Roast lamb with Apricot Stuffing

What better in spring than a roast lamb dish? The Village Kitchen offers this mouth-watering recipe fpor you to try

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients

50 to 75 g / 2 to 3 oz dried apricots

50 g / 2 oz butter or margarine

1 medium sized onion

50 g / 2 oz fresh wholemeal or white breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Salt and pepper

150 ml / 1/4 pint stock

1 egg yolk

900 g /2 lb boned shoulder of lamb

A little dripping

Method

1. Put apricots to soak in water over night.

2. Next day, drain and cut them up quite small.

3. Melt butter or margarine in a frying pan.

4. Peel and chop the onion and lightly fry it until transparent but not brown.

5. Mix in apricots, breadcrumbs, parsley, salt and pepper. Moisten with 1 to 2 tablespoons of stock.

6. Beat egg-yolk and add it to stuffing with a little more stock, if necessary, to make it moist but not sticky.

7. Open out lamb, season with pepper and a very little salt. Spread stuffing over the meat.

8. Roll up the joint and secure it with string to keep in the filling.

9. Place in a roasting tin and 'dot' with dripping.

10. Roast in a hot oven, Gas 8. 450 degreesF, 230 degreesC for 10 minutes. Reduce to moderate temperature, Gas 4, 350 degreesC, 180 degreesC for a further 1 to 1 1/4 hours

Ray Thompson