Irish lamb stew with herbed goats cheese dumplings

1) Preheat the oven to 160°C / gas marriage 3. Rub the lamb all over with olive oil. Make ten small slits all over the roast. Insert the bacon and garlic cloves into the slits. Season with salt and pepper and place in a roasting tin. Add the stock and cover with foil. Place in the oven and slow roast for three hours, or until very, very tender.

2) Remove the lamb from the oven and allow to cool. Cut the meat into 5cm pieces. Set aside, reserving the stock.

3) In a large pan melt the butter over low heat. Add the onion and saute until soft, about five minutes. Add the carrots and the celery and saute for another ten minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for three minutes. Slowly whisk in the reserved stock and the lamb. Bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

4) To make the dumplings, in a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt and mix well. In another bowl, beat the eggs with the milk and then add to the dry ingredients. Mix well. Stir in the goat's cheese and the herbs. Season with freshly ground black pepper.

5) Bring the 700ml of stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Using two tablespoons, drop lumps of the dumpling batter into the boiling stock. Cook for about five minutes, or until the dumplings float to the surface. Remove the dumplings from the stock and add to the stew. Serve at once.