I’m something of an erratic cook these days. That’s not to say I can’t cook, it’s more that I get bored with recipes easily and start fiddling with them when there’s nothing wrong with them in the first place. How about if I add a bit of this, or a bit of that…?

Sometimes, though, a bit of innovation comes off big style. In this instance, it was the Redoubtable Mrs F who came up with the suggestion that I marinade some lamb chops, and boy, did it work.The lamb was so tenderised, it just melted in the mouth.

So I’m going to put down the recipe just exactly as I did it. Feel free, of course, to fiddle with it to your heart’s content…

Marinaded Lamb Chops

Enough lamb chops for 2

Juice of two lemons

Slug of olive oil

1 tsp each salt, cumin, garlic powder

1/2 tsp ras el hanout (available in Morrison’s and Sainsbury’s; or try a local shop selling Middle Eastern spices).

Marinade at room temperature in a flat dish for an hour or maybe a bit less, turning to make sure the meat is coated on both sides. Cook the chops till they’re done to taste, then add the marinade to the pan and cook it through for a couple of minutes. Dish up the chops and whatever you’re having with them and reserve the cooked marinade as a kind of jus in a jug.

Most decent reds of reasonable heft would go well with this; if they don’t, they’re not worth having.