Slow-Roasted Leg of Lamb with Bay Leaves, Juniper and Thyme

Slow-cooking joints of meat is truly one of life's great pleasures and whilst I encourage it year round, there's something quite special and rewarding about slowly roasting lamb in the winter months.

This recipe is not my own, for once, as it comes from the great Michelin-starred pub chef Tom Kerridge. I saw him make this on TV a couple of years ago and have wanted to give it a go ever since. The big attractions to this recipe, tender lamb aside, are the inclusion of juniper berries (the key ingredient in gin!) and the way you wrap the meat in greenery as it cooks - camouflage lamb! Yes, the recipe does take a little patience, but believe me the result is 100% worth it.

Slow-Roasted Leg of Lamb with Bay Leaves, Juniper and Thyme
Serves 6

2 tbsp flaky sea salt 
2 tbsp juniper berries 
1 whole leg of lamb on the bone, about 1.5-2kg 
2 tbsp olive oil, plus a little more for frying 
1 bunch of thyme, 2 tbsp of leaves picked from the stems, the remaining stems reserved 
zest of 1 lemon 
2 generous branches fresh bay leaves, or lots of rosemary sprigs if you haven’t got any bay leaves 
1 head of celery, trimmed, tough strings removed, roughly chopped 
375ml white wine 
500ml lamb, chicken or beef stock 
25g butter

Warm the flaky sea salt and juniper in a dry frying pan over a high heat for 4-5 minutes until the salt starts to discolour and the room smells of juniper. Remove from the heat, tip onto a plate and leave to cool. Crush together using a pestle and mortar. 

Place the leg of lamb on a chopping board and make cuts about 1cm deep into the flesh with a sharp knife. You want to do this about 8-10 times on each side of the leg. Rub in the salt and juniper, massaging it right into the cuts. Rub over the olive oil then massage in the thyme leaves and lemon zest. Wrap the leg of lamb tightly in cling film and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 8 hours, but 24 hours would be better. 

When you’re ready to cook the lamb, place one of the branches of bay leaves on a chopping board. Unwrap the lamb, place it on the bay leaves and then put the second branch on top. The branches should have enough leaves on them so that the lamb looks like a camouflaged tank. Tie the lamb with butcher’s twine or kitchen string to secure the bay leaves. Preheat the oven to 150C/ 300F/Gas 2. 

Stick a large roasting tin on the hob and warm over a medium heat. Pour in a little oil and add the celery. Sweat gently, stirring from time to time, until it starts to soften. Add the thyme sprigs and stir. Sit a roasting rack in the tin on top of the celery, place the leg of lamb on top and pour in the white wine and stock. Bring to the boil and cover tightly with tin foil. Put the roasting tin in the oven and braise the lamb for 41⁄2 hours until it’s tender and flakes easily from the bone. 

Remove the tin from the oven and leave to rest in the tin with the foil on for 30 minutes, then gently remove the lamb and place it on a chopping board. Put the roasting tin back on the hob and boil the cooking liquor over a high heat until it is reduced by half to create lovely, fragrant lamb gravy. Add the butter towards the end of the cooking. Pass through a fine sieve, pushing as much as possible through, and keep to one side.

Remove the string and the bay leaves from the joint. Blowtorch the lamb to give it a lovely, deep brown colour. Brush over a little of the gravy to glaze and serve with the gravy in a warmed jug on the side.