Irish stew

For the stock: put all the ingredients in a large pan and fill with cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for as long as possible to bring out the flavours – at least 3 hours is ideal. Strain the stock and keep warm.

For the stew: place a flameproof casserole dish over a high heat and melt the butter. Add the mutton, season with pepper and stir until the meat is browned.

Tip in the carrots, onion and potatoes and season again with salt and pepper.

Add the thyme leaves and then pour over the hot stock. Simmer gently for at least half an hour, or until the meat is tender and cooked through. The longer you can cook the stew, the better.

For the beurre manié: if the juices from the stew appear too thin for the sauce, thicken them with some beurre manié. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and whisk in the flour to make a paste. Ladle some of the juices from the stew into a separate small saucepan and slowly whisk in the beurre manié, then pour the thickened gravy back into the stew and stir.

Serve the stew hot with crusty bread and butter.