Triple roast of spring lamb

Serves about 8

Serving three cuts of meat lets guests appreciate the flavours from different parts of the animal (Jason Lowe)

If you are thinking of doing a spring lamb roast, why not serve three different cuts so your guests can appreciate the flavours from different parts of the animal?

1 shoulder of spring lamb
1 eight-bone best end of spring lamb
1 leg of spring lamb, boned and tied
A little vegetable oil for frying
4 heads of new season garlic
A handful of rosemary
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 160C/gas mark 3. Season the shoulder of lamb, heat a heavy frying pan with a little vegetable oil and brown the lamb on all sides on a high heat, then place in a roasting tray. Do the same with the leg and best end of lamb but put to one side. Halve the heads of garlic and place in the roasting tray, then scatter the rosemary over. Slow roast the shoulder for 2 hours (removing the garlic after 45 minutes), basting every so often; then remove from the oven, cover with foil and keep warm.

Turn the oven up for about 10 minutes until it reaches 200C/gas mark 6. Place the leg of lamb in the same roasting tray and cook for 30 minutes, basting every so often. Then place the best end in the tray with the fat down and cook for another 15-20 minutes, keeping the leg and best end nice and pink.

It's difficult to put an exact time on the best end and leg, as your spring lamb is going to vary in size somewhat, but the idea is really to keep them just pink.

Serve the three joints either carved and on a serving dish with the garlic, or if you have a large wooden carving board you could place the joints on the board and let your guests carve for themselves.