In honour of our Irish friends across the sea, we’re celebrating Saint Patrick’s day with this classic Irish stew. Filled with tender lamb and plenty of hearty vegetables, this so-called ‘peasant food’ tastes like it’s fit for a king. The streaky bacon brings an amazing new depth of flavour, while the thyme and bay leaves help create that lovely rich and vibrant taste. It’s perfect served with a slice of buttered crusty bread to mop up all the juices at the bottom bowl. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
• 200g smoked streaky bacon, preferably in one piece, skinned and cut into chunks
• 900g cheap stewing lamb like middle neck or scrag (ask at your butcher counter), cut into large chunks
• Small bunch thyme
• 3 onions, thickly sliced
• 5 carrots, cut into big chunks
• 6 medium potatoes, cut into big chunks
• 700ml lamb stock
• 3 bay leaves
• 85g pearl barley
• 1 large leek, washed and cut into chunks
• Small knob of butter

Method

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Sizzle the bacon until crispy, tip into the slow-cooker pot, then brown the chunks of lamb in the same pan. Transfer to the slow-cooker pot along with the thyme, onions, carrots, potatoes, stock, bay leaves and enough water to cover the lamb. Cover and cook on Low for 7 hours.

2. Stir in the pearl barley and leek, and cook on High for 1 hr more until the pearl barley is tender. Stir in the butter, season and serve scooped straight from the dish.