It almost felt like the first day of summer so it seemed like a good day to light the barbecue.  When the sun came out it was hot enough to think about putting a pair of shorts on and getting out the flip flops.

I had bought a small leg of lamb yesterday so all that was needed was for me to butterfly it and give it a marinade of garlic, paprika and olive oil. The butterflying was easier than anticipated and was soon done with a sharp knife. It seemed a pity I could not find something to do with the bone.

To accompany the lamb we had some boiled new potatoes and the artichokes.

The artichokes were the highlight of the meal. I pulled off some of the tough outer leaves and pared back the hard skin on their stalks. The exposed flesh was then rubbed with a lemon quarter to stop it from colouring. The were steamed for about 40 minutes.

To eat them I peeled off the leaves sucking at the small nugget of flesh at the the bottom. As the leaves came off they became softer and easier to eat until all that was left could be be taken in a couple of bites.