Lamb Stew & Beer Dumplings

A deeply comforting, relatively affordable dish, stew is an extremely simple to make at home, as well as being highly adaptable to suit whichever meats or vegetables you have available. It’s no wonder the dish has been enjoyed for thousands of years. This lamb stew recipe uses scrag end, carrots, onion, leeks, celery and rosemary, slow-cooked and topped with herby beer dumplings.

From the top of the neck of either lamb or mutton, scrag end is a primal cut separated from the carcass during butchery. It’s a significantly tougher cut, but when cooked well it’s a perfect addition to stews or slow-cooked dishes, with meat falling away from the bones. Scrag end is also significantly more flavoursome than many premium cuts of lamb, but it’s also one of the least expensive. In the UK, scrag end costs around £8 per kilogram compared to approximately £12 for shoulder or leg of lamb.

Lamb Stew & Beer Dumplings Cooking Tips

This lamb stew can be cooked in a slow-cooker, but I’d suggest searing the meat first, then finishing the dumplings in the oven to make golden and slightly crispy.

Any root vegetables can be used for this stew. It’s a great way of utilising leftovers that would otherwise be wasted and can also be adapted to suit seasonal availability.

Scrag end is my favourite lamb for this stew, but any cuts of braising lamb or even mutton can be used here – although you may need to adjust the cooking times slightly.

Worcestershire sauce isn’t necessarily essential for this lamb stew, but it adds a profound depth of flavour to the sauce. It’s also an invaluable addition to Shepherd’s pie, gravy and many, more sauces.

For the dumplings, any soft herbs can be used, but parsley works particularly well here. It’s mild but brings some freshness to the dumplings. As for the beer element, this recipe uses Krombacher Pils but many other beers are suitable. High-quality European lager works best, however.

If you’d rather have softer, more traditional dumplings, simmer on top of the stew for 20 minutes rather than finishing in the oven.

Print Recipe

Lamb Stew & Beer Dumplings

A deeply comforting lamb stew recipe using scrag end, crowned with herby beer dumplings.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time2 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Total Time3 hours hrs

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Global

Keyword: Beer, Dumplings, Lamb, Lamb Stew, Stew

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 800 g lamb ‘scrag end’ or other lamb stewing meat
• 1 large onion roughly chopped,
• 4 large carrots roughly chopped
• 2 leeks sliced
• 1 stick celery roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 750 ml lamb stock
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• Neutral cooking oil such as vegetable or rapeseed oil
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the beer dumplings

• 50 ml Krombacher Pils plus extra if needed
• 150 g self-raising flour plus extra if needed
• 70 g suet
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas mark 3.
• Add a splash of oil to a large, flame-proof casserole dish or Dutch oven and heat until shimmering. Season the lamb with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Cook over high heat for 4-5 minutes, turning occasionally, to sear. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Add the onions, carrots, leek and celery to the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to colour.
• Add the garlic, rosemary, bay leaves and flour to the pan and continue to cook for another minute until well-combined and the smell of raw flour dissipates.
• Return the lamb and any accumulated resting juices to the pan, then slowly pour in the lamb stock, followed by the Worcestershire sauce and a generous pinch of both salt and pepper. Increase the heat and bring to a boil.
• Cover the pan with a lid, then transfer to the oven for 2 hours.
• While the stew is cooking prepare the beer dumplings. Add the flour, salt, suet and parsley to a bowl. Stir to combine then make a well in the centre. Add 50ml Krombacher Pils and stir to combine. If the dough is too firm, add more beer (1 tbsp at a time), or add more flour if the dough is too wet. Once firm and pliable, split the dough into 8-10 dumplings.
• Remove the stew from the oven and discard the lid. Increase the oven temperature to 190C/170C/gas mark 5.
• Add the dumplings to the top of the stew and return to the oven for another 20-30 minutes until the dumplings are golden and lightly crisp. Remove from the oven and cool slightly before eating.

Notes

 

• This lamb stew can be cooked in a slow-cooker, but I’d suggest searing the meat first, then finishing the dumplings in the oven to make golden and slightly crispy.
• Any root vegetables can be used for this stew. It’s a great way of utilising leftovers that would otherwise be wasted and can also be adapted to suit seasonal availability.
• Scrag end is my favourite lamb for this stew, but any cuts of braising lamb or even mutton can be used here – although you may need to adjust the cooking times slightly.
• Worcestershire sauce isn’t necessarily essential for this lamb stew, but it adds a profound depth of flavour to the sauce. It’s also an invaluable addition to Shepherd’s pie, gravy and many, more sauces.
• For the dumplings, any soft herbs can be used, but parsley works particularly well here. It’s mild but brings some freshness to the dumplings. As for the beer element, this recipe uses Krombacher Pils but many other beers are suitable. High-quality European lager works best, however.
• If you’d rather have softer, more traditional dumplings, simmer on top of the stew for 20 minutes rather than finishing in the oven.

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