What better way to celebrate St Patricks Day this year than with a traditional Irish stew, it’s a delicious and easy way to cook for the whole family. You will find many variations of an Irish stew with different meats and vegetables; some add barley or Guinness, and all have various cooking times. 

I have tried to stay traditional, using lamb, a variety of vegetables and of course, potatoes. I have also added in pearl barley to add texture and herbs for flavouring.

Some recipes you will see oven cook the stew, but I have used the traditional way of just cooking on the stove top. The great thing about stews is that they can be prepared in advance and are slow cooked to give you really tender meat so to enjoy St Patricks Day you could cook the day before and have a hearty Irish meal on the day! 

Juls, the co-founder of The Body Retreat with her Irish roots will be celebrating St Patricks Day I’m sure! and maybe this year you could celebrate with her by cooking up a Traditional Irish Stew! 

Ingredients – serves 4 

• 1 tablespoon of rapeseed oil  
• 400g of lamb
• 1 onion chopped 
• 2 celery sticks chopped 
• 2 leeks chopped 
• 1 medium parsnip peeled and chopped to bitesize pieces
• 2 medium carrots peeled and chopped to bitesize pieces
• 100g pearl barley 
• 1.5 litres of stock (can use chicken or vegetable)
• 3 medium potatoes peeled and chopped to bitesize pieces
• 2 teaspoons mixed herbs
• 1 sprig of thyme

Method For Traditional Irish Stew

1. Heat the rapeseed oil in a large casserole dish
2. Add the lamb – cook on a low heat until browned 
3. Remove the lamb 
4. Add the onion, celery and leeks to the casserole dish and cook until soft 
5. Add the parsnips and carrots cook for a further 10-15 minutes stirring so the vegetables don’t stick
6. Add the lamb back into the stew 
7. Add the pearl barley and stock 
8. Cook until the stock simmers 
9. Then add in the potatoes 
10. Season with mixed herbs and a sprig of thyme 
11. Allow to simmer on a low heat for an hour
12. Then serve with a crusty roll