A fresh start for spring cooking and dining with Arthur Price

Trim excess skin from the lamb and score the fat with a sharp knife. In a large bowl, put in the garlic, lemon zest, honey and oil and mix together. Once combined, add the lamb and rub in the marinade, cover it and leave to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes.  

Pre-heat your oven to 220C/200C fan/gas mark 7. 

Get a large frying pan and cook the lamb (fat side down) over a medium heat for around 5 minutes or until the fat is dark golden-brown. Then place into a roasting tin with the browned side up and bones facing the centre. Roast for 18 to 20 minutes, remove and cover with foil and rest for 15 minutes.  

Prepare your salsa verde by mixing all the ingredients and lemon juice in a bowl and season with some salt and pepper to taste. Gently warm before serving. 

Carve the lamb, dividing it into chops. Serve 2 chops per person with the salsa verde alongside. 

Line a baking tray with baking paper and pre-heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4. 

For your meringue, use an electric mixer: beat the egg whites until satin-like peaks form. Once at this consistency, beat in the sugar, one spoonful at a time. The meringue should be stiff and shiny.  

Sprinkle cornflour over the meringue, grate in the zest of one lemon and add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. 

Combine the mixture gently by folding it in. Spoon the mixture onto the lined baking tray. The circle should be approximately 23cm/9 inches in diameter. Smooth the sides. Put in the oven and reduce temperature to 150C/130C fan/gas mark 2 and bake for 1 hour. 

Take from the oven but don’t leave the meringues anywhere cool, to avoid cracking; you can leave them in the oven with the door open. When ready to decorate and serve, turn the pavlova out onto a large, flat plate or board. 

Whip the double cream until it’s thick and airy and then set aside. 

Spoon the lemon curd into a bowl, beat with a wooden spoon or spatula to loosen it, add some lemon zest and some lemon juice to taste.  

Gently spread the lemon curd on the meringue base, then top with the whipped cream, creating peaks like a meringue topping and sprinkle over the rest of the lemon zest and almonds.