Glazed roast saddle of lamb with barley & plum stuffing

Stuffing can make or break the success of a roast, but follow this recipe to the letter and you'll have a winning dish

Preparation: 55 mins
Cooking: 100 mins
Serves: 4

What you need:

1 x 1.3kg/3lb lean boned saddle of lamb, trimmed
Salt and freshly milled black pepper
30ml/2tbsp olive oil
30ml/2tbsp plum or damson conserve, softened with a little boiling water

For the barley & plum stuffing:

15g/½oz melted butter
50g/2oz pearl barley, cooked
30ml/2tbsp freshly chopped mint
100g/4oz fresh plums or damsons, stoned and finely chopped
Grated zest of 1 orange

For the gravy:

25g/1oz plain flour
600ml/1pint good, hot lamb stock
150ml/¼pint dry cider

What you do:

Preheat the oven to Gas mark 4-5, 180-190°C, 350-375°F.
To prepare the stuffing; mix all the stuffing ingredients together, season and set aside.
Place the saddle of lamb on a chopping board, skin side down, season on both sides. Spread the stuffing over the surface of the saddle, roll up and secure with butcher’s string or elasticated meat bands to secure.
Transfer the joint to a metal rack in a non-stick roasting tin and drizzle with the olive oil. 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time remove the joint from the oven, brush with the plum or damson glaze and return to the oven for the remainder of the cooking time.
Remove the joint from the oven, loosely cover with foil and leave to rest for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, make the gravy; spoon off any excess fat from the roasting tin and discard. Place the tin over a medium heat and sprinkle with the flour. Stir well with a small whisk or spoon, add a little cider and stir again, scraping the base of the pan to release any rich lamb sediment.

Quality Standard lamb

Quality Standard lamb is produced to higher standards than required by law with a supply chain which is fully assured and independently inspected at every stage from farm to meat counter. For more recipes visit the recipe club.