Welsh Lamb Recipes: How to Make the Perfect Welsh Lamb Shoulder Slow Cooker

This post was last updated on March 23rd, 2025 at 04:52 pm

This Welsh lamb shoulder slow cooker recipe is among simple Welsh lamb recipes that are easy to prepare even if you’ve never made anything with lamb. You can prepare this recipe in two ways: by slow cooker (Crockpot) or oven. Both are easy and result in meat you can cut with a spoon!

Welsh lamb recipes, like Welsh lamb shoulder prepared in a slow cooker or oven, offer simple comfort food with a hint of elegance. Chefs and diners worldwide know Welsh lamb for its superior quality. What isn’t as well known is the history of lamb in Wales and how, once upon a time, it was regarded as a rare luxury and not a staple as it now exists in the national dish, cawl. 

Writings on sheep farming in Cymru date back to the 1500s. However, people most likely raised this versatile animal much earlier. The Romans are probably to credit for introducing white sheep. Farmers bred them with Wales’ indigenous red and black sheep, resulting in the Welsh mountain sheep we know today. The first written descriptions of this breed appeared about 200 years ago. Until this time, sheep in Wales were primarily used for milk and wool. 

Coinciding with the first documentation of the Welsh mountain sheep, the northern slate quarry and southern coal mine industries started to boom. Slate and coal became a substantial part of the Welsh economy. People could afford to consume lamb more regularly. For example, workers ate Welsh oggies on their lunch breaks. These handheld meat pies filled with lamb, leeks, and potatoes were sustaining and filling.

This post is about Welsh lamb recipes. 

Welsh Lamb Recipes

Tips for Making Traditional Roast Lamb Shoulder

• While all raw meat should be prepared and stored per proper food hygiene, lamb is among the most perishable and should be handled with extra care. Whenever you buy lamb for a dish, make sure it’s among the last items you put into your cart at the grocery store. By doing so, you’ll ensure that it’s only exposed to room temperature for a short time and doesn’t grow any harmful bacteria. If you can bring a small cooler with some ice for the trip home, that’s even better. 
• If you want even more flavor, you can marinate the lamb overnight after browning it and rubbing it with herbs and olive oil. This method also works well if you finely mince the garlic in a garlic press and rub it over every part of the lamb after applying the other herbs.    
• Using a complementary oil is another important factor when cooking with lamb. Olive oil is the best for flavor, especially since it goes so well with garlic and the other spices often used with lamb. Before browning, coat the meat with the oil rather than the pan (lightly spraying the pan is totally fine if necessary). Coating the meat rather than the pan will caramelize the lamb nicely and prevent sticking.   

What To Serve Alongside Welsh Lamb Shoulder 

Looking for sides that go well with Welsh lamb recipes? 

• Root vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, and turnips.
• Spring vegetables seasoned with garlic and thyme.
• Roasted Brussels sprouts coated in olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. 
• Crusty bread with butter.
• Asparagus pan-fried in butter, garlic, salt, and pepper.
• Sautéed radishes and leeks.  
• All green vegetables, including green leafy salad.

What Sets Welsh Lamb Apart From Other Types of Lamb?

Welsh lamb is considered to be of such high quality that it was awarded PGI status by the European Commission in 2003. PGI stands for “Protected Geographical Indication,” indicating that Welsh lamb has special qualities unique to Wales. Sheep farmers in other areas cannot match these qualities in their animals.

Depending on where you live, getting actual Welsh lamb for your recipes may be challenging. However, fine restaurants all over the world serve it. If they can order it from abroad, you can too! For example, since 2022, Welsh lamb has been shipped to the US after being disallowed for 25 years. However, even if you can’t get lamb from Wales, you can still make a delicious and healthy meal using lamb raised locally. All you need to know is what qualities to look for in the meat. 

Here are the characteristics of Welsh lamb sourced from Wales and why this type of lamb stands apart from the rest in terms of quality. While the lamb you buy may differ, this list will give you a good idea of the characteristics of sustainably raised and healthy lamb. 

Characteristics of Welsh Lamb

• Proper Welsh lamb is grass-fed in natural pasture. Animals raised in this environment produce meat with a more favorable (healthier) fatty-acid profile than that of barn livestock. The diet also makes the meat more nutritious as a whole.

• Additionally, the natural diet of wild grasses and plants gives the meat a lower fat content overall, which means more flavor and tenderness. Although the meat does contain saturated fat, the saturated fat in grass-fed lamb is a beneficial type of fat that helps keep our cholesterol within normal limits. 

• The lower overall fat content also makes the meat less greasy, giving it a better texture. Mountain-grazed lambs, especially, produce meat with lower fat content. Pasture-raised lamb has about 14% lower fat content and about 8% more protein than barn-raised, grain-fed lamb. 

In summary, look for “grass-fed” or “100% grass-fed” on the package. You can also ask the butcher or buy from a local farm that sells pasture-raised lamb.

What Are the Traditional Lamb Recipes From Wales?

Cawl is one of the most well-known Welsh lamb dishes and is also the national dish of Wales. “Cawl” is the Welsh word for “broth” or “soup.” When we speak of a traditional Welsh cawl recipe, what we’re talking about is essentially Welsh lamb stew. You can find a traditional cawl recipe here and my other cawl recipes here. 

As mentioned earlier, Welsh oggies are another traditional lamb dish from Wales. People usually make this meat pie with lamb, leeks, potatoes, and some seasoning. The filling is then wrapped in a pastry shell called a “coffin” and baked. With the outside being firm and crisp and the contents hearty and filling, this highly portable food could keep hard-working men and women going for long hours. 

Welsh Lamb Slow Cooker Recipe

This Welsh lamb shoulder slow cooker is simple to prepare and loaded with flavor. Welsh lamb is also high in protein, essential fatty acids, iron, and potassium. After browning and simmering in the slow cooker for 5 hours, the meat will be so tender you can cut it with a spoon. It also works equally well to roast the lamb in the oven for 3 hours if you prefer. Alternative instruction are provided below.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 hours hrs

Resting Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 6 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Welsh

Servings 4

Calories 474 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 1 kg/2.2 lbs Welsh lamb shoulder
• 1 carrot peeled and sliced
• 2 bell peppers green, seeds removed, diced
• 150 g/5 oz white mushrooms sliced
• 1 onion diced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary minced
• 1 tsp fresh thyme minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 350 ml/12 fl oz vegetable, lamb, or chicken stock

Instructions

 

• Remove the lamb from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• In a large pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
• Put the lamb shoulder into the pan and brown it on each side.
• Once thoroughly browned, turn off the heat and remove the lamb from the pan. Pour a little stock into the pan and allow it to simmer to deglaze (remove the carmelized bits from the pan and mix with the liquid for flavor). Scrape the pan with a spoon to mix.
• Into the slow cooker, place the carrots, onions, mushrooms, and green bell peppers.
• Pour in the stock.
• Pour the pan drippings into the slow cooker and mix with the vegetables with a spoon.
• Rub the browned lamb on all sides with rosemary, thyme, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Place the seasoned lamb on top of the vegetables and stock mixture.
• Cover and cook in the slow cooker on high for 5 hours.

Notes

If you prefer, you can also make this exact dish in the oven. Simply prepare the ingredients as above, but place them in a roasting pan or casserole dish with a lid. Preheat the oven to 163C/325F. Cover the dish and bake for 2 hr 45 mins—3 hrs. The internal temperature of the Welsh lamb shoulder should reach 63C/145F.

Keyword Easy Welsh Lamb Recipes, Welsh Lamb Recipes Oven, Welsh Lamb Recipes Slow Cooker

Featured Book

Our featured book on Welsh lamb recipes is The Welsh Lamb Cookbook by Gilli Davies and Huw Jones. It’s an excellent introductory cookbook written by a Welsh chef and photographer for those looking for only recipes incorporating lamb. It includes slow-roast and salt marsh lamb recipes as well!

The Welsh Lamb Cookbook (Flavours of Wales) by Gilli Davies and Huw Jones 

From the blurb: Welsh lamb is known all over the world for its quality and flavor, and here, Gilli Davies offers recipes and techniques to experience some of the country’s finest produce. Includes advice on the seasonal variety of the meat and how best to utilize its qualities in a range of dishes. Recipes include Welsh Lamb with Plums in Pastry, Salt Marsh Welsh Lamb Baked with Potatoes, and Slow Roast Welsh Lamb with a Mustard Glaze. Includes metric measures with a conversion chart. 

Happy cooking!

This post was about Welsh lamb recipes.