Simple roast lamb with honey and soy

We’re now coming into a very good season for spring lamb – and this is a convenient roast which utilises the last of the winter parsnips.

Make sure you use decent, thick, soy sauce (go here to find out a good one) – the watery stuff will, quite literally, not cut the mustard.

This roast goes well with a floret salad (broccoli, cauliflower etc) bejeweled with jet-black olives and ruby-red sunblush tomatoes.

Recipe for simple roast lamb with honey and soy

Serves 4

Ingredients

• half a leg of lamb (about 1 kg/just over 2 lbs)
• 4 tbsps deep, rich soy sauce
• 2 tbsps honey
• 2 tbsps grainy mustard
• 240ml/1 cup of dry cider
• 2 tbsps sun dried tomato paste
• a few sprigs of rosemary
• 500g/just over a pound/about four fat parsnips
• olive oil
• freshly ground pepper
• salt
• 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly
• 1 tbsp mint sauce

Method

1. Take the lamb out of the fridge and place it in a roasting tin.
2. Mix the honey, the soy, the mustard and two tablespoons of cider in a small bowl. Pour it over the lamb to coat. Tuck the sprigs of rosemary around.
3. Leave out of the fridge for about an hour until it reaches room temperature.
4. When it has reached room temperature, preheat the oven to 210ºC.
5. Top the parsnips, and cut into four lengthways.
6. Place the parsnips in the roasting tin with the lamb. Drizzle over a little olive oil, and sprinkle over a little salt – only a little as there’s loads of salt in the soy, it’s just to help them crisp up.
7. Roast for about fifty minutes, basting every twenty minutes or so and turning the parsnips. If it starts to look dry add a little cider; the parsnips might also need a bit more oil.
8. After about fifty minutes, check that the lamb is done, take out and put on a carving board. Cover with foil and leave to rest. Put the parsnips on a warmed plate and keep warm.
9. Move the roasting tin to the hob. Add the rest of the cider, the sundried tomato paste, the redcurrant jelly, the mint sauce, and a few grinds of pepper. Boil and reduce.
10. Serve the gravy with the lamb and the parsnips.

Music to listen to as you cook

Below you can listen to Robyn singing Honey: