Slow-Roasted Hogget Shoulder with Baby Potatoes & Garlic
Plus my new fave bagel spot...
Hey everyone, I hope you’re having a lovely week.
A slightly longer read from me this time… hope you enjoy x
Last week, I popped into the new Farmer Tom Jones butchers down at Spa Terminus and left with a shoulder of hogget. It was the first properly nice weather we’d had in a while — sunny, not freezing — so I jumped on a Lime bike and headed over to Bermondsey.
I went to visit Mike Davies (of Camberwell Arms) and the team, who explained why they don’t sell spring lamb. Basically, it’s too early. Most of the “new season lamb” in shops this time of year is from animals born around Christmas — raised fast, finished early. Sure, it’s tender, but there’s not much flavour going on. Hogget, on the other hand, is lamb that’s had more time to grow — about a year old — and it makes a huge difference. The flavour’s deeper, the texture’s better, and it just makes more sense both ethically and environmentally.
The shop itself is run by Tom Jones (the farmer, not the singer), along with Mike, Alex Keys (ex-Rochelle Canteen and ST. John), and butcher Olly Seabright. They’ve been supplying some of the best restaurants in London for years — think St. John, The Clove Club, Lyle’s — and now they’re offering that same quality meat to home cooks (like me).
So that shoulder of hogget became my Easter centrepiece. Slow-roasted, unfussy, and full of flavour — the kind of thing you want to cook when you’ve got a bit of time and a few people around the table. Recipe’s below if you fancy giving it a go. It’s a proper springtime feast: tender, slow-cooked hogget shoulder roasted low and slow with garlic and baby potatoes, all golden and rich with pan juices, paired with a fresh, crisp slaw that brings freshness and crunch to the dish.
I also wanted to use this newsletter to give an honourable mention to a new bagel spot I tried while cycling home from FTJ’s. A great little hidden gem just off the cycle route I use a couple of times a week — but until now hadn’t detoured to pop in. It’s a spot called Banook Bagels and it’s very, very good. I wouldn’t consider myself a massive bagel person, but maybe I’ve just not been having the right ones until now — because these really hit the spot.
I shared The Fish One and The Tomato One with a friend and both were excellent. I loved that they swapped out the usual salmon for trout, and the green onion and chive cream cheese on the tomato one was insanely good. It’s an honest spot keeping things simple, with great ingredients just done really well. I also loved the way they serve them in the style of open sandwiches, making them much easier to eat. Definitely check them out if you’re often passing by like I am.
