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.

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.

I never make my own and usually buy it. Although this lamb leg recipe contains a good mint sauce to take a run at.

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.

• Stovetop.
• Oven.
• 30cm or 12″ skillet or shallow casserole dish.
• Kitchen knife.
• Vegetable peeler.
• Chopping board.
• Weighing scales and or measuring jug, cups and spoons.
• Kitchen tongs, serving and stirring spoons.