Barbecued lamb tastes excellent: the dry heat of charcoal makes it particularly tender and succulent. Try cooking lamb to medium so it turns crusty-brown on the outside and juicy-pink inside. It stands to reason that if you prefer your meat well and truly cooked, keep it on the barbie for longer.

My family also likes to try this recipe using mutton instead of lamb. A handy hint – if you are only going away for a couple of days, don’t take the spice bottles. Simply place dried spices in a snap-lock plastic bag. When it comes time to barbecue, just add garlic and vinegar to the plastic bag, add the chops, shake a little and voila! Ready to barbecue.

• 4 thick lamb chops, loin or forequarter
• 1 teaspoon coriander seed
• ½-1 teaspoon chilli powder (depending on your tolerance)
• a pinch ground cumin
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• a dash of good quality vinegar
• salt to taste

Place all ingredients, minus salt, into a bowl or plastic bag. Add chops and gently rub spice mixture into the lamb. Place lamb in bowl or bag into your fridge or chiller bag for half an hour.

Heat barbecue or grill to a medium heat and brush with a little oil. Place spiced chops on the barbecue and cook for a couple of minutes on each side. When ready to serve, sprinkle chops with a little salt.

Caravan Cook with Lynn Bain, as featured in Caravan World issue 414, February 2005.