Neck of Lamb with Miso Glaze

Preheat the oven to 120°C.

Brown the outer surface of the lamb in a hot dry pan.

Heat a little oil in a casserole dish and sweat the finely chopped stock veg, then place the browned lamb on top and add boiling water to a depth of about 1cm.

Seal the top of the casserole with foil and put on the lid. This will keep all the juices and moisture inside. Put the casserole into the oven for 3 hours.

Lift the lamb neck out of the pot and place it on a rack in a baking tray. Increase the oven temperature to 180°C.

Mix the miso with the soy sauce and paint on to the lamb, then put it back into the hot oven for 20 minutes, repainting halfway through.

Peel or scrape the carrots and place in a saucepan with the honey, the butter and a pinch of salt. Barely cover with boiling water, raise to a ferocious boil and keep going, with the saucepan uncovered, until all the water has evaporated and the butter and honey have formed a glaze on the just-cooked carrots.

A lamb neck is hugely romantic. It will serve 2 people and is best presented on a single plate so you can both pull off the sumptuous shreds of juicy meat. The miso glaze, much like the more traditional anchovy, adds both saltiness and umami, which contrasts handsomely with the sweet glaze on the carrots.