FLOWER POT KITCHEN: WOOD FIRED CLAY OVEN ROASTED LAMB

18 Jun 2013

WOOD FIRED CLAY OVEN ROASTED LAMB

FIRST WOOD FIRED CLAY OVEN ROAST

THIS IS THE VERY BEST JUICIEST ROAST LAMB I HAVE EVER COOKED !!!

LOVING MY WOOD FIRED CLAY OVEN

350 degree cooking

INGREDIENTS

2kg leg of lamb

50ml ooil

salt and pepper

10 King Edward potatoes peeled

3 carrots peeled, halved and quarted

2 parsnips peeled, halved and quarted

1/2 swede cut into same size fingers as carrots

100ml honey

I was not feeling fully in control about the first wood fired roast, mainly because I was cooking fathers day dinner for two fathers and the whole family, with un-controlled heat! But I am really pleased to say it was so easy, (after a glass of wine!!). I learnt a huge amount about controlling the temperature of the fire, by adding more kindling and wood to keep it high or to let it burn down, and when it almost went out, I was pleased I was able with a little kindling and some paper balls to bring the fire back to life immediately and the temperature came back up too, so this was a great experience as well as my first proper roasting cooking lesson too.

Place the lamb in your roasting tin and drizzle with the ooil and pop into your approx 350 degree oven. For the first half an hour you leave your lamb exposed to the raw heat to seal and slightly char adding that extra zing of wood fired roast flavour. By now your fire will be about 260 degrees so cover the lamb with foil and let the fire tick over so that the temperature is coming down slowly, place the oven door and chimney lid on your oven to keep the heat around 200 degrees. This size lamb will need 2hrs to cook to a medium done pink. Part boil your potatoes and vegetables and place in roasting tins ready to go in the oven when the lamb comes out to rest.

The lamb will need 30 minutes to rest wrapped in foil, therefore the potatoes and veg will need to go in to roast when you take the lamb out for 30 minutes.

FIRST WOOD FIRED OVEN ROAST POTATOES

These were part boiled King Edward potatoes for 10 minutes, then drained and fluffed up in a colander and sprinkled with seasoned semolina before roasting.

ROASTED VEGETABLES WITH A CARAMELISED HONEY DRIZZLE

Carrots, parsnips and swede part boiled for 7 minutes and then tossed in oil and roasted for 30 minutes, after 20 minutes I added a generous glug of honey which caramelised and made the roasted vegetables really flavoursome.

THE JUICIEST WOOD FIRED BEST ROAST LAMB

Ta Daa.. The finished dinner.

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.