Lamb hotpot

Pre-heat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3. Trim any excess fat from the lamb leg steaks with a sharp knife and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Heat half of the oil in a heatproof casserole dish or pan and brown the pieces of lamb leg on both sides – it’s much easier to do this in small batches. Transfer the browned meat to a large plate and set aside.

Add the rest of the oil to the casserole dish or pan and cook the onion, carrots and celery over a gentle heat until the onion is soft and golden brown in colour. Transfer to a dish and set aside.

Put about a third of the potato slices in the base of the casserole dish. Layer up the lamb, onion, carrots, celery, bay leaf, chopped thyme and black pudding chunks, making sure the top is level. Arrange the rest of the potato slices on top, neatly overlapping them.

Add the Worcester sauce to the stock and heat until boiling. Pour in enough to come just below the top of the potato slices.

Brush the potato slices with half the butter and cover the dish. Bake for 2 hours and then increase the heat to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Remove the lid and brush the potato slices with the rest of the butter and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are golden. Garnish with sprigs of thyme before serving.