Can I use a boneless lamb shoulder in the slow cooker?

You can, but cooking on the bone gives much better flavour and helps the meat stay moist during the long cook. If using boneless, reduce the cooking time by about 1 hour and check for tenderness earlier.

My slow cooker is quite small — will a whole lamb shoulder fit?

A 2 kg shoulder can be tight in a standard slow cooker. Look for a 5.5 to 6 litre capacity cooker. If yours is smaller, ask your butcher for a half shoulder (around 1.2 to 1.5 kg) and reduce the cooking time slightly.

Can I prepare this the night before and cook it in the morning?

Absolutely. Brown the lamb and prepare the vegetables the evening before, then store them separately in the fridge. In the morning, assemble everything in the slow cooker and set it on Low for 8 hours — it should be ready for dinner.

What can I do with leftover slow-cooked lamb shoulder?

Leftover lamb is brilliant shredded into wraps with pickled red onion and yoghurt, tossed through pasta with peas and mint, or stirred into a quick lamb ragu. It keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days or can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Roast Lamb Shoulder Recipe For Family & Friends | Jamie Oliver

by Jamie Oliver

LambSlow cooker adapted

Published 15 April 2026Original video

This classic Jamie Oliver recipe transforms a shoulder of lamb into a beautifully tender roast that's perfect for feeding family and friends. Originally from the Jamie At Home series, it pairs the lamb with homemade mash potato, seasonal greens and a rich gravy. Adapted here for the slow cooker, the lamb cooks low and slow until it's falling off the bone, making it an ideal weekend centrepiece with minimal effort. The smashed veg and greens are prepared separately towards the end to keep them vibrant and fresh.

Video thumbnail: Roast Lamb Shoulder Recipe For Family & Friends | Jamie Oliver

Watch: Roast Lamb Shoulder Recipe For Family & Friends | Jamie Oliver

Original recipe video — click to play

Original video by Jamie Oliver4k likes on YouTube

25 mins

Prep time

8 hrs

Slow cook (Low)

5 hrs

Slow cook (High)

Serves

8 hrs 25 mins

Total (Low)

Slow cooker setting:Low 8 hours or High 5 hours

Original method: Approximately 4 hours at 170°C in the oven

Slow cooker adaptation notes

• The lamb shoulder is ideally suited to slow cooking as it becomes wonderfully tender over a long cook. • Reduce liquid by roughly a third compared to oven roasting, as slow cookers retain moisture. • Brown the lamb shoulder in a hot pan before placing in the slow cooker for better colour and flavour. • Aromatics such as garlic, rosemary and root vegetables go in from the start. • Mash potato, greens and any fresh herbs should be prepared separately and served alongside. • Gravy can be made from the slow cooker juices at the end of cooking — strain and thicken on the hob.

Ingredients

Servings:

Units:

Lamb

2 kg lamb shoulder, bone-in
Ask your butcher for a good-quality shoulder on the bone
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bulb garlic
, cloves separated and peeled
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
3 sticks celery sticks, roughly chopped
250 ml chicken or lamb stock
Reduced from typical oven recipe as the slow cooker retains moisture
to taste sea salt
to taste black pepper, freshly ground

Mash Potato

1 kg floury potatoes (such as Maris Piper), peeled and cut into even chunks
Prepare separately on the hob while the lamb rests
50 g butter
Add to mash at the end
100 ml whole milk, warmed
Add to mash at the end

Greens

400 g seasonal greens (such as broccoli, spring greens or savoy cabbage), trimmed and roughly chopped
Steam or boil separately just before serving

Gravy

1 tbsp plain flour
Used to thicken the cooking juices into gravy on the hob after cooking

Garnish

1 small bunch fresh mint leaves, finely chopped(optional)
Scatter over the lamb just before serving

Method

1
Season the lamb shoulder generously all over with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a high heat and brown the lamb on all sides until deeply golden. This should take around 5 to 8 minutes in total.
~10 mins
Tip: Browning adds incredible flavour and colour — don't skip this step.
2
Place the onions, carrots and celery into the base of your slow cooker. Scatter over the garlic cloves and tuck in the rosemary sprigs. These vegetables will act as a trivet and flavour the cooking juices.
~5 mins
3
Sit the browned lamb shoulder on top of the vegetables. Pour the stock around the lamb — not over it. Pop the lid on the slow cooker.
~2 mins
4
Cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 5 hours, until the lamb is beautifully tender and falling off the bone. Resist lifting the lid during cooking as this releases heat and moisture.
~8 hrs
Tip: The lamb is done when you can easily pull the meat apart with two forks.
5
About 40 minutes before serving, prepare the mash. Boil the potatoes in a large pan of salted water for 15 to 20 minutes until completely tender. Drain well, then mash with the warmed milk and butter until smooth. Season to taste and cover to keep warm.
~25 mins
6
Steam or boil your seasonal greens for 3 to 5 minutes until just tender but still vibrant. Drain and season with a little sea salt, pepper and a knob of butter if you like.
~5 mins
7
Carefully lift the lamb out of the slow cooker and transfer to a warm serving platter. Cover loosely with foil and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
~15 mins
8
To make the gravy, strain the slow cooker juices into a saucepan through a sieve, pressing down on the vegetables to extract maximum flavour. Skim off excess fat. Bring to a simmer on the hob, whisk in the flour and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until thickened to your liking. Season to taste.
~8 mins
Tip: You can also smash the softened vegetables from the slow cooker and serve them alongside the lamb.
9
Serve the lamb shoulder on the platter for everyone to pull apart, with the creamy mash, greens and hot gravy alongside. Scatter over fresh mint if using.
~2 mins

Nutrition

Detailed nutritional information is coming soon. For now, we recommend using a tool like MyFitnessPal to calculate values for your specific brands and quantities.

Frequently Asked Questions

: You can, but cooking on the bone gives much better flavour and helps the meat stay moist during the long cook. If using boneless, reduce the cooking time by about 1 hour and check for tenderness earlier.

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