Roast lamb

Main course: serves six. Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

1 x 1.8-2kg leg of lamb
1 head of garlic, broken into cloves
1 heaped tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
25g breadcrumbs
1 tsp olive oil
sea salt, black pepper

Heat the oven to 220C fan oven/230C or 450F electric oven/Gas 8. Season the lamb all over and lay it on a bed of unpeeled garlic cloves, underside up. Roast for 14 minutes per pound (450g) to leave it medium-rare, turning it halfway through cooking.

Toss the parsley, garlic and breadcrumbs in a bowl with the olive oil. About eight minutes before the end, coat the top and sides of the lamb with the persillade, and return to the oven to colour. If you plan to make gravy, transfer the roast to another baking dish first. Cover the joint with foil and leave it to rest for 20 minutes before carving.