The daffs are in full bloom and the glow from the occasionally shy sun is signalling the growing of the days. It feels like we are awakening from the hibernation of winter and all it threw at us this year.
Easter is always a line in the sand to bring us out of the wintery grip and catapult us into the bloom of spring. Nowhere is this more prominent than in the kitchen.
In true Hartley Farm style, we are embracing the wonderful produce on our doorstep to make the centrepiece of your Easter Feasting. Our lamb is sourced from the Carnie family who farm just a few miles away from us in Broughton Gifford. Our butchers are now busy taking orders for roasting joints including legs of lamb and loins. For this Easter, we also have an offer on shoulders of lamb.
The shoulder is often overlooked for Easter, making way for the classic leg of lamb. However, it is our family favourite and has been for many years. I was inspired years ago by this recipe from Jamie Oliver which if you haven’t come across before, I urge you to give it a go. Not only does this give you a mouth-watering feast on the day, but it can also give you the best leftovers for another dish. Here’s my recipe for the best use of these leftovers which is another family favourite. Inspired by the classic Greek Gyros and perfect for the spring sunshine!
Crispy Lamb Gyros & Greek Salad (serves 4)
For the Gyros
- Leftover lamb shoulder finely shredded (around 750g but whatever you have will do!)
- Gyros spice mix (you can make your own pretty easily – here is a recipe)
- Half a red onion finely sliced
- 3 tbsp Greek yoghurt
- ½ shredded and drained Cucumber
- Tsp Dried mint
- ½ a block of Feta
- Little gem lettuce
- 8 flatbreads
- A chili sauce of your choice
Greek Salad
- 500g Isle of Wight tomatoes roughly chopped
- Half a cucumber sliced Cucumber
- Half a finely sliced red onion
- 2 tsp Dried oregano
- 1 tsp Dried mint
- Half a lemon
- Black olives
- 1 sliced Green pepper
- ½ block of Feta
- Olive oil
Method
Start by making the Greek salad. Chop the tomatoes into bite-sized chunks, slice the cucumber, slice the red onions as finely as you can, de-stone the black olives and cut them in half, and slice the green peppers into strips. Add all into a bowl, preferably the one you will serve from.
Squeeze the juice of one small lemon (or half a large lemon) over the top along with a good few glugs of olive oil. The lemon juice and the olive oil are essentially your salad dressing so use however much you feel is right for your salad.
Sprinkle over a tablespoon of dried oregano and half a tbsp of dried mint along with a splash of red wine vinegar. Give all the ingredients a good mix, season to taste and leave to one side.
For the gyros, start by making your tzatziki dressing by roughly grating half a cucumber and then squeeze all the water out with your hands over a sink then add to a small bowl. Add to the bowl 3 or 4 good tablespoons of Greek yoghurt, a good sprinkle of cracked black pepper, and a pinch of sea salt and mix together. If you like, you can add a small crushed garlic clove for a bit of extra garlicky kick.
Next up is some pickled red onions. Finely slice the red onions and add to a small bowl. Add a couple of splashes of red wine vinegar, a pinch of caster sugar, and a pinch of sea salt. Mix well so the red onion is all well covered by the vinegar. Add a splash more if needed and leave to pickle whilst you finish the rest of the dish.
Get a non-stick pan on medium heat and add a splash of olive oil. Then add your finely shredded lamb. You want the lamb to be as ragged as possible so all the little strands start to crisp up as you fry them so tear them apart with two forks if you can. Add a liberal sprinkle of your spice mix to coat all the lamb and continue to keep stirring and moving the lamb until it starts to go all brown and crispy.
Then start to assemble. Grab a flatbread, add a dollop of your tzatziki. Sprinkle over the crispy lamb and top with pickled red onion, gem lettuce, a few crumbs of feta and your favourite chilli sauce. However, the best way is to just put a big bowl of the salad surrounded by the little bowls of pickles, dips and the lamb down the middle of the table and let everyone tuck in and enjoy!