How to cook 7 Days-Aged Whole Leg of Lamb

Method - Roast

1. Remember, after removing your joint from the packaging, pat dry and bring to room temperature.
2. Preheat your oven to 210°C for fan assisted or 230°C for ovens without a fan (gas mark 8).
3. Choose a large, heavy-based roasting tray, ideally with deep sides and handles for easy movement.
4. Season with good quality fine sea salt just prior to cooking. Make a trivet by roughly chopping equal amounts of onion, carrot and celery (or our preferred choice of celeriac, the root of the celery) plus a bay leaf, sprig of rosemary and a few black peppercorns.
5. Place the joint fat side up onto the trivet which should line the base of the tray.
6. Place in the centre of the oven and roast for 25 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 160°C or 180°C without a fan (gas mark 4). Continue roasting for 15 minutes per 500g reaching a core temperature of 58°C.
7. Remove from the oven, put onto a clean tray and keep warm by covering with a sheet of foil. Rest for a minimum of 20 minutes before carving, leaving the roasted vegetables in the tray for the gravy.
8. For the gravy, make up 500ml of chicken or lamb stock, then deglaze roasting tray with the stock stirring in all the caramelised juices from the tray. Next, pass through a fine sieve pushing all the juices from the vegetables into a clean saucepan. Bring to a simmer and thicken if required by whisking in a teaspoon of cornflour mixed with a little cold water and reduce till you reach a rich, glossy gravy.

Alternatively - Pot Roast

1. Remove your joint from the packaging and bring to room temperature.
2. Preheat your oven to 210°C for fan assisted or 230°C for ovens without a fan (gas mark 8).
3. Choose a large, flame proof casserole dish with deep sides and tight fitting lid.
4. Season with good quality fine sea salt just prior to cooking.
5. Make a trivet by roughly chopping equal amounts of onion, carrot and celery (or our preferred choice of celeriac, the root of the celery) plus a bay leaf, sprig of thyme and a few black peppercorns.
6. Place the joint fat side up onto the trivet, which should line the base of the dish, place in the centre of the oven and roast for 20 minutes until nicely browned.
7. Next add 250ml white wine and 250ml of chicken stock or water to the dish and cover with a tight fitting lid or tin foil and cook for 4 to 5 hours on 140°C for fan assisted or 160°C for ovens without a fan (gas mark 3), the meat is ready when it is tender, it should pull away easily when pierced with a skewer.
8. Remove from the oven and put onto a clean tray and keep warm by covering with a sheet of tin foil whilst finishing the gravy.
9. As the roasting juices through a fine strainer into a clean saucepan and bring to a simmer, skim away any fat that rises to the surface and thicken with a little corn flour mixed with cold water.
10. Pour the finished gravy over the joint and serve.