How to make slow-cooked lamb with pomegranate in 15 minutes

Busy day? Start this savoury slow-cooked dish in the morning and it will happily sit for hours until you get home to dig in

Pomegranate seeds and molasses give a sweet edge to this tasty meal

If you know you are out all day, this is a fab recipe to switch on first thing. It will sit happily for hours, ready for you to shred and pile on to warmed pitta bread with hummus and yoghurt. Pomegranate seeds and pomegranate molasses are a nice addition but not totally necessary, so leave them out if it’s easier. Any leftover cold lamb can be used for salads or sandwiches the next day and it reheats well, too.

Serves 6

Prep: 10 minutes

High 4–5 hour, slow 8–10 hours

1kg half leg of lamb
2 rosemary sprigs
1 garlic bulb
2–3 bushy thyme sprigs
50ml white wine or water
flaked sea salt
ground black pepper
​100g pomegranate seeds, to serve (optional)
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses (optional)
fresh mint leaves
yoghurt
flatbreads or warmed pita bread

Preheat your slow cooker on high. Place the lamb in the slow cooker, and strip the rosemary needles off the stalks and sprinkle them over the top. Separate the cloves from the garlic bulb and add them along with the thyme sprigs. Pour over the wine or water, season well with salt and pepper and cook on high for 4–5 hours or low for 8–10 hours.

Remove the slow cooker lid, transfer the meat to a warmed serving dish and shred the meat with two forks, discarding the thin skin, bone and herb stalks. Pour over the cooking liquor from the slow cooker pot, and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds (if using) and fresh mint leaves.

Serve on warm yoghurt flatbread or warmed pita bread, spread with hummus and topped with yoghurt, mint leaves.

Tip: You can squeeze the softened garlic out of its skin to serve with the lamb, if you like.

Justine Pattison's Slow cooker without the calories, published by Orion Books in Trade Paperback and eBook, priced £14.99/£7.99