Instructions: 1. Trim the lamb well; separate lamb from bones (keep the bones); dice the meat. Place the lamb and bones in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Drain and rinse the lamb. (Skip the blanching if you want a heartier, darker stew.)

2. Place lamb in a clean wide pot. Add the bones to the pot. Cover with approx. 4 cups water. Add the vegetables, except the cabbage. Season.

3. Add a little water if you want more sauce. Cover the pot and cook gently for approximately one hour, or until the meat is tender. Then remove the bones from the pot.

4. To finish the sauce, remove about 1 cup of the liquid and vegetables from the pot. Process this with the measure of buttermilk and return to the pot with the finely shredded cabbage. Add the Worcester sauce (sparingly). Simmer for 5 minutes, or until cabbage is wilted and heated through. Check the seasoning. Add the parsley and serve in deep plates.

MODIFICATIONS: Recipe used twice as much lamb and specified shoulder. We replace cream with buttermilk.

VARIATION: Cook the lamb and vegetables with some beer (1/4 to 1/2 cup Irish stout) and the rest water or broth.

TIP: reheats well.

NOTES : REVIEW - No oil or butter! Just the meat and vegetables - so the stew is light; mild; pale. Lamb and buttermilk carry the dish. Carrots and the bit of Worcester add color. Blanching away the fat which would foam and darken the gravy is half the trick. No sauteing is the other half. Satisfying with an oaty scone. http://home.earthlink.net/ kitpath/

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