Boneless lamb neck stew with potatoes, carrots and onions in a savoury broth

Recipe

Lamb Neck Fillet and Potato Stew

Published 13 October 2026 · Updated 13 October 2026

Lamb neck becomes yielding in a savoury broth with sweet carrots, onions, rosemary and thyme. The potatoes go in once the lamb is nearly tender, so they soften into the broth without disappearing during the long braise.

Not kitchen tested by The Black Farmer.
Serves 6
Prep 25 min
Cook 210 min
Total 240 min

Ingredients

  • Lamb - Neck Fillets — 1kg

    Boneless lamb neck fillet

    1000 g; Chilled, fully thawed if previously frozen; raw weight before light trimming. Trim only hard fat or tough surface membrane, then cut into 3–4cm pieces and pat dry; keep unbrowned batches refrigerated

    Chilled, fully thawed if previously frozen; raw weight before light trimming. Trim only hard fat or tough surface membrane, then cut into 3–4cm pieces and pat dry; keep unbrowned batches refrigerated

    £54.70

Adds 1 items across 1 products — £54.70 total.

Pantry ingredients such as oil, salt and herbs are not included.

Other Ingredients You'll Need

  • Rapeseed oil — 30 ml; Divided: 5ml for each of four lamb batches (20ml total), 10ml for the onions (Divided: 5ml for each of four lamb batches (20ml total), 10ml for the onions)
  • Onions — 300 g; Peeled weight, sliced about 5mm thick (Peeled weight, sliced about 5mm thick)
  • Garlic — 10 g; Peeled weight, finely chopped, approximately 2 large cloves (Peeled weight, finely chopped, approximately 2 large cloves)
  • Carrots — 450 g; Trimmed and peeled weight, cut into 3cm chunks; halve very thick ends lengthways (Trimmed and peeled weight, cut into 3cm chunks; halve very thick ends lengthways)
  • Firm-fleshed potatoes, such as Charlotte — 900 g; Peeled weight, cut into even 3cm chunks (Peeled weight, cut into even 3cm chunks)
  • Reduced-salt lamb or vegetable stock — 850 ml; Made up as directed on the pack and hot when added; divided: 100ml for deglazing, 750ml for the braise (Made up as directed on the pack and hot when added; divided: 100ml for deglazing, 750ml for the braise)
  • Dried thyme — 1 tsp
  • Fresh rosemary — 1 sprig; Approximately 10cm long, left whole for removal (Approximately 10cm long, left whole for removal)
  • Bay leaves — 2 leaves
  • Fine salt — to taste; A little for the raw lamb, then adjust after cooking according to the stock (A little for the raw lamb, then adjust after cooking according to the stock)
  • Black pepper — to taste; For the raw lamb and final seasoning (For the raw lamb and final seasoning)
  • Water — as needed; Cold to hold prepared potatoes; boiling for small liquid top-ups if needed. Drain potato water before use (Cold to hold prepared potatoes; boiling for small liquid top-ups if needed. Drain potato water before use)

Method

Prepare the ingredients and oven

Allow 25 minutes to heat the oven to 160°C conventional or 140°C fan (gas 3), trim and cut the chilled, fully thawed lamb into 3–4cm pieces, prepare the vegetables and measure the stock and seasonings. Keep the prepared potatoes covered with cold water in a bowl in the fridge until needed. Season the dry lamb lightly with salt and pepper. Prefer a 6-litre flameproof casserole with a fitted lid; use a 5-litre pot only if it will leave the headroom specified below after the potatoes are added. Oven preheating overlaps preparation; start heating the casserole only as you finish preparing, following its manufacturer's instructions, not throughout the 25 minutes. If heating or preparation takes longer, add that extra time. Wash hands and clean the raw-meat board, knife and surfaces before handling ready-to-eat food; keep the remaining raw lamb refrigerated while you brown each batch.

Brown the lamb without crowding

Heat the casserole over medium-high heat, following its manufacturer's instructions. Add 5ml oil for each of four batches of lamb, using 20ml altogether. Brown for about 6 minutes per batch, turning to colour several sides: about 24 minutes altogether, including batch changes. Leave space between pieces so the meat browns rather than steams. Transfer each batch to a clean plate reserved for this part-cooked meat. Lower the heat if the brown residue begins to blacken; browning adds flavour, it does not seal in juices or establish doneness. Have the measured stock hot by the next stage; heat it while the onions cook.

Soften the onions and loosen the browned juices

Reduce to medium-low heat and add the remaining 10ml oil. Cook the onions for 10 minutes, stirring, until soft and lightly golden, heating the measured stock alongside, then add the garlic for 1 minute. Pour in 100ml of the hot stock and scrape the brown residue from the base. Return the lamb and plate juices, then add the carrots, dried thyme, rosemary, bay leaves and remaining 750ml hot stock. Allow about 10 minutes for deglazing, returning the ingredients and bringing everything to a gentle simmer; if heat-up takes longer, add the extra time before starting the oven stage. The liquid should reach roughly two-thirds of the way up the settled meat and vegetables, rather than cover them completely. Pot shape affects the level, so do not chase an exact line by pouring in lots of water. If the base is too dry, add boiling water 50ml at a time. Reserve room for the potatoes: the fully assembled stew must have at least 4cm clearance below the rim and remain below any lower manufacturer's fill limit. If your casserole cannot provide this, transfer to a larger flameproof casserole rather than overfill it.

Braise until the lamb is nearly tender

Cover and put the casserole in the oven for 1 hour 45 minutes. Check the liquid and give it a gentle stir after about 1 hour, topping up with a small splash of boiling water if pieces are drying out. The broth should move gently rather than boil hard. At the end, test a large piece with a fork: it should give readily but need a little more cooking to pull apart. If it is still firm or rubbery, keep the potatoes out and continue covered in 15-minute intervals until nearly tender. These extra intervals extend the recipe time.

Add the potatoes for the final covered cook

Drain the chilled potatoes, discard their soaking water and fold them into the stew. Settle them into the broth as far as possible without breaking the lamb; they need not be fully submerged. Add boiling water 50ml at a time only if needed to moisten dry areas, keeping at least 4cm headroom and respecting the casserole's fill limit. Put the casserole over medium-low hob heat and bring the stew back to a gentle simmer, moving it gently from the base to prevent sticking. Allow about 10 minutes for draining, adding the potatoes and reheating; add extra time if it has not yet reached a simmer. Cover and return to the oven for about 45 minutes, checking after 35 minutes; count this oven stage from after the stew has returned to a simmer. A knife should pass easily through the potatoes and a fork should pull the lamb apart. If either is not tender, continue covered in 15-minute intervals and check again. Use a clean thermometer in the centres of several of the largest lamb pieces in different parts of the pot: this recipe uses a thoroughly cooked finish of at least 75°C for 30 seconds. The temperature check and hold are included within the covered cooking allowance only when achieved there; continue cooking if needed. Clean the probe after use. Tenderness is a separate check from this safety endpoint.

Finish the broth

Put the casserole over low hob heat, remove the rosemary stem and both bay leaves, and skim off any excess surface fat with a spoon. Allow 5 minutes for this finishing stage and final seasoning with salt and pepper. Keep the stew gently steaming; do not boil hard or stir vigorously. The intended result is yielding lamb, recognisable tender potatoes and very soft, sweet carrots in a spoonable lamb-and-herb broth, with only a little body from the potatoes, not a flour-thickened gravy. No separate reduction is required.

Rest briefly and serve

Take off the heat and leave covered for 5 minutes. Stir gently and divide the lamb, potatoes, carrots and broth evenly between six bowls. Serve hot, with steamed spring greens or Garlic Butter Kale if wanted. Optional sides are prepared separately and are not included in the stew's timing or ingredient basket.

Serving Suggestion

Serve in deep bowls with steamed spring greens, or Garlic Butter Kale for a garlicky green accompaniment. A little crusty bread is optional; there are already potatoes in the stew.

Garlic Butter Kale: view the kale recipe

Six moderate main-course bowls, with the potatoes and carrots included. Uses 1kg raw boneless lamb before light trimming; no fillet count is assumed.

Timing: 25 minutes preparation; about 3 hours 30 minutes cooking; 5 minutes resting; about 4 hours total, plus any tenderness or heat-up extension. Cooking comprises 24 minutes browning, 10 minutes onions, 1 minute garlic, 10 minutes deglazing/assembly/heat-up, 105 minutes initial covered braise, 10 minutes draining/adding potatoes and returning to a simmer, 45 minutes covered potato stage and 5 minutes finishing. Prep includes all chopping, stock measurement, potato holding setup, hygiene and overlapping oven preheating; initial pan heating starts near the end, not throughout prep. Stock heating overlaps the onions. Oven transfers and checks are included in their stage allowances; draining is included in the separate potato assembly stage, not deducted from its oven cook. The in-oven 60- and 35-minute checks are checkpoints, not additional durations. No marination. The refrigerated potato holding wait overlaps the browning, sauce assembly and initial braise and extends if needed. Optional raw-lamb thawing and leftovers cooling, chilling, defrosting and reheating are separate workflows, not added to the nominal fully thawed fresh-meal total.

Storage and safety: Keep raw lamb sealed on the bottom fridge shelf below 5°C and follow the pack's use-by and storage instructions. If frozen, thaw fully in the fridge before preparation and use within 24 hours of full defrosting; thawing time is additional. For leftovers, divide the stew into small shallow containers, cool and refrigerate as soon as cool and within 1–2 hours. Keep the fridge at 0–5°C and eat within 48 hours or freeze promptly after cooling. Defrost frozen portions fully in the fridge and use within 24 hours. Reheat only once in a saucepan, stirring gently and adding a splash of water if needed, until steaming hot throughout, including the centres of the meat and potatoes. Reheating time depends on portion size; do not rely on a fixed short microwave time. The potatoes may soften after freezing.

Allergens: Check the stock label for allergens, which can include celery and cereals containing gluten. Optional bread and Garlic Butter Kale bring their own allergens. No gluten-free or other dietary suitability claim is made.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is lamb neck fillet the same as neck on the bone?

No. This recipe uses weighed boneless neck fillet that you cut into pieces yourself. Bone-in neck has a different yield and geometry, so it is not a like-for-like replacement in these quantities and timings.

Why do the potatoes go in later?

The neck needs longer to soften than the potatoes. Waiting until the lamb is nearly tender lets the potatoes cook through without spending the whole braise in the pot. Keep the potatoes in even 3cm pieces and stir gently.

What if the lamb is still tough when it is time to add the potatoes?

Keep it covered at the same oven setting, check the liquid and cook in further 15-minute intervals before adding the potatoes. A safety temperature does not mean the neck's connective tissue has softened. Add each extension to the estimated total.

Should this stew have a thick gravy?

No: this version has a spoonable herb-and-stock broth with a little body from the potatoes. Firm-fleshed varieties help the chunks hold their shape rather than make a thick sauce. Avoid covering everything with excess liquid, and do not boil hard to reduce it once the potatoes are tender.