Barbecuing neck of lamb

I have never made a decent barbecue, partly down to the fact that I never had a barbecue. We purchased a smallish one last august and, in the rush of the setting sun of summer, whacked out a few burger sessions. They were OK. But when summer 2012 came to an abrupt end, we were left dreaming of what we could do next year. That year never seemed to arrive, and by the start of June we were starting to face the sad realisation that we may not get much barbecuing done this year.
Thankfully (for my overall well being, regardless of barbecuing) summer has arrived, and Victoria park in East London is covered by a thick veil of meat smoke. As atmospheric as barbecues in the park can be, I had an overwhelming desire to get away from the sight of packaged burgers and supermarket sausages - so we were off home with some Ginger Pig neck of lamb and a few chorizo sausages.
Originally the plan was to have some sort of chicken barbecued with chorizo, but arriving late in the day at the Ginger pig expecting to have chicken on the first hot weekend is very foolish. With depleted stock, and no back up plan, I panicked and came out with a diced neck of lamb fillet.

A spring dish for spring weather

It is the end of June now and the weather is best described as decent for a spring day. This is one of the worst weather years I can remember, and it has certainly affected my food choices. Light, summery ceviche and barbecued, spiced fish are nowhere to be found. I was eating winter food in March and April (when the temperature was rarely above 0), and so I shall eat spring food late this year. I am not missing a season. Lamb can lend itself quite well to summer; however this dish is spring lamb. The bitterness of the capers and lemon and the saltiness of the anchovies cut through the sweetness of the fat. It is a teasing dish, perfect for spring. The parsley, lemon and fennel offer an insight into summer flavours, but the sheer comfort of the fatty cut of lamb acts sternly as a reminder that we are not there yet.