Lamb scrag end is oft thought of as only suitable for Irish stew or Lancashire hot pot I thought it would be interesting to try a different treatment. The flageolet were, I admit, an afterthought to give the stew more colour, flavour and bulk and thankfully they proved to be a success. I could happily eat this in the summer.

If you wish, you could substitute scrag for diced lamb or stewing lamb (without the bones it would then feed three or four instead of two - you can always add more beans too).

Ingredients - serves 2 500g lamb scrag end 1 tbsp olive oil 2 medium shallots, peeled & thinly sliced 1 clove garlic, peeled, crushed & finely chopped pinch of chilli flakes 1 sprig rosemary 200g small fresh tomatoes, quartered 175ml white wine 1 tbsp tomato purée 1 can of flageolet beans salt, pepper torn basil leaves

Method

1 Heat the oil in a casserole, season the scrag and brown it on both sides. Once browned, add the rosemary, chilli flakes, slices of shallot and garlic to the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes. Make sure that the lamb sits in a single layer on the bottom of the casserole.

2 Pour in the wine, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer - stir in the tomato purée. Now scatter the quartered tomatoes over the lamb (they don’t need to be submerged), season lightly and return to a bare simmer and pop on a tight fitting lid. Cook gently for just over an hour by which time the lamb should be tender, if not cook a little longer.

3 Remove the rosemary from the pan and discard. Drain and rinse the flageolet beans and fold in to the stew, pop the lid back on and cook a further 10 minutes over gentle heat.

4 Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary, throw over the torn basil and divide between warmed bowls. Serve with plenty of crusty bread or buttery mash.