Now’s the best time of year for lamb. Lovely, lovely lamb, so tender and juicy – and pricy.

Last week, I picked up two lamb shanks for about €11.00 and made this recipe from BBC Food. It tastes as good as it looks, with the meat falling off the bone.

I’m always loathe to throw out any meat bones, so I made a stock from the leftovers. Any lamb bones will do.

This recipe is somewhere between a soup and a stew – you could bulk it out by adding potatoes to the pot.

Ingredients

• For the stock: Lamb bones, 1 carrot, 1 stick of celery, and 1 onion
• 100g pearl barley
• 1 leek, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 stick of celery, chopped
• Finely chopped parsley
• 1 chicken or lamb stock cube
• Salt and pepper
• A knob of butter

Method

For the stock:

• Cover the lamb bones with water in a large pot, along with a stick of celery, a carrot, and a peeled onion chopped in two.
• Bring to the boil with the lid partially on, immediately reduce to a simmer, and cook on a low heat for 2-3 hours.
• For a pure stock, discard the bones and vegetables by sieving the mixture; it will keep in the freezer for two months. If you’re making the soup, you may wish to keep some of the meat from the bones.

For the soup:

• Sweat the leek and onion in butter for three minutes. Add the garlic, celery and carrots and sweat for a further five minutes, with the lid on, stirring occasionally.
• Add the prepared lamb stock, the stock cube, and the pearl barley, topping up with water if necessary.
• Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 25 minutes.
• Sprinkle with parsley and serve with brown bread

Related posts:

1. Summertime lamb soup
2. Leftover Lamb for an Irish Stew
3. Recipe: Carrot and Orange Soup