This one is for my brother Luke, we are both keen cooks and love a good slow roast recipe! So I try to share them with him as often as I can. I hope he enjoys this simple but tasty roast leg of lamb.

Serves 6

bbc food

2.3kg Leg of Lamb

for the spice rub:
2 Garlic Cloves
1 tbsp Sea Salt Flakes
1 tbsp Cumin Seed
1 pinch Smoked Paprika
2 tbsp Thyme Leaves
2 tbsp Olive Oil
a thick slice of Butter

Heat the oven to 160C/gas mark 3.

Make the spice rub: peel the garlic cloves, then lightly crush them with the salt using a pestle and mortar. Mix in the cumin, paprika and thyme. Gradually add the oil so that you end up with a thickish paste. Melt the butter in a small pan and stir it into the spice paste.

Put the lamb into a deep-sided roasting tin and rub it all over with the spice paste. I made the paste and put it on the lamb the night before and left it in the fridge overnight.

Put the lamb in the oven and leave to cook for 35 minutes. Pour in 250ml of water. Baste the lamb with the liquid, then continue roasting for a further 3 hours, basting the meat every hour or so. If the juices are evaporating, then add a little more water.

Remove the pan from the oven and pour off the thin top layer of oil from the cooking juices, leaving the cloudy, herbal sediment.

Cover the roasting pan with foil and leave to rest for about 10 minutes before carving.

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