I’m sure, like me, you regularly make incisions in your lamb roast and push slivers of garlic in them with tufts of rosemary - but few of you would consider, I think, of serving ten or more entire cloves to each person? Well, that’s exactly what I’m proposing.

Cooked this way you may reserve some of the garlic to add to mash, or a soup, stew or casserole - it should keep for a few days in the fridge but make sure it’s well wrapped or it will shrink and dry. The garlic requires little effort but much time so cook before and gently reheat if necessary. Roast your lamb as you would normally do, hopefully cooked to caramelised on the outside but beautifully pink on the inside.

Ingredients - serves 4-6

4 large heads of garlic - or more!
olive oil or duck fat

Method

You will need a heavy iron pan, or oven proof casserole dish. Break the garlic into cloves and carefully peel them to leave them intact. Pour sufficient olive oil, or melt enough duck fat to cover the bottom of the pan, and pile in the garlic and add a sprig of rosemary (optional). Seal the top of the pan tightly with kitchen foil. Transfer to a low oven - or the bottom oven of and Aga - for 2 to 3 hours. Shake the pan occasionally during cooking time. The garlic will be meltingly soft, season it generously before serving over thick slices of pink lamb.