Sabrina Ghayour reveals her favourite Yorkshire local produce and the satisfaction of growing your own vegetables and shares her recipe for Butterflied leg of lamb with pomegranate salsa.
Dividing my time and commute between London and Yorkshire since January hasn't been easy but it has been so rewarding. After the big chill and a blanket of brilliant white snow came the first glimpse of snowdrops which were rapidly joined by hyacinths, daffodils and then tulips.
Having never had a garden in my life, it has been exciting watching my beautiful Yorkshire garden evolve alongside the farms and fields in the local area.
What has really struck me about life in Yorkshire is how wonderful the local produce is and how diverse the offerings are. I have fallen head over heels in love with Haxby Bakehouse (a former Yorkshire Life Food and Drink Award winner) and their wonderful baked goods, my local butcher Hartley's in Tholthorpe for fantastic meat, Staal Smokehouse's smoked mackerel, salmon and chicken are house staples as are continental delights such as fiery Calabrian Nduja pork cheek and chilli spreadable salami made right here in Yorkshire by Lishman's
If that wasn't enough, just a few miles down the road from home is Shepherd's Purse making a fantastic Yorkshire Fettle, a brilliant local alternative to my beloved feta cheese and of course Yorkshire Dama the 'squeaky cheese' company that would comfortably thwart supermarket halloumi, hands down.
In my own garden I discovered a rather generous wild garlic patch along with a tiny, but yet very important single rhubarb plant and whilst the former has given me much culinary joy, the first real local produce that came into season for me was asparagus and it has been nothing short of - sensational.
Butterflied leg of lamb with pomegranate salsa
Serves 4–6
Ingredients
1kg butterflied leg of lamb
2 tablespoons natural yogurt
2 fat garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato paste
1 heaped tablespoon finely chopped thyme
2 tablespoons lightly crushed coriander seeds
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for
cooking
Maldon sea salt flakes and freshly ground
black pepper
For the pomegranate salsa
200g pomegranate seeds
cucumber, finely diced (to the same size as the pomegranate seeds)
1 small red onion, very finely diced
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
8 large mint leaves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
1 tablespoon olive oil
Method
Remove the lamb from the refrigerator 20 minutes before you intend to marinate it and ensure it is splayed open and as flat as possible, so that the meat cooks evenly. If there are any sides with much thicker meat, use a small knife to make incisions to open them up and flatten these sides as evenly as possible.
Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl to make a marinade, seasoning generously with salt and pepper. Rub the marinade all over the butterflied lamb leg and really work it in. Cover with clingfilm and marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator, if preferred.
Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan), Gas Mark 7. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Drizzle a little olive oil into a large frying pan set over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, place the marinated lamb in the pan with the skin side facing down. Seal the lamb on all sides until nice and brown, without letting it blacken or burn. It should have a nice crust in about 10 minutes. Transfer the lamb to the prepared baking tray and roast for 15–20 minutes, depending on how you like your meat cooked. I like it very pink and juicy but if you prefer medium or well done, leave it in for a further 5–10 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine all the ingredients for the salsa in a bowl, stir well and set aside. Leave the lamb to rest, covered with kitchen foil, for 10 minutes before carving. Serve with the salsa.
