Colin Fassnidge and Anthony Puharich are looking forward to tucking into lamb for Easter, but our butcher’s choice of cut hasn’t met entirely with Colin’s approval.

Can’t wait until the end of the page? Click here for Colin’s lamb shanks enriched with chocolate recipe. 

A Easter is about lamb.

C Yes, lamb shoulder.

A No. Lamb shanks.

C What? Hang on, why aren’t we doing lamb shoulder?

A Lamb leg and lamb shoulder have been done to death. We’re bringing sexy back! Lamb shanks are from the ‘80s. They’re what your grandparents used to tell you they’d feed to the dogs. What butchers gave away for free. They’re awesome, they’re inexpensive and they’re incredible.

C Here we go again. Fine. Easter also means chocolate.

A Is this going to taste good?

C Of course it is! We’re going to put the shanks in a pot, sear them until they’re browned all over, and remove them from the pan. Then we’re going to throw in some veg – onions, garlic, carrot and celery – with some herbs. Tomato paste and wine next so we can scrape all the flavour in when we deglaze the pan, then stock just before the lamb goes back in.

A Sounds good so far.

C You haven’t heard the best bit! We’ll leave it to cook for a few hours, then we’ll stir through some chocolate and butter.

A Chocolate?

C Chocolate. Then you just add vinegar to balance it, and taste for seasoning.

A Col, Col, you idiot! Wintertime isn’t everyone’s favourite to look forward to, but the one good thing is you can grate truffle over everything! Why don’t we do that?

C It’s Easter! Chocolate, not truffle! Anyway, I still don’t know why we didn’t go with lamb shoulder. It’s Easter. It’s family!

A I’m bored of you banging on about the same old thing! It’s like the same record that you’ve heard over and over. I like it, but if I hear it every day, every week, I get sick of it. It’s the same with lamb shoulder.

C Do you get bored of Led Zeppelin? Because they always have hits! You’re like Yoko Ono and The Beatles. “I know, let’s go out on our own, Col.” I’m going to get shot because of you. You’re my Yoko.

Butcher’s cut: lamb shanks

Slow-cooked lamb shanks are the perfect autumn comfort food, and the addition of chocolate to this recipe adds a rich warmth and balance to the savouriness of the meat. ‘Frenching’ (or removing) meat, cartilage and fat from the lamb shank bone makes for a neater presentation.