Ingredients

• 1 (3 kg) whole leg of lamb, on the bone
• 1 garlic, bulb separated into cloves and peeled
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary (optional)
• olive oil
• 1 lemon, juice of
• salt
• black pepper
• English mustard powder

Instructions

1. Wash and trim the lamb of any visible and excess fat, dry and set aside.

2. Cut the garlic into slivers then, with a very sharp knife, make slits into the meat and insert one in each slit, add a fresh sprig of rosemary if using. Continue until all the garlic (and rosemary) is used up and the meat is studded. Brush the surface of the meat with olive oil then squeeze the lemon juice over the top before seasoning with a mixture of salt, freshly-ground black pepper and a teaspoon of English mustard powder.

3. Place the lamb in a roasting tin. Place in an oven pre-heated to 220C/450F/Gas 7 and roast for half an hour. At this point reduce the heat to 160C/320F/Gas 4 and roast the meat for 60 minutes per kilo - a 3 kilo leg will take 3 hours. (A kilo is just over 2 lbs) Simply allow the meat to cook and do not baste.

4. When the lamb is ready, take it out of the oven, cover and allow to rest for at least ten to twenty minutes. When you slice the meat you will see that it is studded with garlic, which enhances the flavour of the meat but in a very subtle way.

5. Serve with gravy, potatoes of your choice and freshly steamed seasonal vegetables.