Lamb en croûte with redcurrant sauce

• lamb↗6

  neck fillets, each weighing about 140-175g/5-6oz , trimmed

• olive oil↗1 tbsp tbsp
• packs, ready-rolled puff pastry↗1½ x
• egg yolk↗1

  whisked with a fork

• sage↗leaves of 6 fresh

  leaves of 6 fresh, sprigs, chopped

• jar redcurrant↗227g g

  jelly

• port↗200ml ml
• sprigs fresh rosemary↗2

  2

• egg yolk↗1

  whisked with a fork

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Season the lamb well. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry three fillets over a high heat for 5 minutes until seared on the outside. Remove from the pan and repeat with the other 3 fillets. Set aside until cold.

2. 2

   Unravel the whole pack of pastry on a floured surface and cut into four rectangles. Cut the half pack to make two rectangles. Roll out each piece to make the rectangles 2.5cm larger all round.

3. 3

   Position one rectangle with a short side facing you, brush with egg yolk and sprinkle with a sixth of the chopped sage. Put a lamb fillet on the pastry close to the end facing you, then fold the long sides in to cover the ends of the meat; brush these with more egg yolk.

4. 4

   Freeze the lamb parcels on a tray until solid for 4 hours, then pack in a freezer container. Seal, label and freeze for up to a month.

5. 5

   To make the sauce, melt the redcurrant jelly in a pan over a gentle heat, add the port and rosemary and boil uncovered for 10-12 minutes until syrupy. Cool for 5 minutes, strain into a freezer container, then leave until completely cold. Seal, label and freeze for up to a month.

6. 6

   On the day defrost the lamb seam-side down on a wire rack for 3 hours at room temperature. Defrost the sauce at room temperature.

7. 7

   Preheat the oven to fan 200C/ conventional 220C/gas 7. Put the parcels seam-side down on a nonstick baking sheet, brush with egg yolk, then snip four incisions in the top of each. Bake for 25 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and rest them for 5-10 minutes. Reheat the sauce in a pan.

8. 8

   Slice each parcel and serve with the sauce and watercress salad.