Roast lamb for 12 - how big, how long?

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We have 12 for lunch on Sunday (WHY WHY WHY)

I'm thinking shoulder of lamb.

How big? 3kg? 3.5kg? Do I just scale the time up (i.e. double the time for 1.5kg)

Any tips for veggies?

I'm regretting this now - as bad as bloody Christmas!

noidea
but can you make it 13???

Just found some info on Waitrose site that says for leg of lamb "When buying whole leg of lamb, allow 225g-350g per person"

See HERE

Sorry, just realised you asked about shoulder. The website shows info about that too.

Can I suggets if you do go with shoulder to use Jamies slow cooked lamb shoulder recipe - it is gorgeous, the meat just falls apart

A whole shoulder of lamb weighs around 2kg. Anything larger would probably be off an older animal so would be mutton. There is less meat on a shoulder than on a leg - shoulder meat is very tasty but there is quite a lot of fat as well as the bone. I think you would need a leg of lamb to feed 12 and a shoulder would be too small.

I have actually been thinking that.

Maybe 2 shoulders, would I even be able to get a leg big enough or would I need 2 legs?

I managed to feed a house of seven hungry students with one shoulder back in my student days, so two shoulders would be fine (or even one shoulder plus one leg).

As a purchaser of 2 whole lambs a year I'd agree that shoulder doesn't feed as many, too many bones in the way and more fat.

You can fit 2 shoulders or legs in an oven if you tilt them at an angle against each other.

Failing that, buy the biggest leg you can, but serve with filling veg: I do Pommes Dauphinoise, parsnips, plus several veg. then you don't need as much meat on each plate.

As for time, start hot, then slow-roast for longer, I do about 3 hours total for a big leg.

we have 7 for Easter lunch and 2 children....we have just taken delivery of an entire lamb (intact!) ....i however, will not be preparing or cooking it!

shall enjoy eating it though!

I've got 2 shoulders - although they appear to weigh about 3 kg each .

They came from the farm shop so they should be good - and we should have plenty left over for Shepherd's pie later in the week .

Tbey are nestled qite snugly in a roasting tin, sitting on top of veg.

I'm thinking 5/6 hours at 170. What do you think.

Can you buy a leg of lamb big enough to feed 9 (including 4 young men) for Easter Sunday lunch . The biggest I can see are 2 kg .

Lambs, by their very definition, are small. They are the babies, remember. However, two decent sized legs will do - about 2kg each. Top and tail them in the roasting pan. Or get them boned out and butterflied so that they lie flat in two pans with lemon, garlic and thyme. That takes about 45 minutes.

A bit bigger will be 2 toothed (hogget). Cook a bit lower, a bit slower but can still be very tender. Any older or bigger is going into the mutton territory which is lower and slower again and can still be lovely. However, I would buy from a very good butcher to be sure of it.

If you have a really big pot or pan, a collection of lamb shanks might do. One per person will be ample.