Sadly summertime is leaving us and what a fabulous summer it has been; filled with fun times of long lazy afternoons at the beach hut that turned into barbecue suppers.  We maxed out our days with sea swims, messing about on the boat and retreating into the shade of the hut to eat easy yet delicious foods.

Summer for our youngest meant waiting for the dreaded GCSE results but I am pleased to say he had massive punch-the-air success which has given him the opportunity to study the course he wants to do at our local college.  No boring retakes.  Fabulous.

To dispel those low level fears of returning to school (college not school, must remember that) we had a beach barbecue so that our eldest could chat with his brother about what he should expect when he starts college.  This is when your work as a parent takes a backseat and you let the power of siblings do their magic.

Welsh Lamb asked me to write a recipe on the benefits of red meat in our diet and I jumped at the opportunity.  Red meat has a high iron and zinc content which helps keep our immune systems healthy, perfect in preparing our youngest with returning to school/college.  Red meat is also a good provider of protein which is needed for growth and repair and boy is that needed to two active lively growing chaps.

Barbecued Shoulder of Lamb

(serves 4 very well)

1.8kg boned lamb shoulder

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

4 sprigs of fresh rosemary, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed

3 tablespoons rapeseed oil

Mix together the lemon zest, juice, salt, pepper, rosemary, garlic and oil and rub into both sides of the lamb shoulder.

Either cover or place in a sealed freezer bag and store in the fridge for 2-4 hours.  Remove from the fridge to allow to come to room temperature.

In the meantime light the barbecue coals and after 45 minutes, place the lamb on the grill and cook for 30 minutes each side with the lid down.  This will keep the temperature high and even.  Remove the from the grill and allow to rest somewhere warm for 15 minutes then thinly slice and serve with salads and warmed flatbreads.

I was given a delicious Welsh Lamb organic boneless boned shoulder of Lamb from the Rhug Estate Organic Farm and it was amazingly tender and so incredibly delicious.