Mint sauce for your Easter lamb

You can happily enjoy Easter without being carnivorous, what with some of the best things about Easter being non-meaty (chocolate and hot cross buns, loaded with butter obviously). But if you fancy Easter roast lamb, then let me convince you that making your own mint sauce to accompany it is very much worth an extra five minutes in your meal preparation. It’s ridiculously simple and so fresh and tasty.

Mint grows like a happy, verdant weed in my garden. I think our often-inclement climate suits it well and it’s a tough bugger of a herb, so it doesn’t need a lot of pampering. I keep it in pots by itself so it doesn’t take over the other members of my planter boxes beds and top it up with a little water and seaweed tonic when I’m tending to my more delicate plants. I eat it with everyone – in frittatas with spinach and feta, in Thai-inspired salads with basil and coriander, and of course in mint sauce.

You won’t need much for this one at all, it’s largely store-cupboard ingredients and if you don’t have mint at home, it’s readily available in big bushy pots at the supermarket. I hope you give it a try.

Ingredients:

1 cup of mint leaves, finely chopped

1/4 cup of boiling water

1/4 cup of vinegar (honestly, any type is fine – I either use plain old white vinegar, or red wine vinegar if I have it)

1 T white sugar

Salt to season

Method:

Place the mint leaves in a small heat-proof bowl or jug (at least 1 cup capacity)

Pour over the boiling water. Leave to steep for five minutes to soften the mint.

Add the vinegar and sugar. Once cool enough, taste and season with salt to your liking.

Serve with roast lamb – any leftovers keep for several weeks in the fridge, and you can also use it to stir into peas to give them a lift or mixed with plain yoghurt for a salad dressing or sandwich spread.