There's something about a long, slow Sunday roast when you've got a big group together in a holiday house. Everyone in the kitchen, something smelling brilliant, no one rushing anywhere. This is the recipe we always come back to — it takes about 10 minutes to prep, then the oven does the work for 4 hours while you go to the beach.
What you need (feeds 10–12)
2 legs of Cornish lamb, about 2.5kg each · 1 whole bulb of garlic · 2 large onions, halved · 4 sprigs fresh rosemary · good olive oil · sea salt and black pepper · 500ml white wine or stock · squeeze of lemon
What to do
Take the lamb out of the fridge an hour before you want to cook. Preheat the oven to 220°C. Cut the garlic into slivers and stab little slits all over the lamb — push a sliver of garlic and a small bit of rosemary into each one. Rub all over with olive oil, season generously with salt and pepper. Put the onion halves in the roasting tin to create a trivet. Sit the lamb on top, pour the wine or stock around (not over) the meat. Roast at 220°C for 20 minutes, then turn down to 160°C. Cook for 3.5–4 hours — it should be falling off the bone.
While the lamb cooks
Go to the beach. Come back, put some potatoes on to roast (about 90 minutes before serving), throw together a salad. Bread. That's genuinely all you need. The lamb will have created its own gorgeous gravy in the tin.
Where to buy Cornish lamb
Newquay has a good butcher — ask for local Cornish lamb and they'll know what you want. Tesco also stocks decent lamb. If you want something special, the farm shops near Padstow are worth the drive — Cornish lamb doesn't need much doing to it.
Works equally well with beef
A large Cornish topside or rolled rib of beef works with almost the same method — same temperature, similar time. Ask your butcher to roll and tie it. Serve with horseradish. Equally brilliant, equally easy.