Lamb Guard of Honour with Parsley & Mixed Herb Crust

Greendale lamb comes from our own herd of breeding ewes, which are predominantly traditional breeds such as Suffolk and Blackface. After enjoying spring and summer grazing on the rich pasture at our East Devon farm, our lambs are carefully selected when they reach the correct weight - they travel just eight miles to a local abattoir, the short journey helping to keep stress to a minimum. Hung for a minimum of ten days, the meat becomes even more flavoursome and tender. Our master butchers then prepare it on-site at Greendale Farm Shop, skilfully turning it into plump chops, classic roasts, burgers, meatballs and much, much more.

The Guard of Honour is usually tied with string to keep everything in place, so remember to remove this before beginning carving. When you carve, it is easiest if you treat the two sides as one single piece of meat, cutting down through the ribs on both sides simultaneously.

As a rough guide, to roast a lamb joint allow about 35 minutes’ cooking time per kilo in weight (or about 15 minutes per pound). Place in a preheated oven at a high temperature initially (230°C/gas mark 8), then after about 15 minutes, lower the temperature (to 200°C/gas mark 6) for the remainder of the cooking time.