Ploughboy

This is a traditional recipe from the county of Yorkshire in England.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon black treacle
1 finely shredded red cabbage
1 grated onion
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Method
1 Mix the treacle, vinegar and pepper together.
2 Pour the sauce over the vegetables and stir thoroughly.
3 Serve with cold meat and jacket potatoes.

Rumbledethumps

Rumbledethumps is the Scottish version of the traditional English dish bubble and squeak. It is most delicious on its own or as an accompaniment to sausages or meat dishes.

The wonderful name Rumbledethumps comes from the noise made in the kitchen as the tatties (potatoes) and cabbage are rumbled and thumped in the preparation.

Ingredients
1 1/2lbs/750g mashed tatties
1/2 par boiled green cabbage
a tablespoon melted unsalted butter
2 finely sliced spring (salad) onions
salt
pepper

Method
1 Place the boiled tatties, cabbage and spring onions into a large saucepan.
2 Combine the mixture thoroughly.
3 Add the butter.
4 Mix again thoroughly.
5 Taste to check for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper to your taste.
Serve piping hot straight onto hot plates.

Serves 4 people.

Bubble And Squeak

A traditional English way of using up cold leftover vegetables from the Sunday Roast meal. It does taste a lot better when you use day old ingredients rather than using freshly cooked vegetables.

Ingredients
450g/1lb peeled and diced floury potatoes
salt
pepper
70g/2 1/2 oz butter
250g/8oz shredded cabbage
3 tbsp water
1oz/28g to 2oz/55g dripping or lard

Method
1 Place the potatoes in a saucepan.
2 Cover with cold water, place on the lid.
3 Place the saucepan on the hob and bring to the boil.
4 Add the salt if using.
5 Reduce the heat to a simmer, cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until tender.
6 Drain into a colander and then return to the saucepan.
7 Dry the potatoes thoroughly shaking them a couple of times.
8 Add 55g/2oz of the butter.
9 Continue to mash until perfectly smooth.
10 Leave to cool completely
11 Fill another saucepan with the 3 tablespoons of water.
12 Bring to the boil.
13 Add a little salt, if using.
14 Place the cabbage into the saucepan and do not cover.
15 Bring the water to the boil again.
16 Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook gently for 5 minutes, or until tender.
17 Drain the cabbage into a colander and then return to the saucepan.
18 Dry the cabbage thoroughly.
19 Add the remaining 1/2oz/15g butter.
20 Leave to cool completely.
21 Place the cold mashed potato and cabbage into a large mixing bowl.
22 Mix the cabbage and mashed potato together.
23 Taste the mixture.
24 Adjust the seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
25 Heat a large frying pan on the hob over a medium heat.
26 Add 1oz/28g of the dripping or lard to the frying pan.
27 Add the potato and cabbage mixture.
28 Press the mixture to form a flat cake with the back of a fish slice or spatula.
29 Cook for about 15 minutes or until golden brown on the underside.
30 Place a large plate over the frying pan.
31 Carefully tip the frying pan over so that the bubble and squeak cake drops onto the plate.
32 Add a little of the remaining dripping or lard and allow to melt.
33 Transfer the bubble and squeak cake off the plate and into the frying pan.
34 Cook the other side for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Transfer onto a plate, cut into wedges and serve with cold roasted meat, sausages, bacon or a good quality burger with seasonal vegetables.

Serves 4 people

Notes
White or green cabbage can be used.

A finely diced onion can be added, soften in a little oil or butter and then add to the mashed potato and cabbage mixture.

Spinach, shredded Brussels sprouts and kale can also be used, simply substitute for the cabbage.

Substitute the lard for a healthier oil, you will require 3 to 4 tablespoons or 1oz/28g butter and 1 to 2 tablepoons oil.

Pumpkin, Leek And Cheese Tart

This is a traditional autumnal dish from the 18th century from the county of Warwickshire in England

Ingredients
1 25cm pastry case baked blind made with 250g chive pastry
150g leeks sliced into 1 cm rounds and well washed (prepared weight)
150g cooked pumpkin mashed smooth
120g good local cheese grated
3 eggs
150ml double cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt
pepper

Method
1 Cook the leeks until soft in the oil.
2 Mix the eggs with the cream and the parsley.
3 Season well.
4 Stir in the leeks the cheese and the pumpkin.
5 Pour into the pastry case.
6 Bake at 180 degrees centigrade/gas mark 4 for 25-30 minutes or until set and golden.

Clapshaw

This is a traditional savoury dish from the Orkney Islands. The secret is to boil the neeps and tatties together in the same saucepan, the taste is simply not the same cooked any differently. Clapshaw is also known as Orkney Clapshot or south in Scotland as clapshot.

Ingredients
500g peeled and diced neeps
500g peeled and diced tatties
50g dripping
salt
pepper

Method
1 Place the neeps in a saucepan.
2 Cover with cold water.
3 Place the saucepan on the hob and bring to the boil.
4 Add a pinch of salt.
5 Cover with a lid.
6 Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 8 minutes.
7 Add the tatties, making sure that they are barely covered.
8 Bring the vegetables back to the boil.
9 Cover with a lid.
10 Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the neeps and tatties are tender.
11 Drain the vegetables into a colander and return to the pan.
12 Dry the vegetables completely, shaking the saucepan occassionally.
13 Mash with a potato masher thoroughly, leaving in any fibrous neep fibres.
14 Add the dripping.
15 Mash again.
16 Beat the puree with a wooden spoon.
17 Place back on the heat.
18 Heat thoroughly.

Serve immediately with sausages or beef dishes.

Serves 4 people.

Notes
A pinch of nutmeg can be added when the tatties and swede are mashed.

Butter can be used instead of the traditional dripping.

Some people have been known to use chives or shallots as well.

If there is any left over form into a patty, cover and leave in the fridge. Fry the next day in a little lard or butter or oil and butter until browned on both sides.

Stoved Bacon And Turnips

Stoved Bacon And Turnips

This is an old recipe from Scotland. The turnip which is used in this recipe is the Swedish Turnip or swede.

Ingredients
1 large diced turnip
8 rashers of smoked streaky bacon
1 small finely sliced onion

Method
1 Heat a large saucepan on the hob.
2 Add the bacon rashers, cook on both sides, reserve all the rashers of bacon.
3 Place two rashers of bacon in the saucepan.
4 Sprinkle a quarter of the onion rings over the bacon.
5 Sprinkle over a quarter of the turnip over the onion.
6 Repeat stages 3 to 5 until all of the ingredients are used up.
7 Add 2 tablespoons cold water.
8 Place the saucepan on the heat and bring to the boil.
9 Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender (about 25 to 30 minutes).
10 Serve immediately with chicken and potatoes.

Serves 4 people

Courgette And Basil Charlotte

This wonderful recipe hails from the county of Warwickshire in England and comes from the end of either the 19th or the early part of the 20th century.

Ingredients
1 medium white loaf sliced
150ml olive oil
30g butter
salt
pepper
250g courgettes quartered lengthways and sliced into chunks
200g cherry tomatoes halved
2 handfuls fresh basil
zest and juice 2 lemons

Method
1 Brush 6 dariole moulds with a little of the oil.
2 Take the crusts off the bread and brush lightly with the oil.
3 Line the moulds carefully with the bread making sure there are no gaps.
4 Lightly fry the courgettes in the butter until just tender.
5 Drain and mix with the tomato halves.
6 Whizz the basil with the lemon zest and juice and enough of the rest of the oil to make a thick sauce.
7 Add to the courgettes and tomatoes and stir well.
8 Season well to taste and divide the mixture equally between the dariole moulds.
10 Place on a bread lid on and press firmly.
11 Brush with oil.
12 Bake at 200 degrees centigrade/gas mark 6 for 15-20 minutes until golden.

To serve Turn on to a plate and serve with some new potatoes and a leaf salad with fresh herb dressing.

Serves 6 people

Shepherds Pie

This is a traditional and most wonderful main meal from England, it is still extreemly popular today.

Ingreedients

For lamb and vegetable filling
10 oz baby onions
4 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only) cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2lb boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
salt
black pepper
5 tablespoons cornflour
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato puree
1/2 pint beef stock
1/2 pint water
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
5 carrots, 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 medium swede, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 small turnip, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

For mashed potato topping
2lb floury potatoes
1/2 pint milk
1oz butter
salt
black pepper

Method

Prepare filling
1 Blanche baby onions in a large pan of boiling salted water for 1 minute 2 Place straight away into cold water. Set aside.
3 Sprinkle 3 tablepoons of cornflour, a little salt and pepper into a sealable plastic bag, add the lamb pieces, seal bag and shake to coat lamb.
4 Melt 1/2 oz butter in casserole dish over moderately high heat until foaming.
5 Add some of the lamb, turning until browned on all sides, set aside.
6 Continue until all lamb is browned.
7 Add tomato puree to pan with stock and water, deglaze and bring to the boil.
8 Add thyme, browned lamb with any juices that have accumulated on plate, onions, leeks, carrots, swede, turnips.
9 Check the seasoning and adjust.
10 Remove from heat.
11 Cover dish with lid or foil and braise lamb and vegetables in middle of oven, at 180 degrees centigrade (350 derees farnheit or gas mark 4) stirring once or twice, until lamb is tender for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Make topping while filling cooks
12 Peel and dice potatoes.
13 Cover potatoes with salted cold water.
14 Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer, covered, until very tender.
15 Drain into a colander.
16 Return potatoes to saucepan and mash well.
17 In another saucepan. bring milk, and butter to a simmer until the butter is melted.
18 Add sufficinet milk and butter until the mash reaches a soft dropping consistency.
19 Take meat and vegetables out of the oven and place over a medium heat on the hob.
20 Stir together 1/2 oz butter and 2 tablespoons cornflour in a small bowl to form a paste.
21 Spoon 8 tablespoons of gravy from casserole dish into a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
22 Stir in the butter and cornflour mixture a little at a time.
23 Bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened.
24 Carefully stir sauce into lamb and vegetables until the gravy becomes the required thickness.
25 Spoon potatoes over lamb and vegetables and spread evenly with a spatula.
26 Use a fork to make a pattern.
27 Place under a heated grill about 3 inches from heat until top is golden.

Serve immediately on warmed plates.