Now that the days are getting longer and thankfully brighter, it’s a time of change. Those of us who are organised enough, might begin to resurrect summer wardrobes; we might bring fresh life to our gardens with new plants and flowers, and those of us passionate about great food might be looking for fresh inspiration with our food.
Easter is usually the time that we welcome lighter meals and seasonal favourites like fresh Spring Lamb.
Regular visitors to our blog know that we have lots of delicious Lamb recipes to choose from – and if you click here you will find a selection of our favourites – many of them so perfect for Springtime dining and entertaining.
Shoulder of Spring Lamb, a lesser known, but truly wonderful alternative to Leg of Lamb
There are so many ways to enjoy this seasonal treat. While traditionalists will already have a succulent Leg of Lamb on their Easter Shopping List, a lesser known, but truly wonderful alternative to this is Shoulder of Lamb. Cooked long and slow, it results in the most tender and juicy meat, perfect for a really special Easter get together.
Rack of Lamb, an Easter Classic, perfect to impress dinner party guests, yet so simple to prepare and serve
An Easter Classic and perfect for creating an impressive dinner party main course for friends and family is Rack of Lamb. Might look challenging to prepare, but we promise that a good butcher will do the hard work to make you look good! Chat to your local butcher who will prepare this beautiful piece of meat for you. All you have to do is sprinkle on some rosemary, salt and black pepper and pop into the oven.
Butterfly Leg of Lamb, one of our favourite ways to cook Lamb – either in the oven, or on the barbeque
Some people give their Barbeque its first outing of the year at Easter – and again, Spring Lamb is perfect meat for an Easter BBQ. Click here for one of our favourite Butterfly Leg of Lamb recipes which includes a delicious Tomato and Cucumber Salad. Our recipe gives instructions for cooking the lamb in the oven, but if you are firing up your barbeque, our friends in Bordbia recommend placing the lamb on a hot barbecue and cooking for 20/25 minutes approx. on each side over a medium heat.
Freerange Turkey Crown, perfect for Easter lunch or dinner, ready to pop into the oven
A firm favourite in our home on Easter Sunday is a succulent fresh Turkey Breast Roast. To spend more time with your family and friends, rather than in the kitchen, especially if the weather is nice – we suggest asking your butcher to roll and tie the meat, so it’s ready to pop into the oven. This way it’s much quicker to cook and even easier to carve.
With all of these very special meats, which are perfect for Spring or Easter roasts when you are entertaining friends and family, whether you are going with lamb, chicken or ham, here is a handy Roasting Guide that we have put together that might be of use.
The final piece of advice for entertaining or preparing a special meal for friends and family this Easter, is something you will have heard from us before. Keep things simple. For vegetables go with some seasonal favourites, like courgettes, asparagus, carrots, perhaps roasting in the oven towards the end of cooking time for the meat. Like everything we love at James Whelan Butchers – so simple, yet so full of flavour and goodness.
Happy Easter Everyone!
Tags: Butterfly Lamb, Easter in Ireland, Easter Recipes, Heritage Cure Ham, Shoulder of Lamb, Spring Lamb
