Braised Herby Lamb with Root Vegetables
Vegetable oil
Lamb shanks
Pearl barley
Rosemary
Thyme
Mint jelly
Any root vegetables—potatoes, swede, parsnips, onions, leeks—chopped in to big chunks. Whole shallots are good too Water
Seasoning
Cover the bottom of a big ovenproof dish with a good layer of vegetables and the pearl barley. Add a dollop of mint jelly and stir round.
Fry the lamb shanks in the oil for five minutes or so until they’re golden on all sides. Put them on the layer of vegetables. Add the water, seasoning and herbs. Cover with a right fitting lid or tin foil. Put in a low to moderate oven for around two hours.
Tilly’s Poached Pears in Cider
4 pears such as Comice
1/2-3/4pint of good strong cider or perry
2 big tablespoonfuls of soft brown sugar—depending on how dry the cider is add a dash of orange juice
A cinnamon stick, cloves, and a scraping of nutmeg
Stir the sugar, orange juice and cider together in a big pan and simmer gently for a few minutes.
Peel the pears. You can leave them whole with their stalks on, which looks pretty, but they are less messy to eat if you slice them in half and take the pips out. Put in an oven proof dish.
Put the cinnamon stick and cloves in a bit of muslin in the dish, add the scrape of nutmeg. Pour the cider mixture over the top and put in a moderate oven for 45 minutes or so, until the pears have absorbed a lot of the mixture.
Serve hot or cold. For extra indulgence, whip up a dash of Calvados into some thick cream to top.
Acknowledgements
There is, sadly, no such place as High Hartsone Edge, which exists only in my imagination. But if you go to the top of England where the high Pennine Dales of Durham, Northumberland and North Yorkshire soar up and meet the fells of Cumbria, you will find places very much like it. To find out more try the centres at Killhope (www. killhope.org.uk), Reeth (www.swaledalemuseum.org) and Nenthead (www.npht.com/nentheadmines), all of which helped me in the background.
Many thanks to all those who let me pick their brains during the writing of this. Special thanks to my agent Laura Longrigg—always so encouraging—and to the enthusiastic team at Avon—Maxine Hitchcock, Keshini Naidoo and Sammia Rafique.
And to all the brilliant food producers of the north, whose products have sustained and inspired me and added immensely to the pleasure of life.
About the Author
Born and brought up in Wales, writing is all Sharon has ever wanted to do. After grammar school, she read English at the University of Bristol, then worked for the BBC and later for ITV. Among other journalism Sharon now writes five newspaper columns a week. To find out more about Sharon visit www.sharon-griffiths.com
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By the same author:
The Accidental Time Traveller
Copyright
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
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A Paperback Original 2009
Copyright © Sharon Griffiths 2009
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EPub Edition © AUGUST 2009 ISBN: 978-0-007-33462-9
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