Prep: 10 mins (plus marinating) · Cook: 1 hr 30 mins · Serves: 2 to 3 · Naturally gluten-free

These are the chops Neetu makes when Sunday dinner needs to be a bit of an event. Caribbean jerk loosened up with Mama's Apple Chutney, slow-baked until the lamb falls off the bone, then glazed sticky and served with a sauce made from the cooking liquid. Worth marinating overnight if you can plan ahead.

Why you'll love this

• Falls off the bone after slow baking

• Sticky glaze and a sauce from the pan

• Three uses of one chutney

• Naturally gluten-free

• Better the longer it marinates

Ingredients

For the marinade

• 6 lamb chops

• 1 tsp jerk salt

• 1 tbsp dry jerk seasoning

• 1 tbsp jerk marinade

• 2 tbsp Mama Sood's Apple Chutney

• ½ tsp black pepper

• 5 garlic cloves, chopped

• ½ scotch bonnet chilli, chopped

For the glaze

• 1 tbsp Mama Sood's Apple Chutney

• 1 tbsp maple syrup

For the sauce

• Cooking liquid from the lamb

• 1 tbsp ketchup

• 2 tbsp Mama Sood's Apple Chutney

• 1 tsp jerk marinade

Method

• In a large bowl, mix the jerk salt, dry seasoning, jerk marinade, apple chutney, black pepper, garlic and scotch bonnet into a thick paste.

• Add the lamb chops and turn them through until every side is coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Overnight is much better.

• When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 160°C / 320°F / gas mark 3. Transfer the chops and all the marinade to an ovenproof dish, cover, and bake for 1 hour.

• Uncover the chops and brush them generously with the glaze. Pour the cooking liquid into a small saucepan for the sauce. Return the chops to the oven, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes until sticky and browned at the edges.

• While the chops finish, get the sauce going. Add the ketchup, apple chutney and jerk marinade to the cooking liquid and simmer over a medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until rich and glossy.

• Spoon the sauce over the chops and serve hot.

Serving suggestion Pile onto rice and peas with a fresh mango salad for a Caribbean spread. Warm roti and a cooling yoghurt dip works just as well for a quieter dinner.

Mama's tip Marinate overnight if you can. The chutney soaks into the lamb, the spices settle, and the heat of the scotch bonnet rounds off into something deeper. Same recipe, very different chops the next day.

About the chutney Mama Sood's Apple Chutney is the engine of this recipe. The apple sweetness tames the jerk in the marinade and helps tenderise the lamb. Under the glaze it caramelises on the chops and gives them that sticky finish. Stirred through the cooking liquid for the sauce, it deepens as it reduces. Without the chutney, you've got a jerk recipe. With it, you've got a Mama Sood's one.

Variations

• Air fryer: cook the marinated chops at 200°C for 12 to 15 minutes, glazing in the last 5

• Barbecue: cook over indirect heat for 30 to 40 minutes, basting with the glaze in the last 10

• Less heat: drop to a quarter of a scotch bonnet, or swap for a milder red chilli

• Bigger gathering: scale up the marinade and double the chops, baking for the same time

Watch the video here.