Steamed hoggett

I had a large flank of hoggett thawing for dinner tonight, which meant deciding how to cook it.

I could have stewed it or casseroled it, either of which give an excellent result when cooked long and slow.

In the end, though, I decided to go for a traditional British dish - steamed mutton, or in our case steamed hoggett.

I chopped the thawed flank into manageable pieces, then packed them into a heatproof basin. A pinch of salt and a good grind of pepper were then sprinkled over the meat.

The basin was then placed in a large pan, with sufficient boiling water to reach halfway up the side of the basin, and then put the lid on the pan.

With a whisker under 3lb of meat to cook, I set the meat to simmer for 90 minutes (30 minutes per pound of meat).

I topped the water level up with boiling water twice during the cooking time, but otherwise left the meat to steam.

When the meat had cooked, I lifted the pieces of flank out and placed them on a plate in the oven to keep warm.

I poured the fat and juices from the basin into a pan, thickened them over a moderate heat with a roux to make a gravy, and then stirred in two tablespoons of chopped capers.

I served the pieces of hoggett with the gravy poured over, accompanied by boiled potatoes, steamed kale and steamed carrots.

An excellent meal.