Loin of Lamb makes one of the finest and most delelicately flavoured roasts. The loin divides into two parts, the middle loin and the chump end. A 'saddle' or double loin, which is the loins from both sides of the animal attached to each other by the backbone, makes a spectacular presentation for a large dinner party.

To avoid carving problems ask the butcher to chine the loin or chop through the backbone between the ribs. Chining entails sawing through the bone that runs along the length of the joint, so that when the meat has been cooked the bone can be removed, leaving the server with the easy job of running a knife down between the rib bones to separate them. If the butcher chops through the backbone this again makes carving easier but each serving will have a larger piece of bone with it. For stuffing or rolling ask the butcher to bone the loin completely.