Slow cooker Irish lamb stew with pearl barley
A pale, comforting stew of lamb neck, potatoes and pearl barley that thickens itself as it cooks. Plain food, cooked slowly, with a lot of flavour.
- Time9 hrs
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £2.40 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Estimated nutrition per serving
- 612kcal
- 35.3gcarbs
- 9.7gof which sugars
- 36.4gfat
- 16.2gsaturates
- 37gprotein
- 7gfibre
- 1.6gsalt
A rough estimate worked out from the ingredients, for the serving size above. It is a guide only and not medical advice. If you count carbs or manage diabetes, check with your own tools and your care team.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Put the onions, leek and carrots in the slow cooker. Sit the lamb on top and scatter over the rinsed barley, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper.
- 2
Push the potato chunks in among the lamb. Pour in the water. It should just cover everything, and the barley will soak up a good amount.
- 3
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 5 hours, until the lamb is tender and the barley is soft and swollen.
480 min - 4
Give it a gentle stir. The potatoes at the edge will have broken down a little and thickened the juices, which is what you want.
- 5
Skim off any fat from the top with a spoon. If it is too thick, stir in a splash of hot water. Taste and add more salt and pepper.
- 6
Scatter with parsley and serve in deep bowls with soda bread or buttered cabbage.
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.
