In association with PGI Welsh Lamb
Slow Cooker Roast Shoulder of Lamb with Apricot & Chestnut Stuffing is the perfect Sunday roast cooked on a bed of thickly sliced onions that make a great accompaniment.
I’m delighted to have been invited by PGI Welsh Lamb to become a Llambassador again this year.
I was asked to create a dish for a lazy Sunday so I came up with Slow Cooker Shoulder of Welsh Lamb with Apricot & Chestnut Stuffing.
The stuffed rolled shoulder of lamb cooks slowly on a bed of onion and is finished off in the oven. This dish has a nod to Moroccan flavours with the apricots and I also dusted the outside of the lamb with cinnamon.
I don’t know about you but I like to go for a walk on a Sunday afternoon so using the slow cooker allows for this and perhaps a cuppa too!
When you get back all you need to do is finish off the lamb in the oven along with some vegetables and hey presto you have a lush dinner!
What is PGI and what makes Welsh Lamb so special?
Well PGI stands for Protected Geographical Indication which has been awarded by the European Commission.
This is in recognition of Welsh Lamb being product of a uniquely beautiful landscape that has been blessed for centuries with the purest of natural ingredients – clean air, sweet spring water, fresh grass and fragrant heather.
This coupled with traditional farming practices that span generations, has helped produce meat of superior quality.
So when you see this badge you know that the lamb has been born and bred in Wales. My husband and I can definitely taste the difference and I’m sure you will too.
Making the Slow Cooker Shoulder of Welsh Lamb with Apricot & Chestnut Stuffing
I was a little out of my comfort zone when I came up with this recipe as I’d never tied a piece of meat up before and was hoping my Welsh Lamb would have those handy elastic ties on.
However, I had string on standby and I have to say that it was dead easy and really quite rewarding!
You don’t need to know any fancy knots to tie the roll of lamb up, just plain knot will do (well several which I tied to one side of the joint).
To emulate how the butcher had tied mine I also tied up my joint lengthways and interwove the string for better support.
For an extra lazy Sunday you could make up the stuffing the night before and keep in the fridge.
What to serve with the Slow Cooker Shoulder of Welsh Lamb with Apricot & Chestnut Stuffing
To make use of the oven I roasted potatoes, parsnips, and carrots which I cut into similar-sized pieces (they took about 40 minutes to roast).
You should also extract the meat juices from the fat to add to your gravy and serve the onions slices which have absorbed all the beautiful lamb flavour.
We loved this roast and I’m looking forward to making it again. The long slow cooking method is perfect for shoulder of lamb as it breaks down all the collagen making it beautifully tender.
I think this roast would actually be perfect for Christmas too as it’s so easy and serves 8 hungry people.
More Lamb Recipes
- 2 Ingredient Slow Cooker Roast Lamb
- Lamb, Vegetable and Lentil Soup
- Welsh Lamb Moussaka Burgers
- Easy Slow Cooker Lamb Curry
- Lamb Burning Love – uses leftover roast lamb.
Pin for later!
Leave a comment and rating below when you’ve made this recipe; I love getting your feedback! You can also share your pictures by tagging @FabFood4All over on Instagram.
NB: This is a commissioned post for PGI Welsh Lamb.
Slow Cooker Roast Shoulder of Lamb with Apricot & Chestnut Stuffing
Ingredients
- 1.8 kg whole rolled shoulder of Welsh lamb
- 3 onions
- freshly ground salt & pepper
- cinnamon for dusting
Stuffing
- 1 large onion finely diced
- 180 g fresh breadcrumbs
- 125 g ready to eat apricots chopped
- 125 g whole chestnuts from a pack, chopped
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 15 g bunch of parsley chopped (including stalks)
- 2 eggs beaten
- freshly ground salt and pepper
Instructions
- Take the Welsh rolled shoulder of lamb out of the fridge 2 hours before cooking to bring up to room temperature.
- In a bowl, mix together the onion, breadcrumbs, apricots, chestnuts, lemon zest, parsley, eggs, salt and pepper to make the stuffing.
- Remove string and unroll the lamb shoulder.
- Spread the stuffing over the lamb and roll back up.
- Tie the shoulder back up with string at equal intervals and finish with an interwoven piece of string along the length.
- Rub in salt and pepper and dust with cinnamon.
- Slice the 3 onions into 4 thick slices and use them to line the bottom of a 6.5 ltr capacity slow cooker.
- Place the lamb on top, replace the lid and cook on high for 3 ½ to 4 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC 20 minutes before the lamb is ready.
- Transfer the lamb to a roasting tin and roast for 25 minutes to crisp up the skin.
- Reduce the temperature of the slow cooker to warm setting to keep the onions & meat juices warm..
- Remove lamb from oven and leave to rest under foil for 30 minutes.
- Carve and serve with gravy (to which you’ve added some of the meat juices), onion slices and vegetables of your choice.
Lubna
I really like the combination of ingredients you put in this recipe, I have a lamb shoulder roast in my freezer at the moment and I think I’ll try to make it like this. I can just imagine the flavors of cinnamon,apricot and chestnuts with the lamb…yummy!
Camilla
Thank you so much. I’m sure you’ll love it:-)
Robert Price
I love lamb
Camilla
It is a wonderful meat and especial at this time of year:-)
Maya Russell
The lamb looks great and so does the stuffing. I’d also prepare the stuffing the night before to make less work on the day.
Camilla
Thanks Maya, yes that would work well:-)
William Gould
I’ve never had stuffing with lamb. (I love mint sauce!). We really must give this a try some time!
Leila Benhamida
Wow! That must be divine. I love chestnuts.and apricots. Very long cooking time but worth it.
Camilla
Thanks Leila, it’s the kind of dish you can come home to after a long Sunday walk and perhaps a cup of tea:-)
Jenni
Ooooh, what a lovely recipe! I definitely wish I made lamb at home more often – and this recipe might be the one that gets me to do it! It sounds so fancy, yet looks so doable!
Camilla
Thanks Jenni, yes I love recipes like this that look complicated yet aren’t-)
Tiffany
This looks delicious and so elegant! Great for the holidays. I love your apricot and chestnut stuffing. I can’t wait to make this!
Camilla
Thank you Tiffany, the apricot & chestnut stuffing works so well with the lamb-)
Dannii
I love stuffing and would happily eat it just out of a bowl. This looks like a lovely flavoured stuffing and I can’t wait to try it.
Camilla
Thanks Danni, it works so well with the lamb:-)
Lucy
Yum this looks delicious Camilla I’ve never tried such a large piece of rolled shoulder of lamb before but it looks perfect for feeding a large family gathering! Always keen to use Welsh Lamb too rather than lamb brought from overseas.
Camilla
Thanks Lucy! I did go out and buy a bigger slow cooker as it was going to be a snug fit in my smaller one which needed replacing anyway!
Lucy
That’s dedication! 🙂 If you fancy it this would be perfect for the Slow cooked Challenge too, I do a full roundup every month, open now!
Camilla
Thanks for the offer, if I get a moment I’ll try to remember!
Sandi
You did a beautiful job roasting that lamb. It looks delicious.
Camilla
Thanks you so much Sandi-)
Colleen Milne
This looks stunning, and especially since it’s a slow cooker meal! And the apricots and chestnut stuffing sounds so flavourful. Delicious.
Camilla
Thanks Colleen, it is a fabulous meal-)
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious
What a beautiful meal! That stuffing sounds so good!
Camilla
Thanks Dorothy, it is really good-)
Jacque
Great alternative to turkey on Thanksgiving!
Camilla
Yes, it really would be-)
Danielle
Lamb and apricot go so well together and this stuffing looks great. Packed full of so many different flavours.
Camilla
Thank you Danielle, they really are great bed fellows-)
April J Harris
Congratulations on being a Llambassador! This recipe looks so delicious, Camilla. I love using the slow cooker too. What a gorgeous flavour combination in the stuffing – and I do love Welsh Lamb.
Camilla
Thank you April, yes Welsh lamb is truly fabulous-)
Savita
Our family loves a good lamb roast. This recipe looks very inviting and perfect for holidays. Saving to try this one sometime. Thanks for sharing!
Camilla
Thank you Savita, hope you get to try it soon-)
Traci The Kitchen Girl
This looks like the perfect alternative to Thanksgiving turkey! I love your description and photos…removes the intimidation from this amazing looking dish! Thanks for sharing!
Camilla
Thank you Traci, yes would be a great Thanksgiving meal-)
Cookbook
Oh my gosh my mouth is watering! Looks fantastic!
Camilla
Thank you, it was delicious:-)
Ceri Jones
First you had me at welsh, and then you had me at lamb. I haven’t had a proper roast with lamb for a long time, used to be a real family favourite. This recipe sounds fab especially as you can do it in the slow cooker.
Camilla
Thanks Ceri, I forget you’re Welsh-)