Farm Fresh: Mouth-watering Suggestions for Lamb and Beef.

The sight of lambs running around the fields is as much of a sign of springtime as the happy golden hues of daffodils and the first trills of songbirds. So when it comes to seasonal produce, there's nothing better than indulging in some succulent lamb when the weather starts to warm up, including the traditional favourite of the Easter Sunday leg of marinated lamb, roasted to perfection and seasoned specially to be a treat for the taste buds!

Everyone has their own preference when it comes to preparing and serving lamb and mutton, and it's lucky that we here in the UK have a veritable treasure trove when it comes to recipes for serving scrumptious servings of lamb and mutton. A personal favourite would have to be Shepherd's Pie, as it's just a hearty and filling dish - nothing pretentious and everything delicious!

Yet what happens when you encounter the familiar in an unfamiliar setting? It was a bit of a case of double-take recently when served a portion of good ol' Shepherd's Pie, or more accurately, Cottage Pie, the other day. The only thing was, it was being served up in hotels in Paris. Wanting to try some authentic French cuisine, I settled for ordering hachis Parmentier, knowing that Parmentier meant that it involved potatoes, as Parmentier was the pharmacist who actually determined that the humble potato was an edible food crop in 1772 (before this point in time, potatoes were only used as pig feed, and were thought to cause leprosy in humans, amongst other outrageous claims!)

Hachis was also easy to figure out, as the word comes from the same root as the English word 'hatchet', and means chopped or ground. For instance, steak haché is minced meat. Imagine my surprise however when I was presented an authentic Cottage Pie - in Paris! There it was, diced beef and a few vegetables thrown in for good measure, covered with a generous helping of mashed potatoes forming a crispy crust. I wouldn't have been so surprised if it was served up at hotels in London, but it's not the type of thing you'd expect in an 'haute cuisine' culinary experience in France!

Makes me realise that what we've got over here is just fine - and sometimes even better because you've got the guarantee of top notch local produce.

But, as the French say - bon appétit!