Chef - Gareth Johns

Ark of Taste Product - Badger Faced Welsh Mountain Sheep

Producer - Hebsnbadgers

''A small carcase but with a superb sweet flavour so often lacking in the more ‘commercial’ breeds. I would suggest that cooking be kept fairly simple to accentuate the tremendously sweet flavour, so I have steered away from heavy spicing and sauces.” Gareth Johns

Method:

– Chop the bones, and add any vegetable trimmings available. Place in a small roasting tray.

– Season lamb on the inside. Mix the minced lamb, herbs, bread (if using) and seasoning, and form into a sausage shape about the same size as the loin.

– Roll up the loin to enclose the stuffing, and tie to hold shut (or skewer!). Season and place on the bones, with a little water in the bottom, and roast in a hot oven (200°C) for approx 1 – 1 1/2hr, or until a probe reads over 65°C.

– Keep warm whilst you make the gravy.

– Place the tray on the heat, and add a small glass of water, scraping all the residues from the tray. Add the lamb stock, and reduce to a gravy consistency, thickening lightly with a little arrowroot if desired. Strain, season, and keep hot.

Onion Cake

– Cut potatoes into wafer thin slices (knife or mandolin). Rinse and pat dry.

– Brush an 8-inch cake tin or gratin dish thickly with butter, and layer the potatoes and onions into the dish, adding butter and seasoning between each layer.  Begin and end with potatoes.

– Cook for 1 hour (approx) in a 200°C/400°F/gas 6 oven, covering the dish with foil until the last 15 minutes or so when the foil is removed to help browning.

Serve the lamb with the onion cake and vegetables of your choice, with a jug of gravy on the side. Blasus Iawn! (very tasty!).

The leg is done in much the same way, on a ‘trivet’ of bones and veg. and for the same cooking time, but allow 15-20 mins resting time, and finish the gravy with a little chopped FRESH mint- please DO NOT use bottled mint sauce, it’s too strong!

Ingredients - serves 4-6

1 loin of badger faced lamb, breast left on, boned. (keep bones)

The trimmings from the loin and carcase, minced

2 tblsp chopped fresh herbs, to suit (or 1 tblsp dried, if you must!)

A handful of breadcrumbs (optional)

Salt and Pepper,

1 pt, good strong lamb stock.

A little arrowroot, or cornflour.

Teisen Nionod (Onion Cake)

2lb (900g) even sized potatoes, peeled

1lb (450g) Onions, finely sliced

40z (100g) Welsh butter, melted

Salt & freshly milled pepper