Lamb Henry at The Yorkshireman Restaurant, Halifax.
Introduced to our menu back in 1995, Lamb Henry has been a permanent fixture ever since.
I remember those early days, shoulder of lamb was classed as a second class cut of meat and Lamb Henry was unheard of. I believe we were the first restaurant to serve it, in Calderdale at least, now 15 years later it`s on just about every menu in the land, but our customers still tell us ours is the original and the best.
The dish created using the shoulder not the shank is pre marinated over night and slow roasted for 5-6 hours. Originally classed as a peasant dish and cooked by the working class and to feed the servants, land workers and staff of country homes.
Its name “Lamb Henry” is a mystery, we took the name from an old butcher friend of mine who when asked for a shoulder of Lamb cut into five pieces and removing the shank referred to it as a “Henry” and that was that “Lamb Henry” was born. We estimate that to date The Yorkshireman Restaurant has cooked and served more than 39,000 portions over the past fifteen years, “I think we have got it to perfection now!!”. It’s still on the menu and still our number one selling dish.
Our recipe
Serves 4
4 x 1 lb shoulder joints of lamb
1 x clove of garlic
1 x diced carrot
1 x diced celery stick
1 x diced onion
1/2 x tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 x tablespoon dried or fresh mint
1/2 pint red wine
black pepper
salt
Method
- combine all ingredients into air tight container and mix together, refrigerate for 24 hours
- place lamb and marinade in oven dish (not to big ideally just big enough)
- cover with tight fitting lid, ensure a good seal is achieved
- place in oven on gas mark 3 for around 6 hours or until the lamb falls apart
- when cooked remove from cooking stock and place on a tray
- sieve the stock and pour into a pan reduce by half and thicken (a teaspoon of mint sauce may be added to taste “optional”)
- meanwhile place henrys in hot oven for 10-12 minutes prior to service to crisp up a little
Serve with cream potato and minted peas