HAPPY EASTER! MUTTON BAKED in HAY

For this year's Easter Sunday Feast I've decided to bake some mutton in hay.  I'm writing this post in "real time", having just returned from gathering some ransoms (wild garlic) from my secret place beside a babbling brook.  It's a gorgeous afternoon and I also tramped down to a hidden piece of water and sat on a log for a few minutes watching wild-fowl: swan, mallard, coot, moorhen, heron plus some unidentified (by me) wading birds.

The ransoms are smothering the vegetation on either side of the little stream, still young with leaves no more than about five inches and no sign of any flowers yet.  I scrabbled and slipped in the leaf mold on the banks of the stream, enjoying the dappled sun-light filtering through the bare hazel branches above.  Delighted to find a flowering primrose peaking through and a sweet patch of violets.

After filling my trug I returned home along a country lane which passes this delightful little church at Pipe Aston with its very special, early tympanum over the door.  I then travelled on in the hope of find the Jersey girls out at grass enjoying the afternoon sunshine.  They're some of the organic herd which supplies milk and cream for The Dairyhouse's delicious, organic yoghurts I serve at breakfast.  Anyway, there they were, chewing cuds and giving me curious looks as a sneaked some photographs of them.  However I'm such a rubbish photographer and the results are way too poor to publish here!  So I'll just have to catch them another day.

Stopping on Burrington Bridge afforded me a lovely view of the meadering river Teme plus a few ewes with lambs at foot.  Well, it is Easter and I am preparing to eat one of their relatives!  Goodness!  From this photograph you can't even see any but I can assure you they are there,,,, some where!

Now, on with the mutton story........

I've been out the garden and gathered some woody herbs: sage, thyme, rosemary, marjoram and bay.  Henry's brought in some sweet meadow hay from the centre of a fresh bale.  Jasper and Ayesha not too impressed at our commandeering their winter forage, but hey ho!

Here are all the ingredients laid out ready to go............

Note the Easter eggs with hen-cup, just to set the scene!

A rough chop of the ransoms then bash it altogether with some softening, local farmhouse butter, Welsh sea-salt and black pepper before slathering it all over the mutton.

Below is the mutton nesting on the hay before being covered with more hay, having some Herefordshire cider poured around it, getting covered with foil, a tin lid and going in the AGA for "as long as it takes".  Long and slow I think...........

Shall catch up with this blog later.  In the meantime I've a date with an Easter cake and a nice cup of tea!

Mutton baked in hay with wild garlic, part two!

I gave the guests a plate of oat biscuits topped with beetroot and chicken liver pate which I'd made yesterday.  I love beetroot and had pureed some with coriander and seasonings then added it to a basic chicken liver and garlic mixture before blitzing the lot together.  Ate some yesterday but by tonight the flavours had really developed well.  Will certainly be doing that again!

Decided to whizz up a quick soup from the some water-mint,  lemony French sorrel, Welsh onions and chives Henry had brought up from the garden this afternoon.  What a combo!  Threw in a pack of frozen peas, simmered then blended.........through the mouli.  Shan't be doing that again in a hurry.  Now I know why someone had donated the thing to a charity shop.  Next time, get out the Magimix and never mind the washing up!  Took a huge pot-ful through and served it with a basket of freshly made soda-bread - they all had seconds and some thirds!

After languishing in the Aga on a long slow cook the mutton beast was removed, unwrapped from its nest of hay and placed on a platter to rest.  I strained off the juices (which have a wonderful, grassy smell!) through the hay, threw in some chopped ransoms with a slug of cream and gave it good bubbling for a few minutes while Henry carved the meat in the dining room.  Fluffy roast potatoes, steamed purple sprouting and braised celeriac, carrot, parsnip with fennel fronds brought up the rear.  The mutton was SO sweet and meltingly tender and plates were licked!

With a pudding of apple and pear crumble and some meringues with lashings of cream followed by a round of The Ludlow Food Centre's "Cheese with no Name" with more homemade oat biscuits I think the only non-UK ingredient used was black pepper.  Absolutely everything else was either sourced/grown by us at Lower Buckton or was grown/produced within a ten mile radius of where we live.  True local, seasonal food with love.