Dark, Sticky Stew

• 800g/1 3/4 lb stewing lamb, roughly diced
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small handful of fresh rosemary, leaves picked
• 2 heaped tablespoons flour
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 8 field mushrooms, torn in half
• 1 handful of baby carrots, scrubbed
• 1 parsnip, peeled and grated
• 1 dessert spoon Marmite
• 2 heaped tablespoons pearl barley
• 285ml/ 1/2 pint rich ale (Guinness, Caffreys, John Smiths)
• 565ml/1 pint stock
• 6 skewers or sticks of fresh rosemary, leaves removed
• 18 chipolata sausages

1. Preheat your oven to 180C/350F/gas Put your lamb into a bowl and season well with a good pinch of salt and pepper.
2. Finely chop your rosemary leaves and add to the bowl with the flour.
3. Mix around so that the meat is completely covered.
4. Fry the lamb in a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a hot casserole-type pan do this in batches so the pieces get a nice bit of colour, then remove from the pan and put to one side.
5. Turn the heat down, then fry your onion, mushrooms and carrots for about 5 minutes until softened and slightly coloured.
6. Add the lamb back to the pan along with the parsnip, Marmite, pearl barley, ale and stock.
7. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 20 minutes while you skewer 3 chipolatas on to each of the skewers or rosemary sticks.
8. Just before the stew goes in the oven, add the chipolatas to the pan.
9. Then place a lid on or make a cartouche, wet it and tuck this over the pan.
10. Cook for around an hour, or until the lamb falls apart.
11. I love to eat it just as it is, almost like a thick soup, with some crusty bread.

stewing lamb, salt, handful of fresh rosemary, flour, extra virgin olive oil, red onion, mushrooms, handful of baby carrots, parsnip, dessert, pearl barley, rich ale, stock, skewers, sausages

Taken from www.cookstr.com/recipes/dark-sticky-stew (may not work)