Talking turkey

turkey displaying plummage

It’s pretty much the hottest day of the year and I’m about to eat a full Christmas dinner in deepest Berkshire. Just what is going on. Especially as I’m not turkey’s number one fan. It’s okay but to date its not had a guaranteed place on my christmas table….

When I was a kid we always had roast turkey for Christmas dinner and it was good,but it never seemed as nice as the excitement it generated amongst everyone else. For me it was never quite a tasty and juicy as roast chicken. Maybe the plethora of trimmings overshadowed [...]

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Soups and Stocks

Roasted root vegetable soup with cheese

Although spring definitely feels like it might be on the way some days are still pretty cold and so a warming soup is just what’s needed,here’s some thoughts on soup I wrote for Francoise Murat &Associates newsletter in January. I think I might just have soup for lunch tomorrow.

January is a funny month. For some people it feels slow and difficult,winter is most definitely with us,its cold and its dark,summer seems such a long way off whichever way you look at it. For others it’s a chance to think afresh of a new year [...]

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Boiled ham,lentils &barley

Boild ham,lentils,barley,cabbage

Often simple food is the best. This is one of the dishes we regularly cooked and i think originally came from Gary Rhodes book Rhodes Around Britain. It really is simple and truly tasty.

We always get a much bigger ham joint than we need so that we have lots left over for sandwiches and shredded in soups.

You need (for the joint):

ham or gammon joint –smoked or not as you prefer water/light stock/wine/cider –what ever mix appeals and enough to cover the joint when its in the pan onion,leek,celery,carrot bay [...]

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Festive menu,part 3 (all about chestnuts)

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Yesterday I told you about the cheese terrine we had for starters today its all about the chestnuts…mainly so you can make the chestnut stuffing from my festive menu but also so I can share my most recent blog for Francoise Murat Design on Christmassy foods and which also includes a fab chestnut jam and a chocolatey chestnut cake…so here it is….. (first posted 8 December the cakes are actually made now!)

One of the wonderful things about Christmas is the fact that there are lots of chances to cook up delicious meals and food gifts for [...]

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Festive menu,part 2 (cheese terrine)

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The first of the recipes from my festive menu is the cheese terrine we had as a starter with Peters Yard crispbreads and a selection of smoked and cured salmon from Forman’s.

The terrine is adapted from a recipe in Delia Smith’s Christmas (the old version I’ve no idea if its in the recently published version). I particularly wanted to use a range of Lancashire cheeses but you could use any mix of cheeses you have and it would be a good way to use up what’s left of a cheese board. It makes a good starter [...]

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The fat of the land

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This post was originally published in early November in Francois Murat Design newsletter. Although the apple season is pretty much at an end now many varieties store well so this is still a lovely dish to make over the coming cold months……

Autumn is well and truly here,the nights are drawing in,the weather is cooling day by day. Many of the fruits and vegetables are harvested. Those that can be have been turned into preserves of various kinds or carefully stored away to be used over the winter months.

Apples are still with us and there are varieties [...]

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Gluts of all types

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It’s coming to the end of harvest time but everywhere you look there are gluts of produce to be turned into something delicious. Some to be eaten now,some to be saved for the winter months. Gardens and hedgerows are filled with bounty and will continue to provide opportunities to harvest interesting things until late October. You might have your own fruit trees providing you with an abundance of apples,pears,plums or damsons,too many beans,courgettes or unripe tomatoes. Maybe a neighbour has a surfeit they need to share. There’s sure to be produce by peoples gates either [...]

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ideas…

pickles chocolate curry stock foraging #livelocal lunch rhubarb english lemon homemade coffee soup/stew wild garlic mayo challenge sandwiches british leftovers toast quick blogging Dan Lepard sourdough seasonal potatoes lamb beef egg spring garden suffolk cheese chicken summer bread twitter chutney breakfast asparagus roast chicken herbs mushroom tomato salad
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