Lamb neck, as an ingredient, is something of a Cinderella story - often overlooked for more popular or well-known cuts, when cooked correctly it is an incredible, richly flavoured meat that can bring wonderful texture and flavour to your dish. However, one benefit of its underrated status is that it's still regarded as a cheaper cut, making it the perfect choice for a thrifty dinner menu.

Richard Corrigan demonstrates that frugality and flavour are by no means mutually exclusive in his Scotch broth recipe, while William Drabble's lamb, potato and pearl barley stew offers a similarly warming and hearty meal.

That's not to say lamb neck can't hold its own at the more gourmet end of the scale - Phil Fanning's Lancashire hotpot is a technically complex marvel, and Drabble's Assiette of Lune Valley lamb combines loin, neck and tongue in a fantastically elegant dish.