Salt-marsh lamb
The coastal region around Lancaster and Morecambe Bay is well-known for the locally-reared salt-marsh lamb, which is equally prized in France as agneau près-salé. The Welsh like it too, and it is particularly valued for the fine distinctive flavour it derives from its rich grazing. It is more flavoursome than the meat from beasts reared inland.

It is also good to support local farmers and butchers, whose produce is nearly always tastier and fresher than anything from a supermarket. Buying locally contributes to the local economy, even if this means having some things less often by way of a treat.

There are many recipes for lamb distinctive to this side of the Pennines, notably the traditional Lancashire Hotpot, its variations and derivatives, and I shall be writing on these dishes in due course. I have always enjoyed a tasty piece of lamb in any shape or form, so was pleased to receive a delicious lamb recipe recently from my sister in Shetland, where the sheep also graze on the edges of the sea and in the sheltered sounds and voes. Indeed the sheep is one of the few beasts that can flourish in that often hostile climate.

Summer barbecues or winter warmer
It is a tasty and colourful dish that has a tangy summery taste that will be enjoyed both for summer barbecues (a bit late now, I know!) as well as on the autumn or winter dinner table as the evenings close in.

I have slightly adapted the original to enhance the flavour even further, so here it is. Serves four.

Ingredients
You will need:

1.25lbs (600g) lamb – leg or loin are the best cuts for kebabs; either bone yourself or ask the butcher to do it for you
4 kiwi fruits, riper rather than hard
1 tbsp Oil, preferably olive
3 tbsp lemon or lime juice
3 tbsp Worcester or other barbecue-style sauce (garlic relish goes fine if you like it)
2 large Red or yellow peppers (or three small)
6oz (150g) Large mushrooms
1 tsp Mustard – wholegrain, Dijon or whatever you have
1 tsp Ground cumin
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Method
First make the marinade. Peel and mash up two of the kiwi fruits into a bowl, and add the oil, lime or lemon juice, Worcester or other spicy sauce, mustard and cumin. Season well and mix thoroughly.

Next dice the lamb into 1” (3cm) cubes and put these into the marinade. Leave for at least four hours; it is better if you can prepare the marinade the day before and leave the meat to soak overnight so it absorbs the flavours better. Kiwi fruit, as well as having ten times the vitamin C as lemons, is also rich in enzymes which help tenderise the lamb.

When you are ready to cook, de-seed and cut up the peppers into 1” (3cm) approximate squares. Cut up the mushrooms into similar-sized meaty chunks. Then put the lamb chunks on skewers, one skewer per person, alternating the meat with the pepper pieces and mushrooms. If your skewers are wood, soak them in water beforehand so they do not burn.

Brush the assembled skewers with the marinade and put under a pre-heated hot grill for eight minutes if you like the meat pink, or ten or more if you prefer it well done. Keep basting the skewers with the remnants of the marinade to keep them moist. Be sure to turn the skewers new and then to ensure they are cooked all round and evenly done through.

Whilst they are cooking, peel and cut the remaining kiwi fruits into wedges, and prepare the accompaniments (see below). If you have any marinade left over, do not throw it away; I put some mushrooms in the grill pan to cook lightly, and covered them with the remaining marinade. Or this could also be warmed through gently for a sauce to cover the finished dish.

When the lamb is done to your liking, take off the grill, lay on a serving dish, pour over the pan juices and, finally, use the chunks of kiwi fruit to decorate and garnish the kebabs. Another sprinkling of salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste will not go amiss at this stage, nor will a sprig or two of parsley. Presentation transforms the ordinary (however well cooked) into something really special.

Serve immediately with side dishes, and await the chorus of approval.

To accompany
This dish goes well with a variety of accompaniments such as rice, pasta or a bed of mashed potato. For the ‘five portions’ fans, a green vegetable (eg broccoli) or a light salad would also match. Pitta or similar bread would not go amiss either.

What you have with it is, as so often, up to whatever you fancy, or have in the fridge or pantry.

Bon appetit!

Copyright © 3 October 2003 Michael Nunn