In collaboration with Lamb. Tasty, Easy, Fun.
Winter is most definitely here in Shetland. We had a really mild October; an unseasonably warm month with plenty of sunshine. I’m pretty sure there was more sun in October than there was through the whole summer!
All of a sudden, it felt, we were hit by an icy cold blast from the North. The heaters have been cranked up and new slippers have been ordered online – my goodness the floor is cold.
On the up note, the northern lights were spotted again on a recent clear night.
Hearty, warming comfort food is definitely required.
I’ve teamed up with Tasty Easy Lamb to share one of their delicious and hearty slow cooked lamb recipes with you. The secret ingredients for this tender casserole with a gorgeous thick gravy is a good quality ale, a spoonful of Dijon mustard and Speculoos biscuits!
I’ve been reading all about Speculoos (or Speculaas) on my fellow food blogger’s posts for years now, and the first time I ever had the opportunity to try them for myself was on our summer trip this year to Brussels, Belgium. We were at the Chocolate Museum (yes, they have a chocolate museum!) and the attendant dipped a speculoos biscuit into freshly melted milk chocolate for us to taste test.
Utterly delicious! Like ginger snaps, but with more cinnamon.
Speculoos is a type of spiced shortbread biscuit traditionally baked in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany during the winter festivities.
As chance should have it, lurking in the back of my cupboard there was a packet of Speculoos spice mix and a traditional wooden stamp used to decorate them. I spent a rather pleasant afternoon recently making a batch of these biscuits, enlisting the help of my seven year old with the mixing and stirring.
Lamb. Tasty, Easy, Fun is a new EU campaign launched with funding from the EU. It’s main goals are to encourage home cooks, like you and me, to incorporate more lamb into our diets.
A lot of people think lamb is difficult to cook, that it’s expensive, or it’s just for Sunday roasts. It’s not. The aim of this campaign is to move beyond the mint and demonstrate just how tasty, easy and fun lamb is to cook with in everyday life, like with this recipe, and its addition of biscuits!
I can’t even begin to describe how delicious this recipe is!
The lamb in this dish is slow cooker on the hob over an hour and a half so it’s fork-tender. There’s a gorgeous mustard-kick (you won’t like this recipe if you’re not a fan of mustard) and the sweetness of the speculoos biscuits counteracts the acidity of the ale, resulting in a deliciously moreish gravy-laden casserole perfect for spooning over a pile of creamy mashed potatoes. If you can’t find speculoos biscuits I reckon some Norwegian pepperkaker or even ginger nuts would work well.
Leftovers reheat really well too. The lamb doesn’t lose any of its tenderness, and in all honesty, reheating it seems to mellow the mustard flavour too.
Would you believe my fussy children asked for seconds when I served them this meal? We’re onto a winner here!
For more recipe inspiration, helpful hints on which cuts to choose when you’re at the butchers’ counter and to learn about the vital role that sustainable sheep farming plays in the economy by supporting rural communities across England, Ireland and France visit the Lamb. Tasty, Easy, Fun. website. You can also find them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Lamb Casserole with Ale
Ingredients
- 1 kg lamb shoulder cut into 2.5 cm cubes
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 2 large onions chopped
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 200 ml hot lamb stock
- 330 ml dark ale or stout
- 1-2 tbsp dijon mustard (I used one)
- 1 bouquet garni
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 50 grams Speculoos biscuits roughly broken
- sea salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- fresh parsley to garnish
- mashed potatoes to serve
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan, season the lamb and brown over a high heat for 3-4 mins. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan soften the onion for 2-3 mins, over a low heat, stirring occasionally.
- Sprinkle the flour over the onion, stir for 1 minute then add the stock. Stir well to remove any sediment from the bottom of the pan. Return the meat to the pan.
- Add the ale or stout, mustard and bouquet garni. Cover and leave to simmer for 1 hour on a very low heat.
- Stir through the carrots and biscuits. Cover and continue to cook for a further 30 mins. Adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Garnish with the parsley and serve with mashed potatoes
OTHER EASY LAMB RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE
Pistachio & Orange Crusted Lamb #MiniRoast by Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary
Lamb Burning Love by Fab Food 4 All
Mamta Gupta’s Keema Meatball Curry by Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary
Greek Lamb Shepherd’s Pie with Feta Mash by Foodie Quine
Slow Cooked Shetland Lamb Casserole with Creamy Polenta by Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary
Moroccan Spiced Lamb Meatballs by How to Cook Good Food
Pastitsio – Greek Macaroni Pie by Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary
SHARING WITH SOME BLOGGING LINKIES
Recipe of the Week by A Mummy Too
SHOP THIS POST
Sjolmet Stout from the Valhalla Brewery
Essential Cuisine Lamb Stock
Speculaas Spice Mix from The Speculaas Spice Company
Whitbread Mackeson Cast Iron Bottle Opener (charity shop find – check eBay!)
ProWare Kitchen Copper TriPly 24 cm Saute Pan
Emma Bridgewater Market Deli Bowl
Round wooden chopping board (charity shop find)
Treble Clef Cutlery (charity shop find in Norway but link is similar)
Westside Cob from The Quernstone
Premier Potatoes from J.K. Mainlands, Shetland
This is a sponsored recipe post in collaboration with Lamb. Tasty, Easy, Fun. All thoughts and opinions expressed are our own. Thank you for supporting the brands who make it possible for me to do what I love: mess up my kitchen and share recipe stories.
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Have you made this recipe?
Take a photo and tag @tangoraindrop or use the hashtag #elizabethskitchendiary and share on Instagram and Twitter. It would make my day to see your creations!
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Mum of three, daydream adventurer, OU Life Sciences graduate, occasional crafter, ex-pat Canadian & quite possibly Britain's most northerly food blogger.
Mel says
Ale just adds that little “je ne sais quoi” to casserole dishes, doesn’t it? It looks like the perfect winter meal to me!
Rod says
A really good article looking forward to be making the dish
Cecilia Keinapel says
woow this looks so deliciously good! Perfect for this time of year x
Kavey says
People so often default to beef for stews but I ADORE lamb for this kind of meal. And beer works just as well with lamb as it does with beef. I am always extra happy when I spot a good lamb stew on the menu.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
You really can’t beat a warming stew at this time of year! Perfect for a big family gathering.
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
This pretty much looks like my husband’s ideal meal! He loves lamb and this looks like such a comforting meal.
Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours says
I do love a long slowly cooked casserole, so comforting in the winter months, and lamb works so well with long slow cooking. I love the idea of adding the speculoos biscuits, or spice. I’ll be using this idea
emma white says
oh we have just enjoyed a beef casserole and often do beef with ale so I am going to have to give this a try now too.
Evelina says
Can’t imagine a better dish for winter season. Looks divine.
Ana De- Jesus says
OOh this looks heavenly, especially since the weather is so nippy at the moment. Beautiful photography as well!
stephanie says
I love this type of comfort food at this time of year, never made it before though – might have to give it a go this weekend x
MELANIE EDJOURIAN says
I am a mustard fan and I also love tender melt in the mouth lamb so this would be a great dish to try and make at home. My husband would love this too especially as it has ale.
Rachel says
Wow. this looks delicious and perfect for the colder months! xo
Jollies and Jaunts says
I love cooking with beer – stouts and porters go so well with wintery stews!
Leah says
Every single post I read of yours inspires me. I love this sort of meal at this time of year! It’s such a great way to use up meat too – great recipe and of course as always great post x
Anosa says
Apart from a lamb caserole I have had in a pub I have never made any lamb casserole with ale but this looks yummy and so delicious
Rebecca Smith says
Mm, this looks like such a tasty, hearty meal! I love a good casserole at this time of year
Rachel says
Such a perfect pot for weather like this, it is so cold that you need something warming inside x
Chloe Ciliberto says
I love warm hearty foods at this time of year. I never cook with lamb or ale, I’m definitely one of those that thinks it’s difficult and tend to just order it for sunday lunch when I’m out. But this sounds really simple and fun to do. I’m definitely going to experiment a lot more.
Rhian Westbury says
Hearty foods like this are perfect for this time of year and you can not beat lamb in any kind of casserole or stew x
Lyndsey O'Halloran says
I really love a casserole in the winter. I have never made one with lamb but this one looks lovely. I’d like to try it!
Karen says
That looks utterly delicious and perfect for winter. I love cooking with lamb. Might have to give this a try!
Sarah Bailey says
Now that looks like a delicious warm casseroles, for a cold winter evening, I could definitely see me having it for dinner.
Jayne @ Sticky Mud and Belly Laughs says
Oh my days! I am actually watering at the mouth. We love lamb in our home and this is something I would definitely cook for the winter months 🙂 x
clairejustine says
Oh wow, this looks so tasty. I have a beef casserole in the slow cooker for tea, but really want to swap it now for lamb 🙂 Next time I will have to try this ..
Nikki says
This sounds delicious! Lamb is not a meat that I would normally cook with but this recipe has inspired me to try it more. The perfect cosy comfort food! 🙂
Talya says
We are huge lamb fans and this is just the sort of lovely winter warming meal I would love to make at home. Delicious!
Emily says
Wow I’d love to see the northern lights you’re so lucky. This dish looks so hearty, delicious, and perfect for the cold winter evenings. I’ve never heard of those speculoos biscuits before but they sound delicious!
Bintu - Recipes From A Pantry says
This dish looks so comforting and delicious. I love lamb, Welsh lamb especially is a favourite. I could tuck into this now
Sabrina | The Tomato Tart says
This is perfect and great recipe for lamb dish. Looks delicious and meaty, love the spices.
Agata says
My hubby adores lamb, given a choice he could eat it all day, every day! I am sure we will try to recreate your casserole very soon.
Milly Y says
This looks delicious – lamb is one of my favourite meats, and it’s just perfect for a warming winter casserole! So hungry after reading this now!
Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes says
Wow! This looks so hearty and comforting. I cooked some lamb in the slow cooker yesterday and it was so delicious. Perfect for this time of year!
LaaLaa says
This looks like a hearty, warming meal for this time of year and brimming with meat, especially with the fussy eating kids going back for seconds. I’ve never cooked with ale before but y dad does with his meats x