Irish stew ingredients and equipment

Ingredients

• 950g/2lb 2oz stewing lamb. Neck, shoulder, scrag end or any other cheap stewing cut is perfect. If you’re not sure what to buy, ask your butcher what cuts will work best.
• 1kg/2lb 6oz floury potatoes, try to avoid overly waxy potatoes as their flouriness thickens the stew. Maris pipers, roosters, russet or queen’s will all work well if you can find them. Don’t worry too much if not though, the stew will still taste great, you might just need an extra slice of buttered bread to soak up the gravy!
• 2 tbspn oil
• 1 tbspn plain flour
• 2 brown onions
• 1kg/ 2lb 3oz carrots
• 2 sticks celery
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme/ 1 tspn dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 3l/ 2 ¼ pints lamb stock. Fresh is best, but this can be made from a stock cube or bouillon powder. Also if you can’t find lamb stock, then vegetable stock will do.
• Salt and pepper
• Bread and butter to serve
• A handful of fresh parsley to garnish

Equipment

-You will need:

• a chopping board
• a sharp chef’s knife
• a potato peeler
• two large plates
• two bowls
• a dish cloth
• a large saucepan with a lid
• a large spoon or spatula for stirring
• a slotted spoon or tongs
• a spoon
• if you’re making stock from powder or a stock cube you’ll also need a heatproof jug and a kettle and you should go ahead and make up the stock before we begin.