Slow Suppers

Ingredients

• 1Lebanese cucumber
• 1 handfulmint leaves
• 3limes, juiced
• 3 tbspsugar syrup or honey
• 160 mlgin (optional)
• 500 mlsoda or tonic water
• —ice

Gin makes it a G&T cousin. Without it, it's just very good lemonade.

Method

1. Peel a few long ribbons of cucumber for the glasses and roughly chop the rest.
2. Muddle the chopped cucumber and mint in a jug, then add the lime juice, syrup and gin, if using. Strain.
3. Fill glasses with ice and cucumber ribbons, pour over the base and top with soda or tonic.

Ingredients

• 2 cupspeas (fresh or frozen)
• 1 handfulmint leaves
• 1lemon, zested and juiced
• 3 tbspextra virgin olive oil
• 250 gfresh ricotta
• 4 thick slicessourdough
• 1garlic clove, halved
• —chilli flakes, sea salt and pepper

Frozen peas are fine. Fresh are lovely if you have someone to help pod them.

Method

1. Cook the peas in salted boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and cool under cold water.
2. Roughly crush half the peas with a fork. Stir in the whole peas, torn mint, lemon zest and juice, and 2 tbsp oil. Season well.
3. Toast or grill the sourdough and rub one side with the cut garlic.
4. Spread each toast with ricotta, pile the peas on top, then finish with chilli flakes and the last of the oil.

Ingredients

• 2fennel bulbs, fronds reserved
• 2navel oranges
• 2 big handfulsrocket
• ½red onion, very thinly sliced
• ¼ cupblack olives
• 2 tbspextra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbspred wine vinegar
• —sea salt and pepper

Sharp and crunchy, to cut through the richness of the lamb.

Method

1. Shave the fennel as thinly as you can with a knife or mandoline.
2. Cut the peel and pith off the oranges, then slice into rounds over a bowl to catch the juice.
3. Whisk the orange juice with the oil and vinegar. Season.
4. Toss the fennel, onion and rocket in the dressing, then layer with the orange slices and olives. Scatter over the fennel fronds.

Ingredients

• 1.8–2 kgbone-in lamb shoulder
• 1garlic bulb, halved crossways, plus 4 cloves sliced
• 4 sprigsrosemary
• 3brown onions, thickly sliced
• 250 mldry white wine
• 250 mlchicken stock
• 2 tbspolive oil
• 1lemon
• —sea salt and pepper

The slowest dish so far, and the least work. It pulls apart with a spoon.

Method

1. Heat the oven to 160°C fan-forced. Make small cuts all over the lamb and push in the sliced garlic and small rosemary sprigs.
2. Rub the lamb with oil and season generously.
3. Scatter the onions and halved garlic bulb in a deep roasting dish. Sit the lamb on top and pour the wine and stock around it.
4. Cover tightly with baking paper then foil. Roast for 4 hours, until the meat falls off the bone.
5. Uncover, turn the oven up to 210°C and roast for 15–20 minutes more to brown.
6. Rest for 15 minutes, squeeze over the lemon, then pull the meat apart and serve with the onions and pan juices.

Ingredients

• 600 mlpure cream
• 150 gcaster sugar
• 2–3lemons, zested and juiced (90 ml juice)
• 6shortbread biscuits
• 1 punnetraspberries (optional)

Three ingredients and the fridge. Make it in the morning.

Method

1. Bring the cream, sugar and lemon zest to the boil in a saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil gently for 3 minutes.
2. Take off the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
3. Strain into four glasses or small bowls. Chill for at least 3 hours, until set.
4. Serve topped with crushed shortbread and raspberries.