1 1/2 best ends of neck of lamb (8 chops), boned but not divided into chops

freshly ground black pepper

50 g (2 oz) butter

45 ml (3 tbsp) olive oil

salt

60 ml (4 tbsp) slivered blanched almonds

90 - 120 ml (6 - 8 tbsp) Madeira

30 ml (2 tbsp) finely chopped parsley

fresh herbs, to garnish

1. Trim all the fat off the lamb with a sharp knife and season with freshly ground black pepper. Roll up each piece of meat firmly, with the thick side inside, and tie the rolls at intervals with fine string. Leave to come to room temperature.

2. Heat 25 g (1 oz) butter and 30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil in a heavy frying-pan and fry the rolls until well browned on all sides, about 4 - 6 minutes. Remove the rolls from the pan and cut between the strings into 8 medallions,  approximately  25  mm (1 in) thick. Season the medallions with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

3. Heat the remaining butter and olive oil in the same pan and fry the lamb medallions until lightly browned  on both  sides  and cooked to your liking, 2 - 3 minutes on each side.  Transfer to  a  heated  serving dish, remove the strings and keep hot.

4. Pour off half the fat from the pan, add

the slivered almonds and fry over a medium-high heat until golden brown, taking care not to burn them. Add the Madeira and stir rapidly over a medium heat, scraping with a wooden spoon, until sizzling.

5. Pour the almonds and sauce over the medallions, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve, garnished with fresh herbs.