Lamb shoulder stuffed with tomatoes, goat’s cheese and basil

Method

1. To bone the lamb shoulder, start at the wider, flatter end of the joint and push in a sharp boning knife, just above the shoulder blade bone. Release the meat from the bone using a series of short movements, keeping the blade as close to the bone as possible. Repeat on the underside of the bone, loosening the meat at the sides.
2. At the other end, cut through the skin attached to the bone on the underside of the shoulder. Scrape the blade all the way along the bone to remove the meat all the way to the ‘elbow’ joint. Carry on past the elbow, loosening the meat from the bone, to reach where you cut to from the other side (take care not to pierce the skin). Work the bone from side to side to see where it’s still attached. Return to the blade end to loosen any final bits of meat. The bone should almost feel free of the meat. Now cut the tendons around the joint – kitchen scissors are good for this – then pull out the bone from the blade end.
3. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Mix all the stuffing ingredients together and season lightly with salt and pepper. Stuff the centre of the lamb with the mixture. There’s a lot of filling but it should all fit in.
4. Cut a 2m length of strong kitchen string. Start with the skin-side of the meat facing down. Slide the string underneath the centre of the joint (as if tying up a parcel), pull the string tightly around and tie in the centre, gathering in the sides of the meat and securing the filling. Repeat on the perpendicular to make a cross, then flip the meat over so the skin is facing up. Tie the string in the centre, as tight as possible to secure the filling. Tuck in any bits of meat hanging out, then repeat the tying process but this time on both diagonals. You should end up with a cushion-shaped roast.
5. Put the lamb in a roasting tray and cook for between 1 hour 20 minutes (pink) and 1 hour 50 minutes (well done). Lamb shoulders differ in size we can’t suggest an internal temperature as the stuffing makes this unreliable.
6. Once cooked, remove the lamb from the tray and rest on a board. Drain all but 3-4 tbsp of the fat from the tray. Mix the flour into the juices with a balloon whisk to make a paste.
7. Put the tray on the hob over a medium heat and bubble for 1-2 minutes. Add the sherry and bring to the boil for a minute, stirring, to scrape up any browned bits. Pour all the juices into a medium pan with the stock, sugar and 150ml water. Bring to a gentle simmer for 5-10 minutes. Strain the gravy and season to taste, adding a glug of sherry at the end. Serve with greens and roast new potatoes.