Livening up your lamb

Noisette of lamb is one of the more expensive cuts of lamb but very tender and tasty. You can make them yourself from loin chops - simply remove the meat from the chop bone with a sharp knife and trim the end of excess fat.

Everyone seems to enjoy a tender lamb chop and the red wine sauce - simple and inexpensive to make - transforms an everyday meal into a special occasion dish.

Ingredients (serves 4)

8 lamb loin chops

half teaspoon dried marjoram

quarter pint chicken stock

half pint dry red wine

2 teaspoons cornflour mixed with cold water

1 small red pepper, very thinly sliced

salt and ground black pepper

Method

l First sprinkle the cut edge of each chop with marjoram (the edge where the bone would have been). Wrap the narrow end around the meaty end and secure with string to form the noisettes. Grill the noisettes until they are cooked to your preference. Remove the string and place on a preheated serving plate - keep warm.

l Combine stock and wine in a saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for a few minutes. Add the cornflour mixture, red pepper and seasoning and simmer for a further 2 minutes, until thickened.

l Strain the sauce around the noisettes to serve, or you can serve separately in a sauce boat if you wish, and decorate the noisettes with the strips of red pepper.

l Serve with new potatoes, spinach, courgettes and mushrooms, for a good mix of flavours, colours and textures.

TO DRINK

If you like a claret, try a smooth, easy drinking Buzet.

Produced just south of Bordeaux from the claret grape varieties, it is soft and fruity and would also be an ideal wine to use for the red wine sauce in this recipe.

Don't be tempted to use up wine from already opened bottles or wines of inferior quality in wine sauces - you can tell the difference and it can spoil your recipe!