Ingredients

• 6 lamb shanks
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions
• peeled
• roughly chopped
• 3 carrots
• peeled
• roughly chopped
• ½ swede or turnip
• peeled and cut into small chunks
• 4 cloves garlic
• peeled
• roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• finely chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 250g/9oz pearl barley
• 1½ litres/3 pints chicken stock
• 2-3 tbsp mint jelly
• 3 tbsp roughly chopped fresh flatleaf parsley

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2.
• Season the lamb shanks with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat a large ovenproof casserole until smoking
• add the oil and lamb shanks and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side
• or until golden-brown all over.
• Remove the lamb from the pan and set aside. Add the onions
• carrots
• swede and garlic to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes
• or until golden-brown.
• Add the rosemary
• bay leaves
• thyme and tomato purée to the pan and cook for a further minute
• then stir in the pearl barley. Cover with the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.
• Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid
• then transfer to the oven to cook for at least three hours
• or preferably 5-6 hours
• until the lamb is very tender. (You may need to add a bit more liquid.)
• Remove the pan from the oven and stir in the mint jelly and parsley. Season
• to taste
• with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve.