• 1 x 2-2.5 kg leg of lamb
• 2 tbspn butter
• 3 tbspn gin or brandy (I use gin)
• 150 mls red wine
• 150 mls lamb or chicken stock
• 40 cloves of garlic (this is not a typo: forty cloves, over 3 quorms or heads of garlic!)
• 4 sprigs thyme

Preheat (hah!) oven to 120?C. Boil a huge pot of water and plunge lamb into it. When water re-boils, leave to simmer for 15 minutes then drain and pat dry.

Melt butter in a heavy pot or dutch oven with a lid that will easily contain the lamb. Brown lamb on all sides, and then add gin or brandy and flambe. When flames have died down, add wine, stock, garlic and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and cover tightly with lid. Put in pre-heated oven for 7 hours, turning twice (once every 2hrs20mins?).

Remove lamb very carefully (it is now very tender, falling off the bone) and keep warm, then puree remaining contents of the baking dish and return to the pan over medium to high heat. Reduce to sauce consistency (garlic will help thicken), and serve in a gravy boat to be poured over lamb. I served this with a salad and crusty bread, but the recipe recommends a mashed potato accompaniment, which would be pretty fabulous too.

Bon apetit.