NORTHCOTE Manor's Michelin-starred chef Nigel Haworth has been flying the flag for East Lancashire this week after winning the first round of BBC2's Great British Menu.

Triumphant Nigel wowed the judges with his Lancashire-inspired menu including Lonk Lamb Lancashire hotpot, cornfed Goosnargh duck ham and scratchings, Muncaster crab and summer fruit pudding.

Now Nigel will compete in the grand final of the hotly-contested cook-off, which sees the UK's top chefs compete to create dishes for a homecoming banquet to welcome back troops returning from active service in Afghanistan.

Nigel will be cooking his final dishes on the show the week of Monday, May 25, and he needs your votes to bring the crown home to Lancashire.

But diners don’t have to wait long to taste the dishes for themselves, as they will be on sale at Northcote Manor, Langho, from Monday, May 18.

And now you can make Nigel's Lonk lamb Lancashire hotpot at home for yourselves with this recipe.

Lonk lamb Lancashire hotpot

  • 440gm shoulder, neck and shin of Lonk lamb, cut into 3cm pieces
  • 1 x rack of under shoulder chops, trimmed and chimed cut into four neck chops
  • 1 x boneless best end of lamb
  • 600 gm Tarleton Onions, thinly sliced
  • 500 gm Maris Piper potatoes, peeled, medium size
  • 10 g plain flour
  • 40 g salted butter - melted
  • 2 ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • White pepper
  • 25gm golden granulated sugar
  • 10g melted butter (for brushing the top of the hot pot).

Season the lamb and the lamb chops with salt, sugar and a good pinch of pepper, dust with flour, put the lamb into the base of the hot pot dish and place the four chops evenly around the perimeter of the dish.

Sweat off the onions in 15g of butter with half a teaspoon of salt for 2-3 minutes. Spread the onions evenly on top of the lamb.

Put the neck chops evenly around the perimeter of the hot pot bowl, pushing them firmly into the onions (make sure the clean bones are sticking out of the dish).

Slice the potatoes vertically (2mm thick). Place in a medium size bowl, add the remaining 25g melted butter, season with 1 teaspoon of salt and a pinch of white pepper, and mix well.

Place a stainless steel cutter (6cm diameter) in the centre of the dish on top of the onions (this is to leave a space to put the roasted loin of lamb, when ready to serve).

Put the sliced potatoes evenly on top of the onions, reserving the best-shaped potatoes for the final layer.

Place the hotpot in a pre-heated oven for 2½ hours on 140c.

Seal the loin of lamb until golden in colour. Then roast the loin for 8-10 minutes until pink.

Then remove the loin and allow it to set for five minutes on a cooling rack.

Brush the golden potatoes with melted butter.

Remove the stainless steel cutter, and carve the lamb loin and place it in the centre of the hot pot.

Nigel serves his hotpot with pickled red cabbage, organic tangled carrots and leeks.