Lamb Neck Stew, Almost a Scouse Recipe!
This lamb neck stew uses frugal bone in neck chops to create a simple, homely, cheap and outrageously tasty stew... just add mint sauce!
Almost Scouse Recipe
This lamb neck stew is a wonderfully simple way to create a wholesome, hearty meal with probably the cheapest cut of lamb.
It is cheaper than the shanks that I use for my slow cooker lamb shanks and minted lamb shanks, or the much more prized Barnsley chops.
In the UK, it goes by the name scrag end, which sounds kinda unpleasant. But the flavour you get from it is outrageous.
As you can see in the pictures, the marrow that was in the bone melts into the sauce. In that sense, it makes it similar to my beef osso bucco recipe.
It is the same cut of meat that you get when you buy a neck of lamb fillet. But cooking it on the bone adds so much more flavour to the broth.
This recipe is based on the simple stew from Merseyside called scouse.
A stew from a fine line of broth-based soups or stews from the UK and our neighbours that also includes cock a leekie soup, Welsh cawl, hotch potch, Scotch broth, slow cooker Irish stew and more free-form dishes like my sausage and apple casserole.
That dish rarely contains parsnip, and even carrots can be controversial, but I'm not afraid of upsetting people by tweaking dishes!
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find bone in neck of lamb chops?
As I have mentioned above, if you go to a proper butcher in the UK, they will get you some scrag end without batting an eyelid.
It may be frozen as it is a cut of meat that has fallen out of favour.
If you are not from the UK, then a trip to a Turkish butcher's should see you well.
Can I use another cut of lamb?
If you insist, but seriously try to get some scrag end, it tastes divine.
The bones really do add to this dish. So if you are going to cook it, try and get some leg chops or even some bone-in chump chops.
You could even make it with roughly chopped bone-in chunks of goat or mutton from an Indian, Caribbean or Central European store. It will taste amazing, although much more of a challenge to eat.
Can I make this in advance?
Yes, this is delicious when it is reheated, and it will sit in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Serving Suggestions
As far as I am concerned, this lamb stew or scouse recipe should be served with mint sauce.
It gets name-checked here in everything from my mint raita to my Burmese pumpkin curry.
However, I now feel the need to say calm down to some of my readers. If you get that, then sorry. If you don't, also sorry!
A traditional scouse recipe is served with pickled red cabbage or possibly even beetroot.
Although I reckon it would be pretty good with my red cabbage chutney, which would also add a little sweetness.
Equipment Used
I only mention brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/stovetop.
- Oven.
- 30cm or 12" skillet or shallow casserole dish.
- Kitchen knife.
- Vegetable peeler.
- Chopping board.
- A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.
- Kitchen tongs, serving and stirring spoons.
Lamb Neck Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Lamb Neck Chops (Bone-In )
- 2 tablespoon Lard
- 1 Large Onion 250g
- 2 Medium-Large Floury Potatoes 400g
- 500 ml Beef or lamb Stock 2 Cups
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 1 Medium Parsnip 100g
- 1 Medium Carrot 100g
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
Instructions
- Season the lamb with salt and pepper.
- Peel the onion, cut it in half and cut it into half-moon shapes that are around 2-3mm (⅛") thick.
- Peel half of the potatoes and cut them into a 1-1½cm (½") dice.
- Heat a large, wide pan that you have a lid for over a medium-high heat. Add the lard, and when it has melted, sear the lamb until golden on both sides.
- When browned, remove the lamb and set it aside, then add the onions and cook for 5 minutes until they start to soften.
- Add the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the beef or lamb stock, scraping any residue from the base of the pan.
- Throw in the bay leaves and thyme, have a taste, and add salt as required.
- Return the meat to the pan along with any resting juices, pop on the lid, transfer to the oven and cook at 160°C or 320°F for 1 hour.
- Peel and cut the parsnip and remaining potato into 2cm (¾") cubes.
- Cut the carrot into 1-1½cm (½") thick rounds.
- After an hour, remove the pan and mash some of the potatoes against the side of the pan and add the Worcestershire sauce.
- Sprinkle the larger chopped vegetables around the pan, cover with a lid and then return to the oven for another 90 minutes. Now is also a good time to have a taste and adjust the seasoning as required.
I also grew up with my mum buying and casseroling scrag end of neck. Great taste, great value.
Ain't that so true!
Nice to see a recipe for this cut of meat which I have always liked.
I usually cook it with pearl barley and then finish it off with dumplings (my husband is very keen on dumplings). I usually take the meat off the bone before doing the dumpling stage.
We had it today. But your recipe looks good too.
Thanks Tessa, it is such an under-rated cut of meat that I love, it's appearance often puts people off, but not me 😀
I'm working on a recipe now using some lamb neck chops which I'm hoping to get out in early spring 🙂
How to cook this receipt on stove top
Hi Rose...
If I were to cook this on the stovetop, I would reduce the size of the pot, maybe 24cm or 10" to ensure that the meat was a little more submerged. Then cook covered with a lid for 2-3 hours on very low.
This would be great for us in the later part of the winter when all we have is a freezer full of lamb and mutton off the farm (here) and a garden full of root veg. But I agree with Felicette in the other comments, goat meat would not be a challenge for me, I guess it might be cultural though as British people seem put off by stew full of meat on the bone, and by the way goat meat isn’t necessarily roughly chopped and on the bone. It might come that way in some of the Asian and Middle Eastern butcher shops in the UK but elsewhere it isn’t, and the neck chops as they’re called in Britain are the American as lamb or mutton and although you might want to cook them a wee bit longer, as you would with mutton, they’re just as nice. Take it from me 🙂
It tends to be a younger generation that are put off by meat on the bone and not just in Britain, the cut of meat in this recipe used to be called scrag end and it featured regularly on our table growing up, I'm not particularly ancient (nearly 50) although was raised in a family of many butchers, but it didn't really exist on many of my classmates tables. I spent 13 years living in Hungary and the prevalence of bone in meat in major cities definitely reduced over that time, although not in the countryside.
Historically butchery in the UK tends to be "seam" butchery which results in a higher yield which means many of the stewing cots of meat come bone free, there are of course notable exceptions, like this cut of meat and of course oxtail.
hi brian
hope your well could i cook this in the slow cooker if so how long regards tom
This would be great in a slow cooker, I'd cook it for around 6 hours on low.\
Brian
@Brian Jones, thanks brian that is the road i am going down
Very forgiving recipe! Absolutely delicious. I used veg oil not lard. 6 chops not 4 and leeks and fennel not carrot and parsnip because that what I had. Cooking times and Brian's process produces a stunning, cheap family dish.
Glad you enjoyed it James, a stunning cot of meat that should definitely be utilised more 🙂
Why would this be a challenge to eat if you make it with goat meat? I personally don’t find goat stew “a challenge”!
Not because it is goat meat, but because roughly chopped bone-in meat is a challenge to eat for many. I would order it all of the time in restaurants because the flavour pay off is enormous, but the faff is measurable!
On a dreary weekend this was just the Sunday lunch I was looking forward to. I’d looked at other recipes but they appeared to be rather bland so I was pleased to see carrots and parsnips in this one. I thought I’d followed this exactly but, on reviewing it now, I just realised I didn’t add the Worcestershire sauce. Nevertheless it was everything I’d hoped for. Delicious. Cheap to make and loads left over. I will definitely be making this again several times over winter. Thankyou.
Glad you enjoyed this Steve... Definitely one of my favourite new recipes, and one that often slips under the radar due to a less than "trendy" cut of meat.
I'll be joining you on munching on this all winter 🙂
They are my favourite cut of lamb followed by shank. There is lard I made in the fridge so will make this when I come across some neck chops. I like to cook them the night before so the fat is easy to take off while cold.
It is such a great piece of meat, I love it too!