Easter Lamb Dinner Ideas from The Celtic Manor, Wales

Ad • Press visit – all opinions are my own. Updated 10/2020.

Cooking an Easter lamb dinner is an annual tradition that also celebrates the flavours of the spring season. Executive Head Chef Mike Bates of The Celtic Manor (who prepared food for the prestigious NATO Summit at the resort) has shared recipes and tips for cooking a salt baked crusted Welsh lamb with a wild garlic gremolata.

This cooking masterclass took place inside one of The Celtic Manor’s luxury lodges overlooking the resort’s golf course and surrounding countryside.

Related: A luxury break in Aberystwyth, Wales

The Celtic Manor’s lodges accommodate up to 8 people and each of the 4 bedrooms has a stylish ensuite bathroom. Staying guests also have access to their own private sauna, outdoor jacuzzi and games room with bean bags.

Welshcakes

Served warm off the griddle and dipped in sugar, these tasty Welsh treats are welcome anytime of year. The ingredients are simple (click for Welsh Cake recipe) and you can split the dough to make different varieties by substituting the sultanas and raisins for things like chocolate chips.

Related: Beauty spots and parks in Newport, Wales

Salt-Baked Crusted Welsh Lamb Recipe

To follow this recipe, ask your butcher for a tunnel boned leg of lamb (no more than 2.5kg) and source the following ingredients.

The Salt-Bake Crust:

1KG PLAIN FLOUR
600G WATER
400G SMOKED WELSH HALON MON SEA SALT
4 SPRIGS OF THYME
10 TWISTS OF A BLACK PEPPER MILL
4 SPRIGS OF ROSEMARY

For the crust, combine all the dry ingredients listed above in a bowl and slowly add water to form a smooth dough. You can refrigerate the dough in cling film to reduce preparation time when it comes to cooking.

Wild Garlic Gremolata:

1 LEMON ZESTED
1 CUP OF PICKED FLAT PARSLEY
1 CUP OF WILD GARLIC LEAVES
1 TEAPSOON OF SALT
1/4 CUP OF OLIVE OIL

The lamb was glazed with a tasty gremolata which you can recreate by mixing the above ingredients (except for the oil) in a food processor and slowly adding the oil until a smooth texture is achieved.
Following this, roll out the dough to cover the whole leg of lamb after you’ve coated the meat and cavity with the gremolata.

The leg of lamb was then ready to go in to a preheated oven at 180C for 1 hour and 35 minutes.
As the meat cooks, you can prepare a healthy quinoa salad or cook vegetables to go with the lamb.

For a nice crunch to your vegetables you can blanch them by transferring it straight into ice cold water after boiling to stop the cooking process.

Once the lamb is cooked, leave to cool for 20 minutes before cracking it open to serve with your salad or vegetables.

Eton Mess Dessert Idea

Constructing your own Eton Mess dessert is something the whole family can get involved in by chopping up a variety of toppings on a tray and allowing your creativity to run wild.

If you’d rather leave cooking to the experts, The Celtic Manor Resort has several dining options to choose from to suit all tastes. You’ll also find woodland trails on the resort to make the most of a spring day in Wales.