Mutton and beans. The French equivalent for our pork and beans. The frequency of the sign in the windows of French restaurants seems to indicate that it is in demand at least for a lunch dish.

Take a shoulder of mutton and remove the bone by cutting close, laying out the meat like a thick steak. To season it mince one onion and crush a clove of garlic with the side of your knife and mix it in and stew over the meat, dredge thyme or sage, salt and pepper, roll up and tie and then braise the meat in a covered pan with broth or water at first, allowing it to dry down and brown like a roast at last.

Boil two cups of white beans in the usual way while the mutton is braising. Take the mutton out of the saucepan and cook a little minced ham and onion in the gravy that remains, then put in the cooked beans and shake up.

Serve beans in the dish with a cut of the roll of mutton on top.