Industry initiative: A tasty lamb treat for St Andrew's Day from QMS

Supporting this initiative are Quality Meat Scotland, alongside NFU Scotland, the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers Scotland, and the National Sheep Association Scotland (NSAS) and they are giving their backing to United Auctions’ initiated campaign to make Scotch Lamb PGI the 'go-to' dish for St Andrew’s Day.

Last year there was a 9% uplift in value of lamb and 6.9% uplift in volume – so it does work.

In support of the IAAS Lamb Bank, which will donate Scotch Lamb to 185 Scottish secondary schools, pupils will cook one of two recipes created by QMS – Oaty Scotch Lamb Burgers and Scotch Lamb Wraps with Crushed Garlic Peas.

Read more: Scotland's 'Action Man' Andy Torbet gets behind Scotch Lamb

QMS’s Health & Education Team have also created a worksheet for pupils to complete as well as a lesson plan for teachers to enhance learning around why eating locally produced food when it’s in season, such as Scotch Lamb, is a sustainable food choice.

Need a main course for your next dinner party? Try this recipe for a stuffed half leg of Scotch Lamb, with delicious and healthy accompaniments, courtesy of the foodie team at QMS.

Just pop it in the oven and let it do all of the hard work for you!

Stuffed half leg of Scotch Lamb

Ingredients:

For the stuffing:

1 tablespoon Scottish rapeseed oil

2 onions, peeled and chopped

100g sourdough breadcrumbs, or similar

80g stoned dates, roughly chopped

50g walnuts, roughly chopped

Salt and black pepper

For the Scotch Lamb leg:

1kg half leg of Scotch Lamb, bone removed or butter-flied (ask your butcher to bone or butterfly this for you)

1 tablespoon Scottish rapeseed oil

For the butternut squash purée:

500g butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and cut into 1cm cubes

1 low salt lamb stock cube

600ml water

To serve:

200g kale

200g tenderstem broccoli

1 tablespoon Scottish rapeseed oil

Cooking methods

For the stuffing:

Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium and fry the onions until soft and lightly coloured. Remove from the pan and cool for five minutes.

In a medium bowl add the breadcrumbs, dates and walnuts, add the cooled, cooked onions and mix well. Season to taste.

For the lamb:

Place the lamb on a chopping board, skin-side down, then spoon the stuffing down the centre of the lamb and fold over to encase the stuffing.

Tie at 2cm intervals with butcher’s string and re-weigh the joint. Preheat the oven to 180-190°C, 160-170°C fan or gas mark 4-5.

Transfer to a foil-lined roasting tray, drizzle with the oil, rub gently over the lamb and season. Roast in the oven for the preferred, calculated cooking time (for medium, 25 minutes per 450g, plus 25 mins; and well done, 30 minutes per 450g, plus 30 mins). Remove from the oven, cover and set aside to rest.

For the butternut squash purée and veg:

Place the butternut squash, stock cube and water in a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes until the squash is soft.

Strain the squash, but retain the stock. Place the squash in a blender and purée with a small amount of the retained stock to achieve a smooth texture.

While the squash is cooking, place the kale and broccoli in a bowl, drizzle with oil, season and mix gently until coated. Separate onto two baking trays and roast in the oven for 7-8 minutes, or until the kale is crisp and the broccoli is soft. Remove and set aside.

To serve:

Slice the lamb, divide the squash purée between warm serving plates, top with the greens and the lamb slices. Finish with a drizzle of the roasting juices and serve.

Tip: Store any cooled leftovers in an airtight container and enjoy the following day, but, reheat until piping hot throughout.