Serves 6, 20 minutes preparation, 1 hour cooking

A little different from a traditional roast turkey, this lamb dish takes classic Christmas flavours and spices to make a delicious one-pot meal that is perfect for a festive dinner party or something a little different for your Christmas meal. This dish is also great to make in advance and freeze to then reheat as necessary to take the pressure off on Christmas day.

Ingredients

• 1½kg Lamb Neck Fillets, cut into chunks
• 2 Onions, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 Garlic Cloves, peeled and sliced
• 4cm piece of fresh root Ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 6 Cloves
• 5 Cardamom Pods
• 2 dried Bay Leaves
• 2tsp Ground Coriander
• 3tbsp Ground Almonds
• 850ml brown stock or stock made from Beef or Lamb stock cubes
• 250g dried Apricots
• 2tbsp Olive Oil

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and fry the onions, garlic and ginger in the oil for about 15 minutes over a medium heat to soften the ingredients. 
2. Next, add the lamb and fry until browned – this will take around 10 minutes. Add all of the spices then cook over the heat to release their flavours for a further 3-5 minutes, then add the ground almonds to the pan. 
3. Finally, pour in the stock and season with a little salt and pepper to taste.
4. Bring the pan to the boil then reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally throughout the cooking time. Add the apricots, then simmer for a further15 minutes until the lamb is very tender. Top Tip: If the sauce is getting a little thick thin it with some water.
5. If you are eating the lamb immediately, serve with some fruity cous cous.
6. To freeze it for serving at a later date or to prepare for Christmas in advance, allow the dish to cool then divide into freezer bags or containers and put in the freezer. The spiced lamb will keep for up to 3 months. To cook, thaw for at least 6 hours in the fridge, then reheat in a pan until bubbling hot.