Leek and Potato Soup

• 250g leeks – sliced
• 1 small onion – chopped
• 15g butter
• Dash of olive oil
• 50ml white wine
• 300g peeled and diced potato
• Sprigs of parsley, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, celery stick – all tied together (bouquet garni)
• 750ml chicken or vegetable stock
• 100ml single cream
• Salt and pepper (freshly ground)

1. Put leeks and onion in a large pan with oil and butter cover and sweat until tender
2. Add wine and cook uncovered until it has evaporated
3. Add the potatoes, stock, bouquet garni and seasoning and bring to the boil and cook until the potatoes are tender (approximately 15 minutes)
4. Remove the bouquet garni and serve either chunky as it is or puree the soup (while still hot) in a food processor or blender and reheat
5. Before serving pour in a swirl of the cream to each plate and season to taste

• 450g cod fillets, skinned and cubed
• 1 tbsp oil 1 large onion, chopped
• 340g potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
• 4 sticks celery, chopped
• 4 rashers smoked back bacon, chopped
• 800g can chopped tomatoes with herbs
• 425ml pint
• Fish or chicken stock
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
  salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 green pepper, deseeded and chopped
• roughly parsley to garnish

1. Heat the oil in a large pan; add the onion, potatoes, celery and bacon, cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes and stock, bring to the boil; reduce the heat and cook for 12 minutes until potatoes are tender.
3. Add tomato purée, seasoning, pepper and fish.
4. Return to simmering point and cook for 7 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

• 2 oxtails trimmed of excess fat and cut into chunks
• 50gm plain flour
• 4 carrots
• 6 celery stalks
• 2 bunches of flat leaf parsley
• 2 sprigs of sage
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 400 gm bacon cubes
• 1 pig’s trotter
• 750ml red wine
• Celeriac Mashed Potatoes (see recipe)

1. Heat the oven to 190ºC
2. Season the oxtail and dust with flour
3. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof casserole dish and add the bacon and cook until sizzling
4. Add the oxtail and fry until each piece is brown all over and not sticky to the bottom of the pan
5. Tie the vegetables and herbs together in a bundle and add to the pan with the pigs trotter and wine
6. Bring to the boil
   
7. Stir and ensure there are no sticky bits on the bottom of the pan
8. Add water to cover the meat, cover with a double layer of baking parchment, pressed down onto the liquid and made wet. 
9. Cover with the lid
10. Put the casserole in the oven for 3.5 hours – by which time the liquid will have reduced and the meat should be falling off the bone

• 340g pack calves liver, trimmed and cut into 5cm pieces
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 300g back bacon, derinded and diced
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 150ml beef stock
• Mustard Mashed Potatoes (see recipe)

1. Coat the liver with the flour.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the liver and cook for 6-8 minutes, turning occasionally until golden and cooked through. Remove from the pan.
3. Add the bacon and onion to the pan and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally until golden.
4. Add the tomatoes, stock and cooked liver to the pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes.

• 12 small shallots – peeled and cooked in boiling water
• Butter
• 1 rabbit jointed into 8 pieces
• 0.5 bottle of white wine
• 500ml chicken stock
• 300gm prunes – stoned

1. Brown the shallots with a little butter in a large frying pan – then remove to a plate
2. Season the rabbit, put it into the pan and brown it all over, then continue cooking over a moderate heat for about 5 minutes
3. Add the white wine and allow it to boil until it has reduced by half
4. Add the stock, the prunes and the browned onions and continue cooking for 10 minutes until the rabbit is cooked and tender
5. The remaining juices should be like syrup.  If it is not remove the rabbit, prunes and shallots and reduce the juices a little more

• 8 chicken legs
• 8 shallots or 2 onions – peeled and chopped
• 3 small carrots – scrubbed and chopped
• 2 leeks cleaned, trimmed and chopped
• 300gm bacon lardons
• 1 ltr red wine
• 4-6 tbsp olive oil
• 1 head of garlic, halved horizontally
• 750ml chicken stock
• 750ml veal stock
• 100ml brandy
• 100ml port
• 50ml sherry vinegar
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp white peppercorns
• 6 Thyme sprigs
• Freshly ground salt and pepper
• Garnish
• Tarragon Emulsion
• 8 Thin slices of toasted rustic white bread
• Potato purée
• Assorted steamed vegetables eg. broccoli florets, carrots, cauliflower florets

1. Marinate the chicken, bacon and vegetables in the red wine – preferably in the fridge overnight
2. Strain the wine off and reserve
3. Put the bacon and vegetables aside
4. Dry the chicken with kitchen paper and season with salt and pepper
5. Heat the olive oil and fry the chicken for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden then remove from the pan and reserve
6. Add more oil to the pan and then the bacon and vegetables then sweat for 10 minutes over a medium heat until tender. Add the garlic, peppercorns, thyme and bay leaves and cook for 2-4 more minutes
7. Remove the vegetables and put aside
8. Add the brandy, port and vinegar to the pan and heat until boiling. Continue to boil until reduced to a sticky glaze
9. Add the two stocks and the chicken legs and simmer for 30 minutes – skimming off any scum now and again - until the chicken is tender and cooked
10. Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a clean pan and boil until reduced to a rich syrup
11. Saute the bacon lardoons until crisp • Return the chicken legs and lardons to the reduced syrup and warm through
12. To one side of each serving plate place a spoonful of smooth potato puree
13. Top the potato with a piece of chicken and the lardons topped
14. Divide the wine/stock syrup between the plates – pouring it over the chicken
15. Garnish the plate with a spoonful of tarragon emulsion, a spoonful of the mixed steamed vegetables and a slice of white toast

To make the best mash it is better to bake the potatoes in the oven – if you don’t have time boil them until cooked through and drain them well

• 1 kg King Edward potatoes
• 1 head of garlic
• 150 ml pouring cream (or milk if you want to be good!)
• 100-200gm butter (depending on how bad you want to be!) – cut into cubes
  

1. Heat the oven to 200ºC or gas mark 6
2. Wrap the garlic head in foil and put it into the oven and cook for about 30 minutes or until it feels soft
3. Prick the potatoes and put them into the oven and cook for about 1-1.5 hours
4. Put the cream (or milk) into a large saucepan and squeeze the garlic out of each garlic clove skin into the milk
5. When the potatoes are cooked and cool enough to handle, cut them in half and scoop the pulp out of the skins and add to the pan of milk and garlic
6. Heat the pan until the milk is simmering and then blend everything together (preferably with an electric whisk)
7. Add the cubes of butter and plenty of freshly ground salt and pepper and beat everything together
8. Serve topped with a blob of butter

To make the best mash it is better to bake the potatoes in the oven – if you don’t have time boil them until cooked through and drain them well

• 1 celeriac - peeled and diced
• 2 large potatoes – peeled and diced
• 100ml milk
• 100gm olive oil
  

1. For the mash put the celeriac and potatoes together into a large heavy based pan and add the milk and olive oil.
2. Season and add enough water to cover the vegetables
3. Bring to the boil and cook for about 15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft
4. Drain and reserve the cooking liquid
5. Mash the vegetables well and add as much liquid required to make it soft and smooth

• 1kg old potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 25g butter
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1 heaped teaspoon
• Wholegrain mustard
• salt and freshly ground pepper
  

1. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in lightly salted boiling water for 15-20 minutes until tender.
2. Drain and mash with the butter, milk add mustard and seasoning to taste.
3. Serve the potatoes with the liver and bacon, accompanied by a green vegetable.

• 500gm Panettone – sliced, buttered and spread with a good layer of marmalade
• 2 whole eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 500ml cream
• 200ml whole milk
• 2 oranges – grated rind of both  – plus juice of 1
• 3 tbsp icing sugar

1. Heat the oven to 190ºC or gas mark 5
2. Place the panettone in a baking dish – overlap the slices
3. Whisk all the other ingredients together in a large bowl then pour over the panettone so that it is well covered
4. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until brown
5. Serve hot with a good quality vanilla ice cream

• 6 clementines (cut in half)
• 2 vanilla pods
• 4-8 tbsp light muscovado sugar
• 4 tbsp Cointreau or Grand Marnier
• Unsalted butter

1. Heat the oven to 200ºC or gas mark 6
2. Finely chop one vanilla pod and slit the other along its length
3. Put the clementines, cut side up, in an oven proof dish of a size that allows them to fit tightly
4. Mix the sugar and vanilla and then pack each clementine on its cut surface with a share of the mixture
5. Drizzle with the liqueur and dot with a little butter on each clemantine and lay the whole vanilla pod over the top
6. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes and then grill on a low heat for 10-15 minutes.  Turn up the grill to high for the last couple of minutes until the surface of each clemantine starts to bubble. 
7. Serve hot with a good quality vanilla ice cream

• 100g self-raising flour
• 100g caster sugar
• 100g softened butter
• 2 free-range eggs
• 25ml milk
• 5 tbsp orange marmalade
• 4 free-range egg yolks
• 40g caster sugar
• 150ml milk
• 150ml double cream
• 1 vanilla pod, split

1. To make the sponge pudding grease and lightly flour a glass pudding bowl.
2. Place the flour, sugar, butter, eggs and milk in a blender and process to a smooth batter.
3. Place the marmalade in the bottom of the bowl
4. Pour the sponge mixture on top
5. Lightly place some cling film over the top of the bowl, so it's not touching the sponge mixture.
6. Place in the microwave on a high setting for two minutes.
7. The sponge should rise, and be just firm to the touch.
8. To make the custard, place the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk until well blended.
9. Place the milk and cream in a saucepan.
10. Scrape the inside of the vanilla pod into the milk mixture and bring to the boil.
11. Sit the bowl of beaten eggs over a pan of hot water and whisk the milk into the egg mixture.
12. As the egg yolks warm, the mixture will thicken to create custard.
13. Keep stirring until it coats the back of the spoon.
14. Remove the bowl from the heat.
15. To serve, spoon a portion of sponge on to each plate and spoon over the custard