- Olive oil
- 100g smoked streaky bacon
- 400g diced lamb shoulder
- 2 white onions
- 2 carrots
- 3 bay leaves
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- 50g pearl barley
- 600ml beef stock
- 2 rooster potatoes
- 250g self raising flour
- 125g beef suet
- Salt and pepper
- 200 ml water
- Chives
Method
1. Pre heat oven to 160c. Heat some olive oil in a heavy based frying pan. Cut the bacon into small strips and brown in pan before sealing of the diced lamb in batches in the pork fat that it has released. Lift out and sit sealed meat to the side
2. While it is sealing chop the onions and peel then chop the carrots into nice uniformed chunks. Add them in to the pan and brown along with the herbs.
3. Now return the meat to the pan, stir in the pearl barley and pour over the stock then slowly bring to a simmer.
4. Peel and chop potatoes and place them carefully in the stew. Cover with greaseproof paper and tin foil, put a lid on it and put it in the oven for about 1 hour then remove carefully.
5. Mix the self raising flour, suet, salt and pepper together with the water until a dough is formed. Finely chop some thyme leaves, rosemary leaves and chives then mix that in to the dough also. Divide up into 12 even sized balls then drop in the stew and put back in the oven for 30 minutes or until potatoes and lamb are tender and the herb dumplings are crispy on top and soft underneath, season with salt and pepper then serve.
