Chef Wise

This pastry is very good for sweet tarts and cakes . As a blind baked pastry for some thing like a lemon tar or French fruit flan you could do no better. 300g/10½oz plain flour 125g/4oz cold unsalted butter 30g/1oz caster sugar 2 eggs 2 tbsp milk or water(optional) This is a rich pastry so if you are making it by hand make it as follows. Sift the flour in to a bowl, Cut the butter up in to fine cubes so it easy to work in to the flour. Add the sugar in the eggs then beat them together then add that to the flour and butter. Using a fork at first bring the mix together then add a little milk or water, if you need to. Then rest in the fridge for about 15 to 20 minutes. Or you can make it in a food processor , just do not over mix it. Now take your pastry, roll it out on a well-floured board, and line the baking tin then put this back in the fridge for another 20 to 30 minutes. Then take it out, line with a baking sheet, fill with baking beans and blind bake for about 15 t

Kids love this and you can do it all quit rapidly once you have had the chicken in a marinade . it is the spiced milk that help the coating stick to the chicken . Not as messy as dipping in flour then egg and then breadcrumbs. So messy on the hands. This way you just dip rest and cook. You will need to marinade the chicken 4 chicken thighs, skin off A small bunch of oregano 6 garlic cloves, 2 shallots, 1 chilli 1 tbsp salt Milk. To coat the chicken 6 tbsp plain flour ½ tsp celery salt ½ tsp cayenne pepper ½ tsp ground black pepper ½ tsp paprika 200ml vegetable oil to deep fry in. Start by getting the chicken and put it in a bowl along with the other ingredients for the marinade. You do not need to worry to much about chopping them ruff cut and bruise them to get the flavour going .then threw in the chicken and top up with milk . then cover this and place in the fridge , best to do this a good 8 hours before you cook the chicken over night or in the morning be

This is a light fruity how salad that has a sweet hot kick. Make about an hour before you use it to get the flavours fully developed in the salad and serve with salad leaves or just on its own as a starter. You will need 1kg/2¼lb cooked crab, white meat only, chopped 1 mango, peeled, stone removed, flesh cut into cubes 2 avocados, stones and skin removed, flesh cut into cubes 1 red onion, peeled, sliced 1 garlic clove, peeled, sliced ½ mild red chilli, seeds removed, finely sliced 2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only 1 lime, juice only 1-2 tbsp olive oil, or to taste pinch salt The trick to this salad is not to have the avocados and the mango to soft or to hard . you just ant then to be just ripe , still very firm and able to withstand being tossed about with out breaking up . If they are too hard, you cannot eat them; if they are too soft, you just get a bowl of mush. Slice the red onions, garlic and chillies as thin as you can. The add the like juice olive oil and sal

This is a refreshing salad that has all the elements of the far east thrown in . It has heat, sweet and sour and every thing so fresh as well. For your papaya salad you will need 1 green papaya, peeled, shredded 2 tomatoes, diced Handful green beans, blanched, refreshed in cold water 2 carrots, peeled, julienned Small bunch fresh basil leaves Small bunch coriander leaves ½ iceberg lettuce, shredded 2 garlic cloves 2.5cm/1in piece fresh ginger, peeled, roughly chopped 2 red birds’-eye chillies, seeds removed 60g/2¼oz palm sugar, crushed 2 limes, juice only 100ml/3½fl oz soy sauce Dash of roasted sesame oil Now stat by making you dressing. Get your garlic chillies and ginger and start to pound that all together. Add the palm sugar to help grind and break things up , if you can not get palm sugar use some Demerara sugar. Add the limejuice and the oil and finish with the soy sauce, what you should have is a strong aromatic dressing. Let this stand for a while. If yo

Sticky toffee pudding is always a good selling pudding on every restaurant menu I have ever worked with. But for some reason people seem to think that it is so hard to make. Like any thing, as long as you have a good recipe and follow the measurements of the ingredients you should have a good pudding at the end . For the pudding mix 150g/5oz dates, stones removed, chopped 250ml/9fl oz hot water 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 60g/2¼ oz butter, softened 60g/2¼ oz soft light brown sugar 2 eggs 150g/5oz self-raising flour For the toffee sauce 200g/7oz butter 400g/14oz muscovado sugar Vanilla , a few drops 250ml/9fl oz double cream Preparation method First thing get the oven turned on and preheat to 180c/370f then get the kettle on and get two blows. In the fist bowl put your dates all chopped and de stoned, sprinkle over them the bicarbonate of soda , then when the kettle boild pour the boiling water over the dates and let it all sit for about 5 to 10 minutes Now in

This is the food of my childhood and some thing that you need to make and eat as soon as it comes out of the oven. No toads are actually used in the cooking, just sausages, so why it is called toad in the hole I do not know. All it is is a batter mix that you bake in the oven with some sausages in it, you will need 115g/4oz plain flour large pinch of salt freshly ground black pepper 4 large free-range eggs 300ml/½ pint milk 2 tbsp/30g fresh thyme leaves 8 good quality pork sausages 2 tbsp/30g vegetable oil First make your batter, sift the flour in to a bowl then add the eggs and start to whisk them together with the flour. As you do this add the milk a little at a time till you end up with a smooth batter. If you get a lump batter do not panic blend it together with a hand blender. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle in the thyme leaves. Now set the batter mix to one side and let it rest for 30 minutes or longer. The turn the oven on and preheat to 200c/400f, qui

This pudding is best to make when you have some old sale bread and only a little time. It is really fast to make and you do not need a lot of skill to make it . 25g/1oz butter, plus extra for greasing 8 slices bread 50g/2oz sultanas 2 pinches cinnamon powder 2 pinches of nutmeg 350ml/12fl oz whole milk 50ml/2fl oz double cream 2 free-range eggs 25g/1oz granulated sugar Cut the crusts of the bread and cut two slices in to triangles. Take tow of the slice of bread and lay them on the bottom of the dish, scatter some of the sultanas over the bread . Then lay another layer of bred and then scatter the fruit and again until you have just the triangles left. Arrange the bread triangles in an attractive pattern on the top. Now take your butter, milk, cream, nutmeg and cinnamon and slowly heat that in a sauce pan till the butter has melted. While it heat up the cinnamon and nut meg will infuse the milk mix with there flavours. While that is happening, get your eggs, sugar,

A dish for the left over mash that you can knock up in a few seconds and enjoy at any time of day. Or even as a starter if you so like. You will need. 1 onions, roughly chopped Butter and oil, for frying Two cabbage leaves 500g/1lg leftover mashed potato 12 rashers of smoked streaky bacon 4 eggs. Dice your onions up and add a little butter and oil to a frying pan. Then cook the onions of so they are soft. Shred the cabbage leaves and add them to the onions and let them wilt a little. Now take your cold left over mash potato, add that to the frying pan, and let it warm up. As it does work the onions and the cabbage in to the mash, so you get a good mixture. Now some people say you should let it get crispy on the out side and others say you should break that browned potato up and work that in to the mash. I do both, as soon as the mash gets a brown crust on it break it up and work it in to the mash. Do this about twice and then brown on both sides and the bubble and squea

With a cup of tea on a summer’s day with strawberry jam and Clotted cream, that is what summer is all about. The sound of willow on leather and the village green. The only problem with this is that in Briton it will be raining and I do not understand cricket Ingredients 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter, 225g/8oz self-raising flour ½ tsp baking powder pinch of salt 25g/1oz sugar 25-50g/1-2oz sultanas 1 free-range egg 150ml/5fl oz milk, plus extra for brushing Serve with Strawberry jam Clotted cream This doe not take long to make , about 15 ton 20 minutes so set the ground work out first. Preheat the oven to 220°c/425°f and grease a large baking tray with butter. Take your bowl and sift the flour and baking powder into it. Cut the butter up in to small cubes to make it easier to work and add to the flour. Now using your fingers, rub the butter in to the flour until you get a breadcrumb texture to the mix. Light and fast and do not over work it or get it to hot in your

This is a very British classic almond tart originating from Bakewell in Derbyshire said to have come back from knights who went on the crusades. Now it is one of those things that are hotly contested and talked about but I think I am safe in saying you should only use raspberry jam. You will need, For the pastry 300g/10½oz plain flour 125g/4oz cold unsalted butter 30g/1oz caster sugar 2 eggs 2 tbsp milk or water(optional) For the filling 225g/8oz unsalted butter, softened 225g/8oz caster sugar 275g/10oz ground almonds 3 eggs The juice and the zest of 1 lemon 1 jar raspberry jam Flaked almonds This is a rich pastry so if you are making it by hand make it as follows. Sift the flour in to a bowl, Cut the butter up in to fine cubes so it easy to work in to the flour. Add the sugar in the eggs then beat them together then add that to the flour and butter. Using a fork at first bring the mix together then add a little milk or water, if you need to. Then rest in the

11 July 2011 Have you got the words to be Beer Writer of the Year 2011 and win £1,000? The British Guild of Beer Writers today launches its annual competition for beer writing, giving communicators the chance to enter their work in seven different categories, with one of the category winners to be named as the Beer Writer of the Year and receive the coveted Michael Jackson Gold Tankard Award*. The competition is open to writers, broadcasters, photographers, poets, illustrators, designers, webmasters and bloggers whose work has broadened the public’s knowledge of beer and pubs. Guild chairman Tim Hampson said, “We received over 400 entries to the Awards last year – a record level that reflects the vibrancy of beer writing in the UK. We look forward to receiving another bumper crop of articles, books and blogs about beer this year, and to rewarding those whose work is judged the best.” Nominations and entries are being sought for seven categories: Molson Coors’

27 July 2011 Luxury holiday accommodation provider Unique Home Stays has launched its new sister company, Unique Boutique, which specialises in delicious hampers, foodie accessories and gourmet treats. The company, which is based in Cornwall, was officially unveiled last month following the success of the hampers in many of its holiday properties where they are provided as a welcome treat. The focus of all of the hampers featured on the mail order site is ‘unique foodie combinations’, resulting in deliciously eclectic combinations which blend high-end brands with locally produced treats. Although all of the products shown on the site can be delivered anywhere in the UK, there is a predominantly Westcountry flavour to the site as the company is keen to support local producers. From Camel Valley wine to homemade chutneys and jams, here at Unique Boutique we like to think we are doing are bit to help local producers, while providing our customers with the finest luxury

27 July 2011 27th July 2011. LovetheGarden, your online gardening experts, are delighted to announce the second of their popular vegetable garden competitions, after a fantastic response to our launch a few months ago. In February, we ran an online competition to find your best cabbage recipes to celebrate this often ignored and much maligned vegetable. The prize was a £200 meal for two at a restaurant of the winner’s choice, anywhere in the UK. The response was amazing, with some innovative and delicious recipes for everything from a modern twist on cabbage soup through to our winning entry, melt in the mouth cabbage and mushroom pasties. The winning entry was by Karolina, posted on the Senses in the Kitchen blog. The recipe is now a firm favourite with us at LovetheGarden, and you can find details of how to make Karolina’s pasties at www.sensesinthekitchen-Karolina.blogspot.com. A chip off the old spud… This month’s competition features a vegetable we all take fo

It is looked down on now as not being the right thing to make with raw eggs and all that fat so risky and unhealthy. However, real mayonnaise is one of the nicest things that you can make as a dip. It literally just takes a few seconds and is in now way difficult. So if you like to live with danger and are prepared to take the risk them this is how you make it. For the mayo 2 egg yolks 2 garlic cloves 1-2 tbsp lemon juice Salt and c fresh ground black pepper 125ml/4fl oz olive oil 125ml/4fl oz vegetable oil Take your garlic with some salt and crush the garlic together in to a nice paste then add the lemon juice and black pepper. Now you can do one of two thing now. Add the egg yolks to the garlic of in another bowl keep them separate. Now if I am making it I always add the garlic latter , I do not know why and I just do. So in a separate bowl place it in a damp cloth to hold it still and add your egg yolks. Start to whisk your egg yolks then slowly a little at a t

As a light starter or as a main meal this fish cake is very good and just goes so well with salad, of just chips and peas. Or just with a mayonnaise dip and some crusty bread. Ingredients 2 tbsp butter 2 tbsp diced red pepper 4 tbsp chopped onion 2 tbsp chopped leek 200g/7oz fresh white fish boned and skinned 450g/16oz fresh or frozen crabmeat 1 egg Fresh chopped parsley Fresh chopped basil Fresh chopped chives 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 200g/7oz fresh breadcrumbs Salt freshly ground pepper, to taste 1 tbsp vegetable oil Preparation method Dice your vegetables as fine as you can then melt the butter and cook them till soft. You only need to cook them for a few minutes you do not want them cooked completely just to soften them slightly. Then pop that to one side and let it all cool down. Take the white fish and plus a couple of time in the food processor so you have a rough paste. Add the crabmeat, herbs, mustard, eggs, and half of the brad crumbs. Plus this a few

25 July 2011 There is Welsh food and drink on the menu at not one but two palaces when the True Taste Kitchen Award Winners Roadshow attends two of the UK’s top summer events – the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, and the Country Landowners Association Game Fair. The Roadshow is a joint promotion between Wales the TrueTaste Food and Drink Award winners and the Welsh Government, which manages the annual awards. Probably the most famous palace built by Henry VIII, Hampton Court in Surrey opens its gates today (Tuesday) for the annual Royal Horticultural Society flower show, which runs until this Sunday and last year attracted 160,000 visitors. Tastings, tips, demonstrations and recipes are on offer as the Roadshow showcases some of the best food and drink in Wales with True Taste winners past and present taking part. Featured too are Welsh chefs: The Falcondale Hotel’s Andy Beaumont, Wesley Harris of the Chart House in Abergavenny, and James Sommerin and Matt Smith

25 July 2011 The International Craft Cider Festival 2011, 12 – 14 August in Llancaiach Fawr, is the first of its kind, and is set to become a highlight of any real cider-lovers calendar. We are bringing together craft cider and perry makers from around the world; with the first year focussing on producers from France, Germany, Spain, England and Wales. Celebrating the artisan craft cider and perry industry, the festival brings international cider producers, food and music cultures together to create a three day festival in the beautiful rural valleys of South East Wales. A must for anyone on their UK family holiday. Organised and run by the Welsh Perry and Cider Society, the International Craft Cider Festival is an opportunity for international cider makers to promote their regions and cidermaking culture. Having run a successful Welsh Perry and Cider Festival and championships for the past 9 years, the Welsh Perry and Cider Society are taking this success to cre

26 July 2011 Despite the current climate of doom and gloom, the people of the Midlands - and further afield, have shown that they are determined to get their just desserts. The Birmingham Pudding and Dessert Club launched by locally-based event and banqueting caterer Redcliffe has a waiting list for each of its events – held in the Victorian splendour of the City’s renowned Botanical Gardens. Redcliffe Director Colin Cook said, “The Birmingham Pudding and Dessert Club has been an amazing success. Some might find this enthusiastic reaction surprising – after all we keep being told that we are all cutting back on eating out. This is not our experience however. In times of recession, people need an affordable treat to cheer themselves up – and when things are going well, they want to celebrate. We provide a dazzling array of pure indulgence in the form of our delicious desserts matched by a suitable dessert wine to accompany the dish – and preceded by a tantalising ma

26 July 2011 Ben Shaws, the soft drinks manufacturer who brought the distinctive taste of Dandelion and Burdock – amongst others - to the people of the UK, is 140 years old this year. The company was founded in 1871 by Ben Shaw, in the same year that Queen Victoria opened the Royal Albert Hall and Stanley uttered the immortal words, “Doctor Livingstone, I presume?” when he found him on the shores of Lake Tanganyika. By the time Coca-Cola and Dr. Pepper debuted (1886 and 1885, respectively), Ben Shaws was already a teenager, and when Pepsi (1898) was introduced, Ben Shaws four flavours – Dandelion and Burdock, Cloudy Lemonade, Cream Soda and Bitter Shandy – were already well established favourites with the British public. It was Ben Shaw himself who used the family shire horses Bonny, Blossom, Cherry and Dick to deliver his soft drinks via horse and cart. In later years the firm used what became known as the Ben Shaws “pop van” and the drinks came in glass bottles

This Indian dish has a lot of depth and spice but not too much heat. Also this recipe is fairly authentic as well as far as I am aware. That and the fact that Rogan Josh is one that I will chose if I am eating out . Ingredients 5 tbsp vegetable oil 7 black peppercorns, left whole 6 green cardamom pods, left whole 4 cloves, left whole 1 cinnamon stick 1 piece of mace 6 garlic cloves, peeled, left whole 2cm/¾in piece ginger, peeled and cut in half 2 tsp ground coriander 2 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp ground fennel seeds ½ tsp red chilli powder 1½ tsp garam masala 1 onion, finely chopped 750g/1½lb leg of lamb or mutton, diced 750ml/ 1½pt water or lamb stock Salt, to taste 6 over ripe tomatoes, chopped, or one tin. 2 tsp tomato puree. 3 tbsp plain yoghurt, stirred Handful chopped fresh coriander, leaves and stalks First take the peppercorns, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick and mace and place them in a mortar and pestle or some kind of bowl and a rolling pin. You do not

Simple summery and very, very refreshing. If a salad say summer this says it , no this salad shouts it . You will need 6 tomatoes 1 cucumber 1 medium ripe melon 1 ripe but not soft mango 50ml/ 2fl oz virgin olive oil A squeeze of lemon juice A squeeze of limejuice Fresh mint Blanch your tomatoes remove there skins and remove the seeds. The peal you cucumber and deseed that. Now peal and deseed your melon and finally peal and destine your mango. Dice all the components of the salad in to same sized pieces and then toss them in a bowl. Add the oil, the lemon, limejuice, and finally some chopped mint. Place it all in the fridge and serve well chilled. A refreshing salad that kids love.

A fine salad that is just a little better than a coleslaw or any thing like that. Rémoulade is a mayonnaise that is flavoured with mustard and other things and it has a real kick with the celeriac . You will need, 1 whole celeriac (about 500g or 1 lb in weight.) 3 to 4 tbsp of mayonnaise 1tsp of a good Dijon mustard . Two gherkins 12 cappers 2 anchovy fillets A good bunch of tarragon or parsley. Some lemon juice. Now you have to be fairly quick in mixing this salad or the celeriac will oxidise and go brown, it does not effect the taste but it does not look nice. First make the sauce, take your gherkins, cappers and anchovies and chop them all finely together and put them in a bowl. Then add the mayonnaise and the mustard and mix so every thing is fully bound together. Now get your Celeriac and peal it then slice it as thin as you can then cut it in to thin match stick lengths. If you have a mandolin this is the prefect tool to be using for this job. Once you have them

This vegetable salad is one more for late summer or autumn. It is sweet and tasty and you can get a real flavour from the vegetables. It can look a little messy if you just mix it all together but if you layer it in a glass bowl, it looks great. You will need 225g/ 80oz beetroot pealed 225g/ 80oz carrots pealed 225g/ 80oz butternut squash pealed 100g/ 2oz Olive oil 100g/ 2oz runny honey Juice of half a lemon Salt and cracked black pepper 140g/5oz goat’s cheese Some rocket leaves for garnish Take your raw vegetables and peal them then dice them in to similar sized pieces. Then take the beetroot and the carrots and separately place them in to a pan of water and just bring them up to the boil. Then straight under cold water, to stop the cooking process. Now take your oil, honey and lemon juice and make a dressing season with salt and pepper. Take each of the vegetables individually and toss them in the dressing and then on to a roasting try. Do the beetroot last. Cov

A good fish pie is the sort of thing that you want on a day when you need some kind of comfort food. The good thing about it was well is that you can use almost any kind of fish for it, so not only can it be tasty but relatively cheap as well. Ingredients For the potato topping 1.5kg/3lb 5oz potatoes, use King Edwards or Maris Piper 100ml/ 3floz signal cream. Salt and white pepper, black pepper, nutmeg and butter, to taste For the filling. ½ lt /1 pt fish stock 4 tbsp dry white wine 1 onion, small diced 1 small carrot, small diced 1 leek small diced 750g/1lb 10oz white fish 250g/9oz smoked haddock 200g/7oz salmon 120g/4oz raw prawns 75g/2½oz unsalted butter 75g/2½oz plain flour 150ml/5fl oz full-fat milk Large pinch parsley, finely chopped Large pinch tarragon, finely chopped Large pinch dill, finely chopped 150ml/5fl oz double cream Salt and white pepper To top pie. 25g/1oz grated mature cheddar cheese First to make your potato topping, you do not have

Beer is now no longer a low drink that is just attributed to the working classes but it is some thing of a premium drink. No longer just some thing that you swill down but it can be a designer accessory that is a must see label. But to me beer is as important as wine. You had in food culture the hot wine producing, and the cooler beer producing countries. So how many beers are there in the world . well I have started to make a list of the different styles of beer but not all the different brands. For every style there must be hundreds if not thousands of brands so I will just stick with the styles and try to get most of them . So here we go. Abby Beers , strong fruity ales from Belgium often associated with a church or monastery. Barley wine, that is what we Brits call a very strong golden brew that is also some times called Stingo. Berliner Weisse , a light acid sharp German wheat beer, not so strong and has a slightly cloudy look to it. Bière de Grade, From north west Fra

Beer should always have some kind of a head on it, by that, I mean the frothy top. If it does not hen it is not the way it is supposed to be served. To pour a beer correctly from a bottle or a pump you want to start with the glass at a tilt. When the glass it’s about two thirds full start to right the galls slowly so that you get a head on the beer. Do this slowly or you will get nothing but all frothy head, ideally, you want about 3cm to ½ an inch head to your beer. Do not drink straight away; let it settle a little so that you can see it is starting to clear. Then drink it threw the head at first to get the full effect of the beer. Now if you have the sort of beer that keeps its head till you have finished the drink then you might want a clean glass but a clean glass every time is not necessary. You can drink beer from the bottle and now with some beer, it is the fashion to do so but to get the full effect and prefect the colour you need it in a clear glass. As to the taste,

Beer is pretty much produced all a round the worlds in one form or another from massif multinational companies down to small-scale local brewers. But they are all the same thing really all depending on the recipes and the ingredients. To make beer you need water, a starch such as malted barley, hops, yeast and a clarifying agent or finings. You add them all together one at a time using varying vessel, heating to set temperatures and you end up with beer. Now that is the every simplistic way of saying how you make beer but that is the very basic process. But what makes a beer a larger or a ale. This is a easy thing to answer it either has a bottom or top fermenting yeast , if it is a bottom fermenting yeast then it is a larger , if not it is a ale . But what does that mean, lets go in to that a little more starting with Ales Ales have been brewed for thousands of years and go right back to the ancient Egyptians. An ale is a top fermenting warm made yeast beer. The yeast rises to

Get you vegetables and just grill them on the barbeque or on a char grill or griddle pan then dress them and let the cool. All the juices form the vegetables marinate with the dressing to create a perfect vegetable salad. For the dressing 200ml Extra virgin olive oil Half a lemons juice 1 garlic clove finely slices Two sprigs of Thyme Two sprigs of Oregano Two sprigs of Rosemary Sea salt Fresh ground black pepper Vegetables to grill. 1 red pepper 1 yellow pepper 1 green pepper 1 red onion 1 white onion 1 courgette 1 aubergine or egg plant Fennel bulb. A little olive oil. Some black or green olives to garnish and fresh basil leaves. First, make your dressing in a large bowl. The reason for making a little dressing in a big blow is that you will be adding the vegetables to the blow and then covering it. Now every thing wants to be very rustic so do not worry too much about chopping the herbs just tare the leaves from the stalk and add to the mix. The only t

This is one of my most favourite salads and what I like most about it is the story that goes with it. It is named after Caesar Cardini who owned Caesar’s Palace in Los Angeles. Now the story I was told was he was on holiday in Mexico when some famous film types paid him a visit. So he grabbed what he had and made them a salad. If this is true then it truly shows that necessity is the mother of invention. For the dressing 15g / ½ oz of anchovy fillets, finely chopped 2 tsp cappers finely chopped. 2tsp Worcestershire sauce ½ teaspoon smooth Dijon mustard 1 very soft boiled egg. The juice of half a lemon 1 garlic clove crushed 2 large tdsp fine grated parmesan 150 to 300ml 1 to 10 fl oz extra virgin olive oil Fresh ground black pepper For the salad Lettuces. 4 slices of bread A little olive oil 75g 3oz parmesan shavings. To make the dressing just get every thing in a bowl all finely chopped and crushed together then drizzle in the oil and whisk it all together .

Another classic British dish that is a real winter warmer and knowing the British summertime an all round dish. You will need. For the filling. 675g/1½lb chuck steak, cut into 2.5cm/1in cubes 225g/8oz ox kidney, cut into 2.5cm1in cubes 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped 1 stick of celery Salt and freshly ground black pepper Some fresh thyme leaves A bay leaf 2 tbsp plain flour 1 tbsp butter 150ml/¼pt fresh beef stock 100ml/4 floz ale. For the Suet pastry 400g/14oz self-raising flour 200g/7oz beef or vegetarian suet Salt freshly ground black pepper to taste. 290ml/½ pint cold water Now to start with if you are going to make a steak and kidney pudding you should cook the meat in the pastry for about five hours. But I do not do it like that. First, take your beef and brown that of in a saucepan, then add of your onions and celery add them to the pot. Make sure that you get a good dark brown colure on the meat and onions as this will give the colure to the

If you go to the seaside or to any town, come to think of it, in great Briton, you will come across a fish and chip shop. It is next to the full English breakfast a true British classic. Now all depending from what part of the country you are in it will be with Cod , or Haddock, just peas or mushy peas and the range of batters recipes go on and on. However, it is basically the same and this is my versions of the dish, I hope that you enjoy it. For the fish 250g/9oz strong plain flour 500ml/17½fl oz milk and water, half and half. Salt and freshly ground black pepper A dash of malt vinegar 4 x 150g/5oz fish fillets. For the mushy peas 500g/1lb 2oz dried marrowfat peas Sugar to taste Salt and ground white pepper to taste Green food colouring, optional. For the chips 900g/2lb potatoes Sunflower oil, for deep-frying First, you have to make the mushy peas. Now to make them from scratch you need to soak the peas for 12 hours or so, over night. Then drain them and place t

To caramelise any thing is a relatively easy afar to do, all you need is to be a little patient and not hurry things to much. Now that sound very simple and after all what is caramelising some thing if not burning it a little, well yes. That is in effect what you are doing but on the other hand, the fact that you are just burning some thing a little is an easy step to be one fraction of a second away from burning it a lot and ruining it all together. So before you do this please do not think I will just go of and watch the television or go to the door and see who is there for you turn your back on this and you will have nothing to show for it apart from a black stick and rather unpleasant mess. So first, you will need your onions. Now you can use sliced diced or whole onions the thing to remember is that the bigger the onion the longer that it will take to cook. So if you are going to use whole French opinions then you will need to finish them in the oven for about one hour to