Seasonal suppers: Forget spring, October is the time for lamb

Often, seasonal thinking stops us from seeing the reality of the lived experience of nature. Are there really only four seasons? Sometimes I think Ireland only has two seasons, both of which involve rain: a season of cold rain and a season of not so cold rain.

Usually, these two seasons will include two weeks of sunshine: one in May and the other in September. It is a rare thing to see the sun in July. More often than not, this happens once every three to five years. Because of this we’re obsessed with the weather and even more so with the possibility that next year will be the year of all years: the sunniest we will have seen in our life time!

I mention all this by way of thinking about lamb. Lamb hits the media’s headlines in the spring. We all sing about it, we cook it for our Easter dinner and then we go back to eating our beef and chicken with the occasional piece of fish. But spring lamb truly comes into its own in terms of flavour and size around August. By October, the lambs (still under a year old) have matured and grown from eating our beautiful grass, gorse and heather of Connemara.

Now is the time to be eating lamb! Lamb stew with barley and potatoes; roast lamb with rosemary and garlic; lamb kebabs with autumn courgettes; and rack of lamb with pistachio and anchovy.

There is a beautiful green sauce called chimichurri. It seems to hail from Argentina (brought there by Basque immigrants) and it's simple to make. Not only does it pair well with lamb, it also goes well beef, chicken and pork.

To make the chimichurri: blend a handful of parsley with a little fresh oregano, 1 clove of garlic, 1 chopped shallot and a teaspoon of chilli flakes in a food processor. Add 50ml of olive oil, some sea salt, the juice of half a lemon and a dash of apple cider vinegar. It should have a brilliant green colour. Grill or roast your lamb and serve alongside your sauce.