Method

1. Peel potato, slice matchsticks from potato using a mandolin, place slice potato into a bowl, salt until the liquid has separated, squeeze the potato to release as much liquid as possible, dry with a kitchen towel.
2. Melt butter and mix with the dried potato matchsticks.
3. Place sill pat mat onto a tray, place a thin layer of potato into four discs, and bake in the oven until golden (about 8-10mins).
4. Remove from the oven leave to cool on a tray.
5. Core apples, dice into 1cm pieces, dice black pudding also into 1cm pieces.
6. Place frying pan on stove (gas mark 6).
7. Season pigeon breast, place skin side down into the hot pan, until the skin is golden brown, turn over and cook for a further two minutes, remove from pan. Using the same pan sauté off the black pudding and apple.
8. Wilt spinach.
9. Serve the dish by placing 1 rosti (cold) on the bottom, apple, black pudding and wilted spinach on top, then pigeon, finish by placing the second rosti on the top.

Method

1. Remove legs from bird by pushing hip joints out of the sockets and cutting free with small knife.
2. Cook legs slowly in small roasting tray, just covered with duck fat, 2 cloves of squashed garlic and a stick of thyme. Cook for 45 minutes or until tender.
3. Trim partridge crown and seal in hot pan. Drape one rasher of bacon over breasts and put in a hot oven (200°c) for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and rest in a warm place for 3 minutes. Discard bacon.
4. Carve partridge breast from carcass by cutting down either side of the breast bone and then follow the rib cage out to winglet. Cut both breasts off.
5. Serve with braised red cabbage (see recipe below).
6. Spoon a light game jus around the outside.

Method

1. To sterilize jam jars, place them in a oven upside down at 100 c. for 15 minutes.
2. Slice the oranges in up using a sharp knife very thinly. If you cant be bothered with this just blend in the food processor.
3. Leave over night just covered with some of the water. 12-24 HOURS.
4. Next day add the rest of the water and put in a pot and bring to the boil.
5. After 10 minutes add the sugar and boil until it passes the jam setting test.
6. Allow the marmalade to cool slightly, then pour into the sterilized jars.

Method

1a - makes chestnut sauce and store until needed
1b - pre-heat oven to 190c (gas mark 5) place in a thick bottomed tray

2 - Prick skin of goose all over, season with salt and pepper, cover with foil and place ona rack in oven with a tray underneath. Roast for 3 hours, remove foil 30-40 minutes before the end of cooking time to allow skin to crisp, to test if it is cooked pierce the fattest part of the goose with a skewer, if the juices are clear its cooked. Leave to rest for 20-30 minutes to rest.

3 - remove the hot tray from the oven, put in duck fat until melted, add potatoes, season and place back into the oven, and cook until golden and crispy

4 - place water to boil on stove, once boiling place in Brussels sprouts for 8 minutes. Repeat with carrots in fresh salted water (also 8 minutes)

5 - when roasted potatoes are ready remove from tray, then toss in drained carrots and drained Brussels sprouts. Alcase bacon into roasting pots tray using the remaining duck fat.

Method

Finely shred lettuce and divide between plates or bowls.
Combine prawns with a spoonful of the sauce and mix, place on top of the lettuce, coat with another spoonful of Marie rosé sauce.
Garnish with lemon wedge and a sprinkle of paprika.

Facts about Prawns and Prawn Cocktails
- It was the most popular dish in Britain in the 1970's.
- In Australia if someone says to you "don't come the raw prawn!" it means don't be such an idiot.
- Prawns spend four years of their lives as male, and then become female in the final year of existence.
- Prawns are related to the crab and lobster.
- Banana prawns were the first prawns discovered in the 1950's in Northern Australia.

Method

Put all in an electric mixture and whisk for a good 10 minutes until really thick. Spoon 14 portions (1 portion = 1 tablespoon) onto a flat baking tray covered with a piece of greaseproof paper/baking parchment. Make a slight well in the centre of each portion.

Bake in the oven at 120°C, 230°F or gas mark 0.5 or equivalent for 1½ hours. When it is cooked it will easily come off the parchment and be firm to the touch on the outside. Remove and set aside.

In a saucepan place the sugar and cover with an equal measure of wine and port add a pinch of mixed spice (cinnamon & ginger) and bring to boil for approximately 5 minutes. Add the fruit, mix and chill.

When ready to serve place meringue on centre of plate, put cream in the middle and put spoonful on berries on top and serve.

Method - Lamb Shanks

Dust lamb shank with flour and brown off in a saucepan on a medium heat
Roughly chop the veg and add to the pan, reduce with 200ml red wine.
Cover with stock and add herbs and seasoning.

Leave on a medium low heat for 2 hours or until meat has softened and is almost coming away from the bone.
Top up with water if needed.

Remove lamb and set aside. Strain remaining sauce and reduce until gravy like consistency or thicken with arrowroot powder.

Pease Pudding

Soften butter in a pan and add washed peas.
Just cover with stock and cook until peas start to break apart.
Use a food processor to blend until smooth & season to taste.

Reheat lamb in oven and serve on a bed of the Pease pudding & pour over the hot lamb gravy.

Method

Sweat off diced onion and celery for 2 minutes then add chopped garlic until soft.
On a medium heat add a knob of butter.

Add peeled, chopped sweet potatoes, stock and cook together for 10 minutes or until sweet potatoes are cooked.
Add coconut milk .
Then use a stick blender to blitz until it is a smooth consistency.
Season to taste.

Method

Shred the cabbage and put into a large pan.
Add all other ingredients and cover with tin foil.
Cook in the oven for 2-3 hours, gas mark 4 or equivalent.

Method

Wash the mussels under plenty of cold, running water. Discard any open ones that won't close when lightly squeezed.
Pull out the tough, fibrous beards protruding from between the tightly closed shells and then knock off any barnacles with a large knife. Give the mussels another quick rinse to remove any little pieces of shell.
Soften the garlic and shallots in the butter with the bouquet garni, in a large pan big enough to take all the mussels - it should only be half full.
Add the mussels and wine or cider, turn up the heat, then cover and steam them open in their own juices for 3-4 minutes. Give the pan a good shake every now and then.
Remove the bouquet garni, add the cream and chopped parsley and remove from the heat.
Spoon into four large warmed bowls and serve with lots of crusty bread.

Method

Melt the butter in a large, heavy saucepan, add in the onion, leek and potato and cook over a high heat for 10 minutes (ideally you want to sweat not brown the vegetables).
Add the stock and bring to the boil.
Once boiling cover and simmer over a medium heat for 20 minutes.
Once all the vegetables are thoroughly cooked add the double cream and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
In a blender or food processor blitz until smooth (you may need to do this in a few batches), season with salt and pepper whilst the blender is on.
Serve in a soup bowl with some chopped chives sprinkled over the top.

For a variation on this recipe, add Smoked Haddock at the point you add the leeks.

Method

Wash the Apples and chop in chunks, (no need to peel or core) and put into a pot with the blackberries and add cold water to come level with the fruit.
Bring up to the boil and simmer until the apples are very soft.
Pour mixture into a muslin bag and leave to drip overnight.
Measure exactly how much liquid you have. Do not be tempted to squeeze the bag or your jelly will be cloudy (not very appetizing) and use one pound of sugar for every pint of juice.
Put the sugar and fruit into a large pot and bring to the boil gently initially until the sugar melts.
Then fast boil for about 20 mins stirring all the time, I used the old fashioned saucer testing method, before I invested in a sugar thermometer, a great buy. Take off the heat and pot in the usual way.

Method

"This is one of my favourite winter drinks and goes down a treat at all my Hotels and Inns. My favourite ways to drink it is as the traditional just on it's own at the end of a day or my current favourite as a 'Sloegasm' which is a small measure at the bottle of a champagne flute topped up with champagne or sparkling wine"

First you need to source your bottle – I prefer to use a glass bottle or decanter but anything will do as long as it is airtight and the neck is large enough to push a sloe through!
Prick each individual sloe several times, this can be done with a cocktail stick or fork – this allows the juices to permeate the tough skins of the sloes.
Put the sloes into the empty bottle followed by the gin and caster sugar. Seal the bottle and shake it thoroughly.
Store in a cool dark cupboard.
Over the next 2 weeks you must shake the bottle every day and then after that once a month for a couple of months.
After a couple of months it will be ready to drink – just in time for Christmas. Remember you can either decant your sloe gin into a fresh bottle or leave the fruit in the original bottle if you leave the fruit in you only have around 6 months drinking time!

Where to find sloes

Sloes are the fruits of the blackthorn bush, and are readily available during late autumn in the wild. October and November are the perfect time to scour woodlands and hedgerows or you can try growing them at home as the plants are fairly fast growing.

Chris' Tips

The process of making sloe gin is brilliantly simple and as you'd expect, the amount of sugar you use in the recipe will affect the final outcome.
My recipe may prove too sweet or too sour, depending on your preferences, so if this is your first time making sloe gin, it might be worth your while making several different batches with varying amounts of sugar. That way, you'll be able to select the recipe that best suits your own taste.

Method

"This is a great sauce base that you can remove from the freezer and either leave it as it is or add anything from meat, fish, vegetables or spices"

Rough chop the tomatoes and onions, fry in the oil till tender.
Add the herbs, garlic, salt and pepper and then finally stir in the pesto.
Give it a little boil and remove from heat.
Spoon into the portions sizes that you need and freeze.
This is great for grown-ups and kids alike and mine love it. It's also very easy to get a meal on the table once this is in the freezer.

Method

Slice the tomatoes and sprinkle with salt and place in a colander. Leave overnight in the kitchen sink to remove any acid.
Add apples, lemon zest, onions and vinegar.
Boil till all is tender and put through the colander, you will have quite a pulpy mixture now.
Place in a large pot and add all other ingredients and simmer for 3-4 hours.
Allow to cool and then ladle into sterile jars and seal.
Date and sort in a dark cool place until needed.