We source our chicken from one farm in Leicestershire. The farm is Pasture for Life certified and rears truly free range, outdoor birds.
Darren's Elderflower & Whey Washed Lamb Legs Recipe is quickly becoming a favourite of ours here at The Ethical Butcher.
Back in late May, we ran a BBQ competition, alongside a few other exciting giveaways, to celebrate BBQ week. We had some great entries but Darren's really stood out to us.
Darren has worked with some of the top chefs including Michael Caines and Marco Pierre White. He has also run his own private chef business where he honed his own food style with influences from Scandinavian food culture, the wild ingredients he forages for, British food history and the art of cooking over fire.
Originally from Devon, Darren has worked throughout the South West, learning butcher, fermentation, sourdough baking, curing and preserving. What we love most about Darren's style is the importance he gives to food that feels like it's come directly from the land. He is always keen to know where his ingredients are produced and get a sense of the terroir of the meat he cooks with. He is a man after our own hearts.
Darren kindly gave us his Lamb Leg Recipe to put up here so that you can all give it a try and come back to it when you need it again (we know you will!)
Ingredients
For the brine:
8 large sprays of elderflower, picked on a sunny day1 litre of whey
1 tsp peppercorns
1 tsp coriander seeds
50g sea salt
For the lamb:
2 lamb legs, butterflied & shank removed
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp carraway
1 tsp sumac
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
Zest of 1 lemon
The Method
- First, make the spice mix to season the lamb. Toast the spices then grind to a powder. Sprinkle over the butterflied lamb legs then season with salt and add the lemon zest.
- Roll the lamb up and tie with butcher's string securely. Leave to marinade for at least 1 hour.
- While marinading, make a start on the brine. Warm half the whey along with salt to dissolve. Add the spices and the remaining whey. Once the brine is at room temperature, add the elderflowers and leave to steep for an hour or so.
- To cook the lamb, build a fire about 30cm away from where you'll be hanging the lamb. Once the fire is white-hot and you have a good bed of coals, restock the fire and cook the lamb indirectly for an hour or so on each side, washing with the brine every 30 minutes, until the internal temperature is 55-degrees.
- Take the lamb off the fire and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
- Untie, slice, serve and enjoy!
Shop The Ethical Butcher's Lamb Legs here