Lamb Shoulder with Verjuice Stuffing, Apples and Carrots

In medieval Lincoln, a dish featuring lamb (or mutton) shoulder and apples would have been a treat. Sheep farming was prevalent in the area. The combination of lamb/ muttons and apples would have been a hearty and flavourful one, fitting for the tables of medieval Lincoln’s wealthy merchants or nobility. The apples might have been sourced from local orchards, adding a sweet contrast to the rich meat.

And it proved to be yummy! Everyone (all ages…) loved it!

Ingredients

A large lamb shoulder - debarked (heavy skin removed), boned, and trimmed of fat (ask the butcher"!)

8 or more tart apples, peeled and cored.

For the Stuffing

Small pieces of spare lamb trimmings

A cup of breadcrumbs from stale bread

1/2 cup of ground almonds

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

4 ground juniper berries

Salt and peper

3 tablespoons of cider vinegar

5 tablespoons verjuice/ verjus (you can buy online, or replace with lemon juice, orange juice, white wine, or wine vinegar - perhaps with a few crushed grapes)

5 leaves of mint

For the carrots

8 carrots, peeled

2 teaspoons grated ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons of runny honey

Instructions

Lay the bones lamb shoulder skin side down. Blitz the stuffing mixture together then lay it into the centre of the lamb.

Roll the lamb and tie it into a ballotine with loops of string.

Heat some oil, dripping or tallow in a metal pan and brown the ballotine on all sides.

Add water to the pan (about 2 inches deep), attach a lid to the pan and heat in the oven for 3 hours at 120⁰C.

Prepare the carrots by boiling them for 20 minutes. Drain them and fry them in tallow. Add the rest of the ingredients and turn the carrots periodically until they glaze. Remove the pan from the oven and add the apples. Cook for a further 30 minutes. Transfer the ballotine to a serving plate and surround it with the apples and carrots.

Separate the fat from the broth left in the pan and reheat it. Use flour to thicken it if required.

Remember - until America was discovered, there were no potatoes. If you feel compelled to have more stodge, a frumenty or pottage would do the trick (which of course you will hear about in time…), but we loved it just as it was.

Enjoy!