Video summary

Phil Vickery's Greek Feast | This Morning

Main summary

Key takeaways

Cooking

Presenter / source

Phil Vickery (featured on This Morning). The subtitles reference an older method of cooking in a sealed olive-oil stone jar. They also mention a technique learned from “a great friend Lee” and “the lady,” who used baking parchment.

Ingredients (with quantities/substitutions mentioned)

Lamb & marinade

  • Garlic: “lots” (including “lots of garlic clove garlic”)
  • Olive oil:
    • “a little” for the marinade
    • plus a bit of oil on top for roasting
  • Lemon juice: added to marinade
  • Salt: “salt”
  • Pepper: “a bit of pepper” (specifically mentions smoked white)
  • Optional: lamb stock cube (added during roasting/braising for extra flavor)
  • Lamb cut choice:
    • Traditional reference: leg of lamb
    • Used here: lamb shoulder (more forgiving, less likely to dry out; noted as “about 20% fat”)

Vegetables / tray base

  • Potatoes: power-boil is optional (“short of lamb” implies potatoes in the tray)
  • Plum tomatoes / big tomatoes
  • Peppers
  • Optional: a touch of water to keep things moist

Greek salad

  • Chopped tomatoes
  • Feta cheese (used, but the presenter says he’s “not a great lover” and sometimes adds it later; noted as salty)
  • Black olives
  • Lots of parsley
  • Vinegar: a small amount (“touch of vinegar” to help break down tomatoes and onion)
  • Olive oil: “lots”
  • Pepper
  • No salt in the salad (because feta is salty)

Equipment & preparation

  • Oven
  • Tray for lamb and vegetables
  • Sharp knife
  • Deep cuts in lamb (cut “to the bone”)
  • Parchment (used to help keep juices in; “using a little bit of parchment to keep the juices in”)
  • Foil is also mentioned (“a bit of foil”); parchment/foil combination is implied
  • Cutting board / hands: presenter instructs to wash hands before continuing

Step-by-step method (timings / temperatures / technique cues)

1) Marinate & prep lamb

  1. Prepare the marinade
    • Mix together garlic, a little olive oil, lots of garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper (smoked white mentioned).
  2. Make deep cuts
    • Use a sharp knife to create deep cuts “go wherever you can get right through to the bone”—deeper is better.
  3. Apply marinade
    • Spoon marinade over the lamb.
    • Cook over/before potatoes in the tray (so lamb juices flavor everything).

Resting option (marinating)

  • You can pour marinade over and leave overnight.
  • Lemon juice affects the outside structure more than necessarily the inside all the way through.

2) Tray cooking with vegetables (bake/braise phase)

  1. Assemble the tray
    • Add potatoes (optionally power-boil first).
    • Add plum tomatoes and peppers.
    • Place lamb so juices are retained in the tray.
  2. Seal/cover juices
    • Use parchment (and subtitles also mention foil) to help keep juices from escaping.
  3. Bake at ~180°C
    • Start with about 2 hours (longer depending on the piece size).
    • It can be “a bit over,” possibly 1–1.5 hours longer, but warns: too long can make it dry.

Doneness cues after ~2 hours

  • Lamb should open up and fat will come out.
  • Smell and visible steam when lifted indicate readiness.

3) Roast to glaze/brown (high heat finish)

  1. Increase oven temperature
    • Turn oven up to around 220°C.
  2. Glaze/roast finish
    • Add a bit of oil on top.
    • Roast for another ~30 minutes.
  3. Reduce juices
    • Tray juices reduce and glaze nicely.

4) Rest the lamb

  1. Let lamb rest
    • Remove and rest; subtitles indicate “short – and a half hours” (about 1.5 hours).
  2. Salvage/re-use juices
    • Collect juices in a cup; resting longer is possible.

Resting variation

  • Potatoes/tomatoes returning to the oven suggests you can extend lamb resting; presenter says you could rest up to ~2 hours (“absolute fantastic”).

5) Potatoes/tomatoes final handling

  1. Soak up lamb juices
    • Potatoes absorb flavor from lamb juices and the tomato mixture.
  2. Return to oven
    • Potatoes go back in while the lamb rests to reduce juices further.

Optional moisture adjustment

  • If needed, add a touch of water to keep moist.
  • Optionally add a lamb stock cube for extra lambiness.

Greek salad method (as described)

  1. Combine
    • Chopped tomatoes, feta, black olives, and lots of parsley.
  2. Season
    • Add a little vinegar
    • Add pepper only (no salt because feta is salty)
  3. Dress
    • Add olive oil (“lots”) and mix.

Feta timing variation mentioned

  • Sometimes feta may be added on a two-hour stage, but presenter notes it’s personal preference; the approach can differ depending on whether feta is roasted, added later, or served separately.

Serving / plating suggestions

  • Serve lamb with:
    • Potatoes (soaked and reduced)
    • Tomatoes/peppers juices
    • Greek salad (mixed separately)
  • Visual emphasis: lamb that opens through-and-through with “crunchy bits”, and the tray reductions as a key flavor component.

Chef tips / common issues (from subtitles)

  • Use shoulder instead of leg
    • Shoulder is more forgiving and stays juicier; leg can become dry if cooked too quickly.
  • Deep scoring helps
    • Deep cuts “to the bone” encourage marinade penetration and help the lamb open up while cooking.
  • Don’t overcook too long
    • Overcooking by roughly 1–1.5 hours can risk dryness.
  • Don’t salt the Greek salad
    • Avoid salt because feta is salty.
  • If moisture is needed
    • Add a touch of water and/or a lamb stock cube.

Variations discussed (concise)

  • Marinade timing: pour over and leave overnight (optional)
  • Lamb cut: shoulder vs traditional leg
  • Feta handling: add at a 2-hour stage in some methods, or roast/serve differently based on preference
  • Moisture/stock: add a touch of water and optionally lamb stock cube
  • Cooking method reference: an older approach includes cooking in a sealed olive-oil stone jar (and similar sealed-jar ideas), plus a parchment-wrapped bake method used by others

Original video