Lordy Lord, how cold was it yesterday? I don’t know about you, but I went into hibernation mode and retreated to the kitchen for warmth…and to my favourite comfort food – lamb shanks.

I picked up this method of cooking lamb shanks a few years back from somewhere I don’t even remember, but it’s remained a favourite recipe of mine.

It’s incredibly easy, preparation takes minutes, and its simplicity of flavour means that you can choose any number of accompaniments. Plus, the use of baking paper (en papillote if you want to get all MasterChef) means there’s no washing up…well, not much anyway!

what you need

4 frenched lamb shanks

1 lemon, cut into 8 slices

8 garlic cloves

4 teaspoons dried oregano

what to do

Preheat oven to 140C (120C fan forced)

On the bench, place two long pieces of baking paper across each other, so that they form a cross. Lie a shank in the middle of the paper and season well with salt and pepper. Sprinkle dried oregano over the shank, and cover with two slices of lemon. Add two garlic cloves and wrap up the parcle, tying it with kitchen string. Repeat with the other shanks.

Place the parcels in a baking tray and cook for three hours. When ready, unwrap and serve with your favourite side dish.

what to serve it with

You might like to try serving it with the pea, ricotta and mint mixture from my lamb cutlet recipe and some couscous. In Summer, replace the ricotta with low fat feta.

You could boil up some chats potatoes until they’re not quite tender, then drain and smash them with a fork a little. Put them in a baking dish and spray with some olive oil and sprinkle with some salt and pepper, and put them in the oven for the last hour of cooking. Serve with a fresh Greek salad with low fat feta.

Another side that would work well is pureed pumpkin and some wilted baby spinach; or serve with fluffy couscous, low fat garlic yoghurt and greens.

So many options, why not try them all?