Ingredients:

2 lamb neck fillets, cut into approx 4cm chunks

2 tbsp oil (I used the oil from the artichokes)

2 medium onions, peeled and chopped

2 sticks of celery, trimmed, de-stringed and sliced on the diagonal

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 tbsp tomato purée

1 heaped tbsp plain flour

A large glass of white wine

About 600ml chicken stock

Bouquet garni of parsley stalks, thyme, bay leaf and rosemary, tied in a bundle

12 baby new potatoes, peeled or not, your choice

1 small jar of chargrilled artichokes, drained, oil reserved

12 asparagus spears, cut in 3cm slices on an angle

A double handful of peas, fresh or frozen

A double handful of podded broad beans, preferably small ones

1 heaped tbsp chopped parsley

2 heaped tbsp chopped mint

1 tbsp chopped lemon balm (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a deep frying pan, one with a lid, or a casserole. Brown the lamb all over. Remove to a plate. Now cook the onions and celery, sprinkled with a little salt, until soft and golden. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two more. Put the meat back in the pan with any juices. Scrape a hole, squeeze in the tomato puree and cook it off for a minute to banish any harshaness.

Stir in the flour, cook it off for a minute more then pour in the wine and let it sizzle up, stirring. Add the stock – enough to just cover the lamb  – and bouquet garni and season with a little salt and and a good grind of pepper. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat and cook at a gentle simmer for about an hour or until the meat is tender. Check the liquid levels after about 40 minutes and top up if necessary.

You can cook it ahead to this point if that suits your timings better – if you’re doing it a day ahead cool before refrigerating then bring it back to heat on the hob before proceeding with the recipe. 

Add the new potatoes, put the lid back on and simmer for about 20 minutes or until tender, then mix in the asparagus, artichokes, peas and beans and cook for another five minutes with the lid off. Check they’re done, check the seasoning, stir through the chopped herbs and serve.

NOTE: the finished dish will be slightly more liquid than the one in the photo – I saved some for a daylight pic as we eat late and we’d slurped a lot of the sauce!