Seeing lamb in a new light

Lamb of this youth and tenderness is considered a great delicacy in southern Europe, and it is from the kitchens of Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece that we find the most appealing recipes.

And thus, the most appropriate accompaniments are the strong flavours of the Mediterranean - garlic, rosemary, tomatoes, olive oil, olives, aubergines.

However, baby lamb is the Christmas dinner of choice in the Falkland Islands, where I spent some time earlier this year. There it is served with freshly dug new potatoes and garden peas, a perfect combination, and our light lamb coincides with those same accompaniments. Follow it with a gooseberry fool or crumble, and you have the perfect Sunday lunch.

The lamb is best roasted slowly until it almost falls off the bone, as there is no merit in serving this young meat rare. It also grills and barbecues well, as there is a decent amount of fat on it. Another very easy way to prepare it is to place the meat on a bed of sliced onions and potatoes, cover it with a loose tent of foil and roast it in a moderate oven, 180C, for about an hour and a half.

Costine di agnello is a speciality from Romagna. Quick to cook, it makes an ideal main course for an impromptu dinner. Allow four cutlets per person, preferably with the chine bone removed, trimming off fat and gristle and leaving the "eye" only.

Flatten the meat, dip each cutlet in beaten egg, then in a mixture of fine breadcrumbs and finely grated Parmesan cheese. Melt a nut of unsalted butter in a frying pan, add a tablespoon or two of olive oil, and fry the cutlets on both sides, until done. Fried courgettes is the perfect accompaniment.

In Britain we share a fondness for the lamb and mint combination with the Middle East. I enjoy the flavour of mint but find our classic mint sauce overpowering everything else in the meal. For a more subtle effect, I tuck a few sprigs of mint around the meat while it is roasting, and use the mint leaves in a sauce derived not from the cooking of the Middle East but ancient Rome. This sauce is also very good with fried lamb cutlets.

One half shoulder, one leg and a loin or rack of lamb, chine bone removed

Two cloves garlic, crushed with one teaspoon sea salt and half a teaspoon of pepper and mixed with a tablespoon of cider vinegar, two tablespoons olive oil and a tablespoon of English honey

Two onions, peeled and thinly sliced Six potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced Four sprigs fresh mint, leaves removed and put to one side

1/2 teaspoon each freshly ground black pepper, sea salt, celery seed, cumin seeds and fennel seeds

150ml tablespoon Hereford or Somerset cider

One tablespoon English or Welsh honey One tablespoon English cider vinegar

Rub the lamb all over with the garlic mixture. Place in a roasting tin on a layer of thinly sliced onions and potatoes and tuck the mint stalks around the meat.