Anchovies are one of my favourite things. I love them on pizza, I love them in the leek, anchovy and goats cheese tart (I will post that recipe at some point), I love them in pasta and I eat them straight out the jar. So when I saw this recipe in Roast Chicken and Other Stories by Simon Hopkinson and Lindsey Bareham, I knew I was going to try it and this is how I roast lamb now and I’m now at the stage where I don’t refer to the recipe.

For those of you who hate anchovies, fear not, this isn’t overwhelmingly fishy. The anchovies dissolve and add a salty, savoury note. The lamb makes it’s own winey, lemony gravy and is just out of this world.

A leg of lamb is a big (and if you’re buying locally sourced, ethically reared lamb*, in fact even if you’re not) and expensive slab of meat and I would love to tell you that you can use the leftovers elsewhere. However, I’ve never, never had any leftovers even when I’ve served this to anchovy haters…the Easter before last, 2 legs of lamb, 6 people, no leftovers!

The only adaption I’ve made to this recipe is that I often use a 1.2kg leg of lamb and I rarely garnish with watercress. Therefore, I can’t in all good conscience, post it here. I know not many people read this blog but copyright is still copyright. Roast Chicken and Other Stories is still in print and it’s a beautiful book, Simon Hopkinson writes beautifully and the book is divided into sections on food, in each, he writes about the food and gives you a couple of recipes. It’s more like a story book, no pictures and fantastic bedtime and/or stuck in a food rut reading.

Go check it out or send me an email and I’ll send it to you, that comes under sharing with friends I reckon..

*this one cost about £35!