Corden and comedian Jack Whitehall.
Flintoff returned to screens last year with a BBC series titled Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams on Tour, in which he opened up about that crash. He revealed that he still suffers nightmares, flashbacks and anxiety.
Speaking in Field of Dreams, he said: “I don’t want to sit and feel sorry for myself. I don’t want sympathy. I’m struggling with my anxiety, I have nightmares, I have flashbacks – it’s been so hard to cope,” he said in a trailer for the show.
“But I’m thinking if I don’t do something, I’ll never go. I’ve got to get on with it.”
Flintoff admitted that the after-effects of the crash might follow him “for the rest of my life” and said he believes he is lucky to be alive after he flipped the Morgan Super three-wheeled car while filming Top Gear.
He said after the crash: “It’s going to be a long road back and I’ve only just started and I am struggling already and I need help. I really am.”
He added: “I’m not the best at asking for it. I need to stop crying every two minutes. I am looking forward to seeing the lads and being around them. I really am.”
Flintoff will premiere exclusively on Disney+ in the UK and Ireland on 25 April.
Man Utd salvage their season with breathtaking comeback for the ages
It was Bilbao or bust. Just when it seemed it would be bust, Manchester United condemning their season to utter failure, they instead salvaged it. They produced one of their latest and greatest comebacks. Harry Maguire headed them to Bilbao, for a Europa League semi-final against Athletic, perhaps for a return to the Basque Country for the final. They may yet get Champions League football, some £100m in broadcast, matchday and commercial income.
They may yet get redemption. It will be quite a rescue act as they seemed to capitulate when Lyon scored four unanswered goals. Then came the United response, three of their own, deep into extra time. After conceding two goals in seven minutes, United scored three in eight. Six-four down on aggregate after 113 minutes of an epic tie, they prevailed 7-6.
The late rally was led by the outstanding Bruno Fernandes, the captain coolly slotting in a penalty that may have been generously awarded after Casemiro went to ground under Thiago Almada’s challenge.
Then Kobbie Mainoo, sent on as an emergency striker, finishing like a centre-forward, taking Casemiro’s pass and curling a shot into the corner. Then Maguire, the 121st-minute hero heading in a cross from Casemiro. Him again, the Brazilian, the serial Champions League winner taking himself closer to Europa League glory. It threatened to be the last European night at Old Trafford, potentially for years. It became a special occasion. “In this stadium, in this club, you always have the feeling anything can happen,” said Ruben Amorim. So it appeared on a night of credibility-defying drama. “That is why we like this sport so much and all the frustration the coach has, the bad moments, when you have moments like this it is all worth it. We can forget for a few minutes what kind of season we are having.”
And yet, perhaps, they are saving their season. Galvanised by their plight, motivated by the prize, United played with the air of men who knew what was at stake. When ignominy beckoned, they responded. For Amorim, spurred on by a glimpse into United’s past, there was a night to make history. “I was watching the 1999 [Treble] documentary to have some inspiration for these moments,” he said. As the watching Sir Alex Ferguson may have again remarked, football, bloody hell.
For Lyon, it was merely hell. They could be forgiven for wondering what had hit them. They had mustered a terrific fightback of their own. At 2-0, they were seemingly down and out. At 4-2 up, they only had 10 minutes to see through. Yet there was a cruelty for Paulo Fonseca and his team. United may be 14th in the Premier League but they are the only unbeaten team in the Europa League, a different beast in Europe. When embarrassment was on the cards, they produced excitement.
Where to start? For an hour or so, this was one of United’s best performances of the season, leaving everyone wondering where this kind of football had been all year. They began well. They were rewarded with a goal. The dynamic Alejandro Garnacho took Fernandes’s pass and turned sharply in the penalty area to cut the ball back. Manuel Ugarte sidefooted in his second United goal.
As United continued to push, Casemiro had a low shot pushed just past the post by Lucas Perri. It was terrific goalkeeping, but the Brazilian was beaten again on the stroke of half-time. Dalot latched on to Maguire’s long pass to angle a low shot beyond Perri. A wing-back in the box, scoring goals: this may be part of Amorim’s vision.
Meanwhile, Fernandes was brilliant, almost scoring one of the great United goals when he volleyed Dalot’s long pass against the bar, twice also coming close to spectacular goals.
For Fonseca, barred from the touchline for nine months in French football for an altercation with a referee, the view from the technical area surely was not enjoyable initially. Yet he took advantage of his greater involvement to change the game with his substitutes. In particular, the introduction of Alexandre Lacazette provided a lifeline. He gave Lyon a focal point in the box. United creaked under pressure.
Corentin Tolisso headed in from six yards after Casemiro failed to clear a free kick and the substitute Lacazette glanced the ball into the midfielder’s path. Six minutes later, Lyon struck again, Nicolas Tagliafico angling in a shot from Ainsley Maitland-Niles’s cross before Andre Onana could claw it back from behind the line. Lacazette followed up to make sure anyway. For Onana there could, eventually, be the relief that his first-leg errors did not cost United; premature as his dancing celebrations of Ugarte’s opener proved, he ended the night jumping into Amorim’s arms in delight.
Others crossed the divide between hero and villain. Tolisso departed, a trip on the raiding Leny Yoro bringing him a second yellow card. It gave United a man advantage, yet, a quarter of an hour later, Lyon had a goal advantage, the excellent Rayan Cherki drilling the ball into the bottom corner after a burst from the replacement Malick Fofana. Scorer of a 95th-minute equaliser in Lyon, he struck even later, leaving Onana motionless.
For a while, Lyon were magnificent with 10 men. Then the dynamic Fofana was tripped by Luke Shaw, a United substitute, and Lacazette converted the penalty. So it was 4-2, with United heading out, with Fonseca’s changes working better than Amorim’s.
Until they weren’t. Until the substitute Mainoo scored and Casemiro starred and Maguire wrote his name into Old Trafford folklore. Like Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 1999, but as a centre-back shunted into attack because of his aerial ability. “I just see one guy who is good in the box,” said Amorim. And the midfielder Mainoo proved another who was good in the box. “A win like that can bring so much momentum,” said the 120th-minute scorer. “We’re rolling the snowball and it could get bigger and bigger.” And now the snowball rolls on to Bilbao.
Fyre Festival 2 postponed just weeks before event was due to start
Fyre Festival 2 has been postponed indefinitely by its organiser, convicted fraudster Billy McFarland, just over a month ahead of its scheduled kick-off date.
McFarland has been attempting to orchestrate a more successful version of the initial Fyre Festival, the notorious event that went viral in 2017. Guests who had paid thousands of dollars for tickets ended up stranded in the Bahamas with limited food and shelter, and none of the promised headliners.
However, the new festival, which was supposed to take place on the Isla Mujeres, Mexico, between 30 May to 2 June, has now been indefinitely postponed, with ticket-holders informed that they had been issued refunds.
“The event has been postponed and a new date will be announced,” a message sent to a ticket-holder and seen by ABC News said.
“We have issued you a refund. Once the new date is announced, at that time, you can repurchase if it works for your schedule.”
Tickets for Fyre Festival 2, which was marketed under the slogan “FYRE Festival 2 is real”, went on sale in February at a starting fee of $1,400 and up to $25,000, while premium packages were also being sold for as much as $1.1m.
At the time, McFarland said a statement, “I’m sure many people think I’m crazy for doing this again. But I feel I’d be crazy not to do it again.”
“After years of reflection and now thoughtful planning, the new team and I have amazing plans for FYRE 2,” he added.
As with the doomed original event, McFarland’s festival promised an “electrifying celebration of music, arts, cuisine, comedy, fashion, gaming, sports, and treasure hunting — all set in the stunning location of Isla Mujeres, Mexico”.
“Experience unforgettable performances, immersive experiences, and an atmosphere that redefines creativity and culture,” the festival’s website said.
Leading up to the festival, Mexico officials with the Quintana Roo Tourism Department and the Playa Del Carmen government said “no event of that name” was to be held there.
Bernardo Cueto, tourism secretary of the State of Quintana Roo, where Isla Mujeres is located, told ABC News that his agency was responsible for handing out permissions for events of this kind. However, Fyre Fest 2 was not something he was informed about, he said, nor was an event by that name happening in Playa del Carmen or Isla Mujeres.
On 4 April, McFarland shared a timeline of apparent conversations with the government of Playa Del Carmen to the festival’s Instagram account, including screenshots of purported conversations and permits.
“All media reports suggesting our team has not been working with the government of PDC are simply inaccurate and based on misinformation,” he said. “FYRE has operated as a good partner with PDC government and has followed the proper processes and procedures to lawfully host an event.”
Eagle-eyed followers then pointed out that the terms of the permits McFarland had posted limited the event to 250 attendees max, far below his proposed 1,800 guests, and also limited the event of 12 hours of music across the weekend with a noise limit of 100 decibels.
The festival had yet to announce a lineup but McFarland told the Today programme: “We’re going to have artists across electronic, hip hop, pop and rock. However, it’s not just music. We might have a professional skateboarder do a demonstration. We might have an MMA champion teach you techniques in the morning.”
Electronic producer and DJ deadmau5 has responded to the news of the event’s postponement, sharing a screenshot of the announcement on his Instagram account along with the caption: “Well that sucks”.
McFarland served four years of a six-year sentence in prison after being convicted of wire fraud in connection with the failed 2017 festival.
Boris Johnson’s cycling vision stutters as bike journeys fail to rise
Boris Johnson’s vision to “unleash a nation of cyclists” appears to be stuttering with new annual figures showing the number of cycle trips made per person in England remains stagnant despite major work taking place.
The former prime minister pledged thousands of miles of new protected cycle lanes, training for adults and children and bikes on prescriptions as part of a whirlwind announcement for £2bn of funding for cycling and walking in the summer of 2020.
As head of a previous government, Mr Johnson also set an ambitious target for half of journeys in towns and cities to be cycled or walked by 2030.
However, funding for Active Travel England, responsible for managing the active travel budget in support of local authorities on projects, was significantly cut in 2023.
And despite levels of walking rising, according to new figures released by the Department for Transport, the average number of bike journeys per person has remained stagnant since a peak at the height of the Covid pandemic in 2020.
In 2019, people made an average 16 bike trips, including e-bikes, according to the transport survey of 16,000 individuals. That increased to 20 in 2020, but then fell back to pre-pandemic levels with 15 in the years 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Latest data for the year ending June 2024 showed people made an average 15 bike trips, down slightly from 16 in the year ending June 2023.
Meanwhile, the average number of walking trips per person increased from 250 in 2019 to 263 in 2023. Latest data for the year ending June 2024 suggests a further rise with 267 compared to 261 in the year ending June 2023.
The average number of car journeys rose to 364 in the year ending June 2024, from 346 in the year ending June 2023 – however, this was down from 380 in 2019.
The DfT has highlighted that the total number of trips across all modes of transport has fallen since 2019 – however, some in the bicycle industry say more needs to be done to encourage more people to ride.
Sarah McMonagle, director of external affairs at Cycling UK, said councils were not getting enough sustained central government funding to build cycling networks. “That’s why we often see a patchwork of cycle routes rather than a holistic network,” she said.
As well as increased calling for better funding, the charity has recently revealed a gender gap in cycling with it claiming just a third of cycling trips are done by women, and safety a major factor.
“If we’re serious about providing healthier, more sustainable travel options, then we need to invest in safe, accessible cycle networks,” said Ms McMonagle.
The high number of cycling trips made in 2020 reflect people’s lifestyles during Covid, said Kiron Chatterjee, professor of travel behaviour at the University of West of England. Latest figures on cycling could also be impacted by fewer people now commuting due to the introduction of flexible working post-pandemic, he added.
But he said: “It [the data] confirms the picture we have seen since Covid that cycling trips have reverted back to pre-pandemic levels and the progress that has been wished for to assist any rise is not on track at the moment.”
The lack of an increase in bicycle rides is reflected in sales data. In March, the Bicycle Association said sales of bikes in the UK fell 2 per cent last year, compared to 2023.
Simon Irons, data and insights director, said: “The continued decline in kids’ cycling participation and kids’ bike sales is particularly concerning, given these are our cyclists of the future.”
Active Travel England’s commissioner Chris Boardman told MPs on a transport committee in January that the biggest barrier faced was cyclists’ fear for safety, particularly for women.
He said despite success in overseeing more than £500m in investment and training thousands of council officials, the target for walking and riding bikes for 2030 was looking increasingly challenging due to the changes in funding.
He said: “It has made it extremely hard to hit those targets, and there would have to be some significant changes in policy or funding to be able to meet it by 2030.
“We still have a massive pipeline of schemes with local authorities. They still have their network plans. We have just slowed right down on the delivery without the commitment to deliver it—the commitment in consistency and the funding itself.”
A month later, in February, the government announced 300 miles of new walkways and cycle ways would be created with £300m in new funding over the next two years.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Cycling did not decrease between the end of 2023 and June 2024, with cycling distance going up by 9 per cent. Walking trips and walking distance have both gone up significantly from pre-pandemic levels, while car trips are down more than 4 per cent compared to 2019.
“We want to give more people the freedom, opportunity, and choice to cycle, wheel and walk anywhere, and that’s why we’re investing nearly £300m to build up to 300 miles of new cycle tracks and footways.”
An Active Travel England spokesperson said the body would continue its work with local authorities to help them make walking, wheeling and cycling a safe and attractive choice for everyday trips.
They said: “Walking and wheeling, underpins all journeys, particularly for public transport and the increase identified in these statistics is great news and just the start. Many of the schemes we have funded are still being built and we know that safe and high quality infrastructure is used more by all kinds of people.”