Bon Appétit

Dear Readers,

the recent Easter holidays reminded me of one of the joys of living and travelling abroad: meeting with the various eating habits, cooking the recipes enjoyed by the people where one lives and becoming open-minded enough to learn something new and relish it.

So, this time I want to share some recipes with you, which I have come to enjoy quite a lot. Yes, they work! Have fun trying them out and think of England, France or Switzerland.

1. Lancashire Hotpot 100 gm butter 900 gm stewing lamb cut into large chunks 2 medium onions, sliced 4 carrots peeled and sliced Worcestershire Sauce (to taste) Salt and pepper Plain flour 500ml good quality lamb stock 2 bay leaves 900 gm potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced Heat the oven to 160°C/Gas 3 Using a large, shallow casserole dish, heat some butter and brown the lamb then remove and set aside. Fry the onions and carrots in the pan with more butter until golden, then sprinkle over the flour and allow to cook.

Add a sprinkle of Worcestershire Sauce, pour in the stock and bring to a simmer. Stir in the meat, and bay leaves with seasoning to taste, then remove from the heat. Arrange the sliced potatoes on top of the meat and add a few knobs of butter.

Cover with a tight fitting lid and place in the oven for about one and a half hours, then remove the lid and return to the oven for a further 20 to 30 mins to brown the potatoes. Once the hotpot is in the oven, prepare Braised Red Cabbage to serve as an accompaniment: I small red cabbage, cored and sliced I red onion finely chopped 150 gm unsalted butter 200ml red wine vinegar 100 gm Demerara sugar 1 bay leaf Salt to season Mix all the ingredients together and put into a roasting tray. Cover with foil and place in the oven to cook with the hotpot. Stir regularly until most of the liquid has evaporated.

2. Little Sticky Toffee puddings

75 gm butter, 150 gm caster sugar, 2 eggs ( beaten), 175 gm self-raising flour, 175 gm stoned dates (chopped finely), 175 ml boiling water, 1 teaspoon vanilla essence,  1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda. Put the dates in a bowl with the vanilla essence and the bicarbonate of soda. Pour the boiling water over and stir. Put to one side.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then add the eggs, beating the mixture well. Sift the flour in and fold it. Then stir in the dates/water ( the mixture will be sloppy!)

Grease 8 individual ramekins and put a circle of greaseproof paper in the bottom of each. Divide the mix between the tins and put them on a baking tray. Bake in the centre of the oven Gas 4 350 degrees F 180 degrees C for 25 minutes. (These can be frozen , or reheated later.. and keep for a few days in an airtight tin.) Toffee sauce (I make twice this much usually!) 175 gms brown sugar 110 gms butter 6 tablespoons of cream, or evaporated milk. Put all three in a pan and gently bring to the boil….. then pour over the warmed puddings. Serve with cream or ice cream…

3. Lotte (Monkfish, Sea-Devil, Angler) with Lemon Butter a ceramic casserole thickly, then place the sliced and skinned fishtail upright inside. Slices should have a thickness of about 1 inch (2-3 cm).

Mix crème fraiche (the richer variant of sour cream) with a pinch of salt, a tablespoonful of lemon juice and if you like onions, 1 or 2 very finely diced shallots. Pour over fish, the mass must be at least an inch higher than the fish. Cover with flakes of butter.

Put into preheated oven (180 °C/355 °F) for 35-40 minutes.

5 minutes prior to being done, sprinkle surface sparingly with cayenne pepper and cover with a layer of thin peeled lemon slices.

Side dishes may be fresh French baguettes or an elegant potato variety. Serve with dry white wine, a tasty salad with vinaigrette and a sweet dessert.

Enjoy!