Cannon of lamb with fresh liquorice

Method

1. Soak the liquorice in a bowl of hot water for about 40 minutes, to soften. Peel and cut the root into small strips.

2. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6.

3. Trim the lamb loins and pierce each end to make a slit big enough to hold the liquorice roots. Stuff with the liquorice.

4. Wash the courgettes, dry on kitchen paper and cut into thick diagonal slices. Drizzle with olive oil, season, and cook on a griddle until charred but with a little bite. Cover with cling film and set aside in a warm place - they will finish cooking slowly.

5. Fill a small pan with olive oil and heat gently. Score the tomatoes with an ‘x’ on the bottom and drop carefully into the oil. Cook gently for a few minutes to confit, then remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm.

6. Heat a splash of oil and a knob of butter in an ovenproof frying pan. Brown the lamb on all sides then transfer to the oven for 8-10 minutes to cook through. Leave the meat to rest on a board for a few minutes.

7. Skim off any excess fat from the lamb pan and put on the heat. Cut some of the confit tomatoes in half and gently fry them with crushed garlic cloves for 5 minutes.

8. Lay 3 slices of grilled courgette on each serving plate and sit slices of the lamb loins on top. Scatter around the confit tomatoes and finish with a drizzle of lamb jus. Garnish with snipped chives.