Recipe: Slow-cooked spring lamb neck, farro, wild olives and salsa verde

Season the lamb generously with salt and pepper. Using a large heavy-based pan, sear the lamb on all sides over a medium heat in the vegetable oil until well coloured. Remove from the pan and add onion, garlic, carrot and celery, sautéing until lightly coloured.

Deglaze the pan with the sherry, turn up the heat and reduce liquid by half. Add the beef stock, thyme and rosemary, return the lamb to the pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover the pan and place in the oven. Cook for 1.5-2 hours. Lamb should be tender but not breaking down.

Remove the lamb from the braising liquid, strain liquid into a saucepan, bring to a simmer and reduce until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Whisk in the butter, remove from the heat and reserve until needed.

For the salsa verde, process all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Adjust with extra olive oil or vinegar to taste.

Drain farro and cook in unsalted boiling water for roughly 30 mins, or until grains swell and become tender. Strain from liquid and dress with a small amount of salsa verde, lamb braising sauce, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

To serve, warm the sauce over a moderate heat in a pan and add the anchovy fillets, olives, pickled walnut slices and chopped parsley. Bring to a near simmer. Meanwhile, brown the lamb portions in a separate pan and then add to the sauce, allowing it to gently heat through.

Spoon farro onto individual serving plates, top with a piece of lamb and the arrange the warm olives, anchovies and walnuts. Dress with remaining sauce and salsa verde. Decorate with wild rocket leaves, nasturtiums, chickweed or any suitable fresh leaves.