Lancashire-Style Lamb Hotpot With Buttery Peas

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7

Boil a kettle

Peel and finely dice your brown onion[s]

Top, tail and finely dice (no need to peel!) your carrot[s]

Slice your potatoes (skins on) into thin discs

Add the sliced potatoes to a pot of boiled water with a pinch of salt, bring to the boil over a high heat and cook for 2-3 min or until just cooked (this is known as 'parboiling')

Once done, drain the sliced potatoes and leave them to steam dry

Heat a large, dry, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) over a high heat

Once hot, add your lamb mince with a drizzle of olive oil and cook for 3-4 min or until beginning to brown, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you go, then once the lamb has started to brown, drain the excess oil from the pan and discard

Add 1 tbsp [1 1/2 tbsp] [2 tbsp] flour to the pan, give everything a good mix up and cook for 30 secs and reboil half a kettle

Add the diced onion and carrot to the pan and cook for 3-4 min or until slightly softened

Once slightly softened, add your tomato paste, onion marmalade, marmite, bay leaf[ves] and half your dried thyme (you'll use the rest later!)

Give everything a good mix up and cook for 1 min further

Meanwhile, dissolve your beef stock mix in 150ml [250ml] [350ml] boiled water

Add the beef stock to the pan and cook for 3-4 min or until thickened to a gravy-like consistency and the lamb is cooked through (no pink meat!)

Season with a pinch of salt and pepper – this is your lamb filling

Transfer the lamb filling to an oven-proof dish

Layer the cooked sliced potatoes on top

Divide a small knob of butter into little pieces and scatter over the top with the remaining dried thyme

Put the dish in the oven and cook for 25-30 min or until the potatoes are brown and crispy – this is your Lancashire-style lamb hotpot

Once done, remove it from the oven and set aside to cool a little (this helps the flavours to develop and makes it easier to serve!)

When the hotpot is nearly ready, add your blanched peas to a colander and pour boiled water all over them to refresh them

Drain the peas, add a small knob of butter and mix it all together – these are your buttery peas