Slow-roast lamb with sumac, dates and pomegranates
2025 is one of the special years in which the Western and Eastern (Orthodox) Easters coincide, one aligning to the Gregorian calendar and the other to the Julian calendar. Each festival celebrates the same event in its own way, but they also share many traditions - not least a joyous family feast. Roast lamb is a symbolic Easter indulgence for both religious affiliations and it is striking to imagine burnished joints of the meat gracing tables from Ireland to Lebanon. For my Easter feast, I have looked towards countries celebrating Orthodox Easter for inspiration and these recipes draw flavours from Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean. Lamb is naturally the centrepiece, sweet and sticky with dates, surrounded by a vibrant herby pilaf and a double hit of green in the pistachio and spice-flecked green beans. Perhaps the crowning glory is pudding - a baklava cheesecake, which presents a riot of texture and a heady perfume. Happy Easter, one and all!
Lamb has a natural sweetness, played up here by dates, roasted onions and cinnamon. But we need balance, which comes from the delightfully tart pomegranate molasses and sumac glaze. Shoulder is best for slow-roasting - the result is butter tender.
