We were out all day last Sunday and ended up in the pub in need of something to eat. When this happens I always avoid the Traditional Sunday Roast since I don’t think it’s ever as good as the real home-cooked version. For some reason, last Sunday I broke my golden rule and was rewarded with a plate of food that was edible but by no means remarkable. It gave me a craving for a proper Sunday lunch so this morning, Stephen went off in search of beef while I got on with the accompaniments.

When he returned, he was clutching a large bag which contained a rib of beef, well two ribs actually. We followed Hugh’s instructions again but were taken by surprise at the speed the beef cooked which meant we ended up with meat that was just over the medium-rare we prefer. This was a tasty cut of beef though so the flavour wasn’t affected too much. We really must remember to pay more attention to the meat while it’s cooking though since this is a situation we find ourselves in all too often.

Great Yorkshire pudding (that wasn’t frozen like last week), crunchy roast potatoes, average parsnips and a decent selection of vegetables made for a good lunch. There was plenty of excellent gravy too, another bonus of eating at home and not a pub/restaurant.

The “This Week Last Year” plugin on the sidebar tells me that we ate roast beef exactly a year ago. A further search through the archives reveals that we haven’t had it since. Far too long.

Last year, we made haggis sausage rolls as a starter before the traditional Burn’s Night meal of haggis, neeps and tatties. We remembered them fondly so, this year, decided to cook just the sausauge rolls. What we both particularly liked about the sausage rolls was the outside edge where the meat meets the pastry and the fat combines. So, we changed our minds and decided to make a tart, reasoning that there would be more of those sticky, crispy edges. This didn’t quite work out but it still made for good eating.

In order to thoroughly test the theory of those edges, we made a sausage roll too. We both actually preferred this and really should have stuck to that in the first place. The traditional whisky and cream sauce would have worked well with this but, fearing for our arteries, we ate salad instead.

This has been on my “things-to-cook-soon” list for ages. I’m a big fan of slow-roast dishes and thought this might be a good alternative to our favourite slow roast shoulder of lamb. Well, I’m not sure if we did something wrong (seasoned and braised in a couple of pints of stock and wine at 160 degrees for three hours. There were carrots, onions, celery, bay, garlic and some dried herbs in there too) or if we just had a poor piece of meat but we really didn’t like it.

The gravy had plenty of flavour but the beef itself was tasteless and dull. We bought a larger piece of beef than we needed for today’s lunch so that we could use the leftovers tomorrow which I’m hoping will be better. I can’t see us cooking brisket to eat this way again though.

I didn’t think I’d eaten Barnsley chops before but, as it turns out, I ate them once before with a salad very similar to this one. The salad was slightly different this time, I par-boiled the peeled Jerusalem artichokes before leaving them to cool and then slicing them. I then fried them and added them to some cooked grean beans and some toasted hazelnuts. Some goats cheese was then squidged on top. I was planning to crumble the goats cheese but it was too ripe for that.

The “salad” was really good and worked well with the lamb chops but I think it has potential as a stand-alone dish or as a starter. We added a drizzle of oil after taking the photos which brought everything together.

The boulangere potatoes were not so good. I thought since I was cooking them in smaller dishes I could get away with a shorter cooking time but it seems I was wrong. An old post tells me I usually cook them for 3.5 hours which seems a really long time but I do remember them as being very good so next time I’ll remember not to rush things.

One of my favourite things about Christmas are the traditions that go alongside the presents and the turkey.  I like a big tree with too-many decorations on it (I get this from my mum, her tree is so overloaded that you can’t really see the branches and it often falls over), I like strings of fairy-lights covering every available surface and I like decorating the house while listening to Christmas music and eating mince pies.  We did that yesterday and baked the first batch of mince pies from the mincemeat we made a couple of weeks ago.  We used the same recipe we use every year but this time, the spicing was a little light and there was too much apple coming through.  Easy enough to rectify though and a good job we checked in advance of the big day.

Hettie Potter’s suet-free Mincemeat
Makes about 2kg

250g soft dark sugar
250ml medium dry cider
1 kg cooking apples, peeled, halved and quartered
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
250g currants
250g raisins
75g glace cherries, roughly chopped
75g blanched almonds, finely chopped
rind and juice of 1/2 lemon
6 tbsp brandy or rum

In large saucepan, dissolve the sugar in the cider over a gentle heat. Add the roughly chopped apples to the saucepan. Add all the ingredients, apart from brandy/rum and simmer for around 30 min until everything has a pulpy consistency. Take off the heat and when it has cooled slightly stir in brandy/rum.

On our way back from the New Forest, we tried to buy some venison for dinner but couldn’t find any anywhere. Each shop we tried told us that they were expecting their delivery shortly but nothing had arrived so far. In the end, we gave up and bought some from our local butcher when we got back to London. It turned out that their supplier was actually from the New Forest and it seemed silly to be buying such a local product around the corner from where we live but at least we tried.

We decided we would make pie, it’s Stephen’s birthday and pie is his favourite. Since I didn’t bake him a cake, I decorated the pie instead which I think he probably preferred. Our pie dish is rather too large for two people though (which I mention each time I use it but always forget until it’s too late), hence the sinkage. It didn’t affect the taste though which was richly meaty with a background warmth from the ginger and juniper. This would have worked well as a casserole too but why you would want to eat casserole when you can have pastry I don’t know.

We would usually have mashed potatoes with pie but we had been talking about boulangere potatoes recently so decided to have those. It didn’t seem like an obvious pairing to me (we usually eat these with grilled fish or meat) but it worked well with the soft potato being the perfect vehicle for the redcurrant-heavy gravy. We were planning to roast some parsnips to go alongside the pie but ended up slicing those and adding them to the potatoes which worked brilliantly and resulted in less washing-up too.

Venison and Red Wine Pie
Serves Two

500g venison shoulder, diced
Flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 large onion, sliced into half-moons
2 stalks celery, chopped
250g mushrooms, chopped into bite-sized pieces
Sprig of thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dry ginger
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
Glass red wine
500ml beef stock
1 tbsp juniper berries, crushed

Start by tossing the venison in the seasoned flour and then brown in batches until the pieces have taken on a dark colour and the outsides have begun to char. Remove to a plate.

In the same pan, add a little more oil if necessary and soften the onions, celery and mushrooms with some salt and pepper and the thyme for about 5-7 minutes. Add the bay leaves, ginger and coriander, stir so everything is coated and cook for another couple of minutes.

Return the meat to the pan with the onions and mushrooms and add a glass of red wine. Bring to the boil and allow to bubble until the alcohol has evaporated – about a minute or so. Add the stock and the juniper berries and season. Once everything has reached boiling point, reduce the heat and simmer for about three hours.

Remove the meat to a pie dish and leave to cool completely, fishing out and discarding the bay leaves and thyme stalks. Leave any excess liquid in the pan for the gravy.

Top the meat with pastry, wash with egg (we didn’t have any eggs hence the slightly anaemic look to our crust) and then bake at 175 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Venison, Red Wine and Redcurrant Gravy

1 tsp mustard
1 tsp redcurrant jelly
1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
100ml red wine
150ml beef stock

To the leftover cooking liquid add the mustard, redcurrant jelly, the red wine vinegar and the red wine. If you don’t have a huge amount of liquid then add the red beef stock too. Bring to the boil, reduce and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Taste as you go and adjust to your liking, you want it to be reasonably sharp with a good kick from the mustard so that it works as a contrast to the richness of the pie filling.

Thicken with cornflour if necessary.

I first heard about Hotel TerraVina online some time last year. It’s a boutique hotel situated in the New Forest and was devised by the people who put together the Hotel du Vin chain. The emphasis is on good food and wine (two of our favourite things) and while staying there, you can also learn the art of sabrage.

When we were in Champagne a few years ago, we saw lots of people taking the tops off Champagne bottles with swords but never got the chance to try it ourselves. It seemed like the perfect birthday present for Stephen so I booked it and tried to keep it a secret until the day arrived.

I’m not very good at keeping secrets but I managed this one and on Wednesday afternoon, we drove down to the hotel where we were greeted warmly by the staff before checking into a beautifully decorated bedroom with a view over the nearby forest. The rooms are all named after different types of wine and are all individually decorated, many with roll-top baths in the rooms. The emphasis is definitely on quality with handmade toiletries from nearby Wiltshire in the bathroom and bespoke furniture in the bedroom made by local craftsmen.

As lovely as the room was, we were keen to investigate the well-appointed bar that we had spotted on our arrival. After perusing the open-faced wine cellar, we chose a glass from the extensive and well-researched wine list that specialised in Californian wine. Not the nasty, over-oaked type that was once associated with California but the perfectly balanced, full-bodied examples that we both love. After finishing our wine, we were led outside where Stephen was shown how to use the sabre to remove the Champagne cork by one of the hotel’s expert sommeliers. After the short lesson, it was Stephen’s turn and he did a great job of taking the cork off while making the whole thing look very easy.

Back in the warmth of the bar and while enjoying our Champagne, we were presented with the evening’s menu which had a good selection of both meat and fish dishes (there were probably some vegetarian dishes too but we didn’t register those) with a heavy bias on seasonal and local produce. We struggled to choose as everything sounded wonderful and it was obvious that a lot of time and thought had been put into creating a compact menu with quality ingredients.

I opted for the lasagne of crab and langoustine to start and Stephen chose the loin of rabbit. The presentation of both dishes was beautiful and the flavours certainly didn’t disappoint. Crab and langoustine lasagne is one of my favourite starters and the execution of this dish was stunning. The basil added a slightly unusual note that I hadn’t come across in this dish before but, coupled with the lemongrass, was a fragrant compliment to the sweet and perfectly cooked fish.

Stephen’s rabbit dish was heartier than my fish but was well balanced and just the right size to not be too heavy. Even though I’m not a big fan of beetroot, I could tell that this worked well with the earthy rabbit and was a great nod towards the change in season.

Neither of us could decide between the pork and the venison main courses so we had both with the intention of sharing. I preferred the venison and Stephen the pork so the decision was made for us quite quickly. The standout for me was the slow roast venison which just melted in the mouth. We fought over that as we did the black pudding that accompanied Stephen’s pork: a great combination and one I’ll definitely try again at home.

By the end of the two courses we were both reaching capacity but were so enjoying our time in the restaurant that we ordered a plate of cheese to share which we polished off with some dessert wine. I can’t remember what all the cheeses were but they were the perfect way to finish off a brilliant meal.

Things got a little hazy after that, for which I’ll blame the absinthe fountain. It was great fun and made even more enjoyable by the knowledgeable and charming barman who was happy to answer our questions. The full English breakfast we ate the next morning was definitely required to heal our heads and was prepared with just the same level of care and attention as the food had been the night before.

It was a brilliant trip and I can’t fault the food, the wine or the service. Since it was a gift, I can’t reveal the price here but it was great value and if you’re looking for a slightly unusual way to celebrate then I would definitely recommend the sabrage break. The hotel also offers a number of other wine breaks often with visiting winemakers which we hope to return for next year.

We watched Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Everyday programme last week and it reminded us that we had planned to make piccalilli this year, in time for Christmas. Since we had a quiet weekend planned, we added the ingredients to our shopping list and made it up on Sunday afternoon. Aside from the overnight salting, it was quick and easy to make and it’s now sitting happily in our pantry (I wish, when I say pantry, I mean tiny, over-stuffed food cupboard) maturing where it will need to stay for about six weeks.

Like the sloe gin and sloe chutney we made a couple of weeks ago, we don’t know yet what this is going to taste like. The recipe made three large jars with a small amount leftover which we put into a smaller jam jar. This is the perfect tasting size and can be cracked open ahead of Boxing Day for a taste test. Of course, by that time, it will be too late to tinker with the flavours so we’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed.

Piccalilli

1kg vegetables – cauliflower, radish, green beans, cucumbers, shallots
50g salt
30g cornflour
10g ground turmeric
10g English mustard powder
10g ground ginger
1/2 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
1/2 tsp crushed cumin seeds
1 tsp crushed coriander seeds
500ml cider vinegar
150g granulated sugar
50g honey

Cut the vegetables into small pieces. Place in a large colander over a bowl, and sprinkle with the salt. Mix well, cover with a tea towel and leave in a cool place for 24 hours, then rinse the vegetables in water and drain thoroughly.

Blend the cornflour, turmeric, mustard powder, ginger, mustard seeds, cumin and coriander to a smooth paste with a little of the vinegar. Put the rest of the vinegar into a saucepan with the sugar and honey and bring to the boil. Pour a little of the hot vinegar over the blended spice paste, stir well and return to the pan. Bring gently to the boil. Boil for 3-4 minutes to allow the spices to release their flavours into the thickening sauce.

Remove the pan from the heat and carefully fold the well-drained vegetables into the hot, spicy sauce. Pack the pickle into warm, sterilised jars and seal immediately with vinegar-proof lids. Leave for about 6 weeks before opening. Use within a year.

Recipe from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s Everyday book (according to the channel four website, I have the book and couldn’t find the recipe though).

A couple of weeks ago, we went sloe picking with a friend. He has a spot that he visits every year which generally provides him with a plentiful haul and we’ve been meaning to go with him for a while. This year, since it was such a nice day, he thought he would take us somewhere new which he suspected might provide good pickings.

We started off slowly, picking individual berries from small bushes along the path until, out of the corner of his eye and across a field, our friend spied a bigger bush. When we reached said bush we realised it was surrounded by many other, even bigger bushes, heaving with sloes. We started to pick and soon realised that we need not have worried earlier about being greedy and stripping the bushes since there were huge amounts of berries available. We stopped after filling a couple of bags each and came home to find we had seven kilos between us.

It was late so the berries were squeezed into our tiny fridge and left until the next day when we began the long process of washing and de-stalking the berries. Back into the fridge again until the next evening when we had enough time to start turning them into something interesting.

We started off with a traditional sloe-gin and a traditional vodka. Since we had so many berries we also decided to experiment and make two smaller bottles of gin flavoured with almonds, lemon peel, cloves and cinnamon.

And then, since there were still so many berries left, we made a chutney.

Of course, we don’t know what anything tastes like yet since the gin needs to be left for at least six months and the chutney . I suppose that’s all part of the fun though.

Sloe Gin (or vodka)

600g sloe berries
250g sugar
1 litre gin or vodka

Wash and de-stalk the berries. Add to a sterilised jar with the sugar and shake vigorously. Traditional methods state that you should prick each individual berry (with a hawthorn if you’re being really traditional) to bruise the fruit and let out some juice. We figured the muddling method would work just as well though and life really is too short to prick seven kilos of sloes.

Top up with gin, mix and seal the jar.

Turn daily for a week and then weekly for a month. Store in a dark place for three months, or ideally, until next year.

Spicy Sloe Gin

600g sloe berries
250g sugar
1 litre gin or vodka
2 inch piece cinnamon
Small handful slivered almonds
2 cloves
2 strips lemon zest

Prepare as per above, adding the aromatics alongside the alcohol.

Sloe Chutney

1 kilo sloe berried
2 tart apples, peeled, cored and chopped
2 medium sized onions, sliced
1lb raisins
1 teaspoon of hot chilli powder
2 inch piece of fresh root ginger, grated
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
12 cloves
Juice and grated rind of 2 oranges
1lb of soft brown sugar
1 pint white wine vinegar

Put the ingredients in a large cooking pot and stir, using a wooden spoon. Bring to the boil and stir occasionally. Reduce the heat so the mixture simmers and stir occasionally, for 3 hours or until it is thick. Ladle into clean, warm jars. Cover, label and leave in a cool place for a couple of months.

Recipe from the River Cottage forum.

Fish Friday isn’t a regular occurence in our house. If I’m honest (and I’m getting this in quickly while my mum is without Internet access) it tends to be more about Fizz on a Friday in our house. Don’t worry, we didn’t go thirsty and there was indeed sparkling wine but Stephen also went to a huge amount of effort to cook all this food after a long and miserable week for which I was very grateful.

We started with prawns which were cooked simply in garlic butter and which we ate with some really good wholemeal bread. Prawns used to be one of my favourite foods but for reasons I’m sure you can work out yourself and don’t need me to go into any detail on a food blog, I went off them for a while. These reminded me of why I used to love them so much though since they were beautifully sweet and cooked to just the right level of doneness.

The prawns were followed by ray with cockles and chestnut mushrooms inspired by a Mark Hix recipe for ray with periwinkles and ceps from his British Seasonal Food book. The ray wings were huge and neither of us managed to finish them but they were delicious nonetheless. I find the combination of fish and mushrooms slighty challenging. I’m not sure why, maybe it’s the texture, but the flavours certainly worked well especially since the ray has a sweetness that is balanced by the woody mushrooms. We ate this with some crushed potatoes and purple sprouting brocolli which were good but largely ignored due to the enormousness of the fish.

Happy Friday!