Preheat the oven to 140°C. Put about 3 stalks of rosemary, a full handful of mint, 1 1/2 tsp cumin, the juice of a lime and a dash of olive oil in a blender and blend to a paste.

Slash the lamb deep about 4 times, through the fat and down to the bone. Rub it all over with the paste you’ve made, getting right into the cuts. Put it in an ovenproof dish or tray and stick it in the oven. 750g took about 2 hours to cook till it was safe to eat and a nice pink in the middle.

I strongly recommend using a meat thermometer. You want to get it to about 60-65c in the middle. It keeps cooking as it rests so that should work out whatever the weight.

About half an hour in, pour in a stingy glass of wine, like you’d pour for that guy who keeps telling racist jokes, but you’re too polite to just kick out. If it dries out too soon, add a bit more. Feel free to keep drinking the wine.

About 10 minutes from the end, turn the oven up to about 190°C, to crisp up the fat and brown the outside.

Rest the lamb on a plate. Pour another half glass of wine onto the sticky, slightly burnt, marmitey residue on the bottom of the roasting tray and scrape around it to loosen it up. Pour this into a saucepan, dilute with a little water or stock and simmer it down on the hob. Taste it to work out when it’s done.

While this simmers, chuck the asparagus in a grill pan. When it’s slightly charred on both sides, it’s cooked. Drizzle a little olive oil on, and season with salt and pepper.

Pull the meat apart with a fork into uneven parts, only carving where necessary, and plate up, spooning over some of the rich, tasty reduction at the end.