My main event for Easter is always a slow cooked leg of lamb. This year we did this on Saturday, because we were going to be out on Sunday and I don't want to leave the lamb in the oven while we are out. I know you are supposed to pop the leg in the oven, then put on a colourful jumper and find some dogs from somewhere and go frolic on a frosty meadow with a large family to come back all rosy cheeked a few hours later to feast with those same people and dogs. I don't watch Jamie Oliver for nothing.

But I can't do it, I don't have any colourful jumpers or dogs, my small family would not frolic, Husband might, but the two teenagers would just slouch around the meadow fiddling with their smartphones looking bored and complaining because there was no WiFi. But mainly I just don't trust the lamb not to catch fire or do something else catastrophic on it's own. So I only make it on the days I am staying home or possibly just quickly popping in the corner shop.

I made my 4-7 hour leg of lamb ( 6 hours this time) with garlic, mint and rosemary. It was soft enough to serve with a spoon and maybe the best lamb I have had in my life. I served it with herb and garlic roast potatoes, a fresh minty chickpea, pomeganate and feta salad and garlic ciabatta. After a little break we finished the meal off with tea, my Easter cake, a Victoria sponge with vanilla icing and Daim chocolate chip cookies.

Chickpea and herb salad with feta and pomegranate

This is a lovely fresh and a bit different salad to serve as a side to any dish, but goes particularly well with lamb. The secret is to marinade the chickpeas ahead of time, so they soak all the flavours of the vinaigrette and herbs.


1 cup chickpeas (either soaked and boiled or canned)
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 garlic clove
3 spring onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1/3 - 1/2 cucumber
75g salad leaves (rocket, spinach etc)
Handful of crumbled feta (100g)
Seeds of half a pomegranate

Drain the chickpeas and put them in a bowl. Add the zest and juice of a lemon, a minced garlic clove, the chopped spring onions and herbs, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Mix well and leave to marinade for an hour or two,

Slice or halve the cherry tomatoes, cube the cucumber and mix with the salad leaves. Pour on top the chickpeas and mix so that the marinade also flavours the salad vegetables. Decorate with the pomegranate seeds and feta and toss lightly.