Slow-cooked lamb shoulder with rosemary and heather honey

Method

Pat the lamb shoulder dry and season generously with sea salt and black pepper. Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed casserole over medium-high heat and sear the lamb on all sides until deeply golden, approximately 8-10 minutes total; remove and set aside. In the same pot, gently soften the shallots and garlic without colouring, then deglaze with red wine, scraping any fond from the base. Return the lamb to the pot and add the stock, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf, ensuring the liquid comes halfway up the meat; bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and transfer to a preheated 160°C oven for 3 hours. After 2 hours, add the carrot and celeriac batons around the lamb. Remove from the oven, lift out the lamb onto a warm plate, and strain the cooking liquid through fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan, discarding herbs and aromatics but retaining the vegetables. Whisk the heather honey and Dijon mustard into the cooking liquid, bring to a simmer, and reduce by one-third until lightly syrupy, approximately 8-10 minutes. Mount the sauce with cold butter for sheen and refinement. Present the lamb shoulder on a warm serving plate with the roasted vegetables arranged elegantly alongside, and spoon the honey-rosemary jus around the plate.