Belhaven Rabbit
(serves six)
Rabbit cooked in beer at the Boathouse, Ayr, Scotland. St. Andrew’s Ale is brewed by Belhaven. A rich, strong, malty ale is required.
1 rabbit, approximately 3 to 4 pounds
2 ounces diced carrot
2 ounces diced celeriac
2 ounces diced celery
2 ounces diced turnip
2 pints St. Andrew’s Ale or similar
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
zest from two pieces of orange peel
1 teaspoon honey
3 ounces diced cold butter
3 fluid ounces concentrated meat stock
1 tablespoon double cream
Joint rabbit and marinate in beer, thyme, garlic, bay leaf and orange zest for 24 hours. Remove the rabbit pieces from marinade, pat dry and fry quickly on all sides to brown and seal, then place in an ovenproof dish. Pour marinade into the pan used for frying the rabbit and simmer briskly with honey and stock until reduced by half. Add the vegetables in the center of a medium oven (350 degrees F, 180 degrees C) until the rabbit is tender, around 1 to 1 1/2 hours depending on tenderness of rabbit. Remove rabbit from the stock and keep warm. Reduce stock again, whisking in the butter to make it glossy, then finish by stirring in the cream. Place the rabbit on a plate coated with the sauce and serve with boiled rice and green vegetables.
Bacon, Mushroom and Cheese Filled Jacket Potatoes
(serves four)
From the Chequeurs, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire
4 large baking potatoes
4 rashers smoked bacon
4 ounces sliced mushrooms
4 ounces mature Cheddar cheese, grated
Bake the potatoes in the oven until soft. Grill the bacon, then chop into small pieces. Sauté the mushrooms in butter. Halve the potatoes and scoop out the centers into a bowl; retain skins. Mix in the bacon, mushrooms and most of the cheese; season to taste. Refill potato skins carefully, sprinkle remaining cheese on top, and return to a hot oven until the cheese bubbles and browns slightly. Serve with crisp green salad.
Lettuce and Coriander Soup
(serves six)
From the Red Cow, Nantwich, Cheshire
1 large iceberg lettuce, roughly chopped
3 bunches lightly chopped spring onions
4 ounces fresh coriander
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pint milk
3 ounces butter
1 pint vegetable stock
Melt the butter and briefly fry the spring onions. Add garlic, coriander and black pepper, then the lettuce and a pint of boiling vegetable stock. Simmer for 5 minutes. Put through the blender, and add the milk. Reheat gently without boiling.
Salmon with Dill and Crème Fraiche Sauce
From Gardeners Arms, Tostock, Suffolk
Poach a fresh salmon fillet until barely cooked, then leave in pan with lid on. Make sauce from a carton of crème fraiche, chopped fresh dill (leave a few sprigs as garnish), and a little vegetable puree warmed together gently, then pour on a warm plate. Place salmon on top, garnish with lemon and dill. Serve with potatoes and salad of fresh broccoli.
Vegetarian Mushroom Creole
(serves eight)
From Old Station Inn, Hallatrow, Somerset
1 1/2 pound button mushrooms
3 medium onions, sliced
1 each red, green and yellow peppers, de-cored, seeded and sliced
1 large can chopped plum tomatoes
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 small can pineapple chunks in juice
1 teaspoon caster sugar
2 ounces creamed coconut, grated
black pepper and salt to taste
3 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 glass red wine
Fry onions and garlic over a low flame until soft but not colored. Add all other ingredients except the mushrooms and diced peppers. Cook sauce for about 15 minutes. Add the mushrooms and peppers and cook for a further 10 minutes; season to taste. Optional: add a little cream just before serving. Serve with rice.
Lamb Pie with Apricots and Old Speckled Hen
(Old Speckled Hen is a strong pale ale)
From The Harrow, West Ilsley, Berkshire
Flaky pastry made with 12 ounces strong, plain flour, 4 ounces margarine, 4 ounces lard, and around 1/3 of a pint of water
3 pounds leg of lamb (boned and cubed)
6 ounces dried apricots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon ginger
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 pint Old Speckled Hen or similar beer
stock (made from bones) and seasoning
corn starch
Put all the ingredients, except for the pastry, into a saucepan, add the beer and enough stock to cover. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 1 hour or 90 minutes until tender. Allow to cool, then skim off any fat. Reheat and thicken with 2 to 3 tablespoons corn starch dissolved in cold water. Simmer rapidly for 2 or 3 minutes to thicken pie filling. Check seasoning and leave to cool. Roll out pastry and line pie dish or flan tin. Tip in meat mix and top with remaining pastry, using trimmings to make a “hen” to decorate. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees F, 200 degrees C, for 25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.
Pork Escalope in Pernod
(serves four)
From Maypole Inn, Long Preston, Yorkshire
4 pork escalopes
4 ounces sliced button mushrooms
1 heaped tablespoon fresh chopped basil
1 small carton double cream
2 tablespoon Pernod
Seasoning
Flatten pork escalopes and fry gently in butter until just cooked, turning frequently; remove and set aside. Add thinly sliced mushrooms and fresh chopped basil to taste to the pan and fry for a couple of minutes to blend the flavors. Remove from the heat and stir in Pernod and cream. Return pork to pan and allow to bubble gently until the sauce thickens, seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with noodles and green salad.
Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding
(serves 4 to 6)
From Miners Arms, Nenthead, Cumbria
10 slices buttered bread
1 pint skimmed milk
2 ounces sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 ounces plain chocolate
1 splash vanilla essence
2 eggs
2 ounces crushed hazelnuts
Heat the milk to boiling point, add the sugar, vanilla essence, cinnamon and chocolate, stirring until the chocolate has melted, then leave to cool. Beat the eggs in a bowl, then gradually add the chocolate milk, stirring all the time. Line a greased baking dish with bread and sprinkle some of the nuts evenly over the top. Continue layering the bread and nuts until both have been used up, ending with a layer of bread. Pour the chocolate mixture over the bread and nut layers and cook in a medium oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Serve with chocolate custard or whipped cream.
