Bedouin clay-baked lamb shoulder

Preheat the oven to 160°C, gas mark 3.

To make the spice mix, toast the coriander, cumin, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon and cardamom in a dry pan until fragrant. Grind to a coarse powder. Stir in the nutmeg powder and salt.

Combine the olive oil, ground spices, dates, garlic and capsicum. Using a hand blender, blitz until smooth.

Rub the spice mixture generously over the lamb shoulder. Wrap the lamb in two layers of parchment paper, followed by two layers of foil.

Roll natural terracotta clay to a thickness of roughly 2cm. Place the wrapped lamb inside and completely seal the parcel with the clay. Make a few small holes in the clay to allow steam to escape.

Transfer to a baking tray and lightly moisten the clay with water. Bake for 5 hours. Allow the clay to cool slightly before cracking it open.

Scatter over the parsley and serve the lamb with rice or warm flat bread.