Stevie Parle's warming spring lamb recipes

The late winter/early spring period – or the ''hungry gap''– is the worst time for a cook. Even now it is still too early to find many British-grown spring ingredients, so I'm relying on tiny sweet peas and fresh broad beans from Italy and Spain.
Easter is early this year, and winter still seems to have us in its claws. But if you follow my advice you can work round the dearth of ingredients, and cock a snook at the bitter weather at the same time. My recipes will lend a fresh twist to the turbocharged Sunday roast that most of us have on Easter Day.
I've taken ideas from some of my favourite food cultures. This Mexican lamb shoulder recipe is a bit like a classic American pulled pork, but with lamb – it works really well and it's worth adding the chillies (coolchile.co.uk), though paprika also works well.
The lamb stew is delicious, too – the first of the peas (or frozen of course), slow-cooked with the lamb. Don't worry when they lose their colour, they'll taste all the better for it.
Lamb raan is a perfect Indian-style roast. I cook mine a bit less than is traditional, so that the delicate spring lamb is still a little pink. The cauliflower salad is far from traditional, but it makes the whole thing sing – you only need to open some lime pickle and cook up some rice and it's a real feast.
Or, for a more traditional approach, try my rack of lamb with potatoes dauphinoise. The anchovies might sound strange if you haven't used them like this before, but they are a classic combination with lamb and bring a wonderful savoury depth to the dish.
None of these recipes are much harder than a normal roast, so it's worth giving them a go – you'll still be able to spend time doing what is important, sitting and eating with friends and family.