Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks


  • Preheat the oven to 160ºC. 

  • Brown the lamb in a casserole dish over medium to high heat. This should take up to ten minutes and make sure to brown all sides of the lamb. Remove the lamb from the dish and set aside. 

  • Using the same pot, add the onion, carrots, parsnips, herbs, and garlic and cook for about five to ten minutes until they start to take on some colour. Add in the flour (if you are using it) and add the tomato purée. Allow the tomato purée to cook for about two minutes to remove the bitter taste from it. You can now add the wine and stock. 

  • Place the lamb shanks back in the pot and season well with salt and pepper. Allow this to simmer and then place the lid over the pot and then put the pot into the oven.

  • Let it cook slowly in the oven for about four hours. This will allow what once was a tough cut of lamb to turn into a beautiful and succulent piece of meat, which should fall away for the bone. 

  • Remove the lamb shanks form the casserole dish and keep them warm. Placing the casserole dish over a medium heat reduce the liquid for a further ten minutes. During this time you can adjust the seasoning by adding salt and pepper. 

To Serve: 

Put a lamb shank in the center of a bowl, use a ladle to pour the braising liquid and some of the vegetables around the lamb. Serve with a creamy mash potato.