Category Archives: British Classics

The Great Yorkshire Pudding Debate Continues…

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The Great Yorkshire Pudding Debate Continues…

We have published a large number of articles concerning, “what makes the best Yorkshire pudding”. We have our own way of making the traditional Yorkshire Pudding, based on the Hairy Biker’s recipe. Being ‘Geordies’, we think we know a thing or two about the Yorkshire Pudding. They come up perfect every time without fail – providing all the conditions are right. The most important being the oven temperature. Here in Spain, most of the ovens, especially if you live in the countryside, are gas (butane) ovens and have difficulty in maintaining the 240-250C – 425F degrees that are needed to give the Yorkshire puddings their initial kick-start. Propane is much more efficient and electric ovens better still. When we have a dinner party, or Sunday Roast, we actually use the microwave, set to convection to make the Yorkshires. The microwave can maintain 240 degrees C accurately.

So who makes the best Yorkshire Pudding? Try these three recipes. The first is from Gary Rhodes, then we have, Delia Smith, the Hairy Bikers themselves and Jamie Oliver with his Toad in the Hole twist – but the batter mix is the same for his Yorkshire Pudding. Try them all, and let us know which you think is the best.

Gary Rhodes Recipe for Yorkshire Pudding
yorkshie pudding

Part of probably the most classic and renowned of all Great British dishes – roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Why Yorkshire? Probably because it was a thrifty cook in the north of England who originally devised a way of utilizing the fat that dripped into a pan under the spit-roasting meat. A batter pudding collecting all of the flavours of the beef fat and juices was a perfect answer. Thus, the Yorkshire Pudding was born.

The original Yorkshire Pudding would have been 2-3 cm (3/4-1 1/2 in) thick, and was turned during its cooking time to give you a crispy topping and base, with the rich pudding inside. It’s often still cooked like this today.

The Yorkshire pudding was then cut into squares and served as a course before the roast, with lots of gravy poured over. (The idea was that it might fill you up a bit, so that the roast beef would go round further.) These days Yorkshire tends to be lighter, crisper and quite often cooked in individual moulded trays. They are then served, usually two a portion – but most people will eat even more — with the beef, not as a separate course.

The recipe I’m giving here will give you a well risen, crisp pudding. It can be cooked as one thick pudding, but it will need to be turned over halfway through its cooking time. This will also only really work if baking in a roasting tin. Another classic recipe using this batter is, of course, Toad in the Hole. There the batter has been reduced to accommodate the quantity required.

You’ll notice I’ve included an egg white in this recipe, which gives the batter even more of a lift, for a lighter, crisper finish.

225 g (8 oz) plain flour
Pinch of salt
3 eggs
1 egg white (optional)
300-450 ml (1/2-3/4 pint) milk
Oil, lard or dripping, for cooking

Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7. The quantity will fill 10-12 10 cm (4 in) individual tins, approximately two 12-pudding-mould trays or 1 medium roasting tin, approximately 20x 25 cm (8 x 10 in). Muffin tins can also be used for even deeper individual puddings.

The batter can be made and used immediately, but I do recommend at least 1/2-1 hour of resting time. For absolute perfection I usually rest it, refrigerated, for 24 hours and then re•whisk just before baking. Any resting time relaxes the batter, creating a different consistency.

Sift the flour with the salt. Add the eggs and egg white, if using. Whisk in 300 ml (1/2 pint) of the milk. This will give you a thick batter that works very well. To check for the perfect consistency, simply lift a spoon in and out. The Yorkshire pudding batter should hold and coat the back of a spoon. If it seems to have congealed after resting, then simply add more of the remaining milk until that consistency is found. The batter is now ready to cook. Oil or grease your chosen tin(s) fairly generously. These can then be heated in the oven until almost smoking. Now it’s time to add the batter. For individual tins or mould trays, fill each to almost full. For the medium roasting tray, just add all of the batter. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes (individuals and mould trays). An extra 5-10 minutes may still be needed for a crispy finish. A roasting tray will take 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Hairy Bikers Recipe

yorkshire pudding

yorkshire pudding

Yorkshire pudding

4 heaped tbsp of plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
275ml full fat milk
2-3 tbsp vegetable oil, such as sunflower, or a blob of goose fat

To make the Yorkshire pudding, Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/ Gas 7. Sieve the flour with the salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Gradually work in the beaten eggs, then whisk in the milk — the consistency should be like single cream. Leave the batter to stand for at least an hour. You’ll need some Yorkshire pudding tins, either individual ones or one big tin.

Put the oil or goose fat into your Yorkshire pudding tin and put it in the oven for at least 5 minutes, until it’s smoking hot. Give the batter a stir, pour it into the tin and watch it sizzlel. Quickly put the tin into the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until the pudding has risen to golden-brown perfection – for individual puds, cook for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile cook the sausages in a frying pan over a medium heat for 20-25 minutes.

Delia Smiths Recipe for Yorkshire Pudding

The best container I’ve come across for Yorkshire pudding is a cast-iron enamelled gratin dish which fits this recipe perfectly, or if I want to feed eight people I make double the mixture and use two dishes. Alternatively, an 11×7 inch (28 X 18 cm) solid roasting tin will do.

3 oz plain Hour (75 g)
1 egg
3 fl oz milk (75 ml)
2 fl oz water (55 ml)
salt and freshly milled pepper
2 tablespoons beef dripping (for the roasting tin)

To make the batter, sift the Hour into a bowl, make a well in the centre, break an egg into it and beat it, gradually incorporating the flour, milk, water, and seasoning (an electric hand-whisk will do this in
seconds). You don’t have to leave batter to stand, so make it when you’re ready.

About 15 minutes before the beef is due to come out of the oven, increase the heat to gas mark 7, 425°F (220°C), and place the gratin dish or roasting tin on a baking sheet on a free shelf, adding the dripping.

After 15 minutes remove the meat and leave on one side to rest, then place the pudding tin over direct heat while you pour the batter into the sizzling hot fat. Then return the tin to the baking sheet on the highest shelf (or second highest, if you have roast potatoes on that one). The pudding will take about 25-30 minutes to rise and become crisp and golden. Serve as soon as possible, as it loses its crunchiness if it has to wait around too long.

Jamie Oliver’s Recipe for Yorkshire Pudding

Toad in the Hole
yorkshire pudding

sunflower oil
8 large good—quality sausages
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 large red onions, peeled and sliced
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
2 knobs of butter
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 level tablespoon good—quality vegetable stock powder or 1 vegetable stock cube

For the Yorkshire Pudding batter

285ml/1/2 pint milk
115g/4oz plain flour
a pinch of salt
3 eggs

Mix the batter ingredients together, and put to one side. I like the batter to go huge so the key thing is to have an appropriately-sized baking tin — the thinner the better – as we need to get the oil smoking hot.

Put 1cm/just under 1/2 inch of sunflower oil into a baking tin, then place this on the middle shelf of your oven at its highest setting (240—250°C/475°F/gas 9). Place a larger tray underneath it to catch any oil that overflows from the tin while cooking. When the oil is very hot, add your sausages. Keep your eye on them and allow them to colour until lightly golden.

At this point, take the tin out of the oven, being very careful, and pour your batter over the sausages. Throw a couple of sprigs of rosemary into the batter. It will bubble and possibly even spit a little, so carefully put the tin back in the oven, and close the door. Don’t open it for at least 20 minutes, as Yorkshire puddings can be a bit temperamental when rising. Remove from the oven when golden and crisp.

For the onion gravy, simply fry off your onions and garlic in the butter on a medium heat for about 5 minutes until they go sweet and translucent. You could add a little thyme or rosemary if you like. Add the balsamic vinegar and allow it to cook down by half. At this point, I do cheat a little and add a stock cube or powder. You can get some good ones in the supermarkets now that aren’t full of rubbish. Sprinkle this in and add a little water. Allow to simmer and you’ll have a really tasty onion gravy. Serve at the table with your Toad in the hole, mashed potatoes, greens and baked beans or maybe a green salad if you’re feeling a little guilty!


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Homemade Shepard’s Pie

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Home-made Shepard’s Pie

Shepherd’s pie (or ‘cottage pie’ it should more properly be called – real ‘shepherd’s pie’ is made with lamb!) is one of the all-time favourite ‘comfort’ foods. On a cold winter’s night, nothing is as welcome as a big plate of well-made shepherd’s pie, with some crusty bread – or at least that’s what we believe here at www.helensrecipes.com! And making it is nowhere near as difficult as you might imagine – in fact, I actually know MEN who can make a passable shepherd’s pie!
Let’s begin with the ingredients.

500g Leaned Beef Mince
1 white and 1 red Onion – diced
Carrot, washed and diced
Portobello Mushroom, 1/2 large diced
Worcester Sauce – few dashes are needed
Ketchup or tomato puree – 1 table spoon
Tabasco sauce – few drops
Stock Cube x 2 Beef in 1pint hot water
Salt & Pepper
Mash Potato for topping – Check out our rustic mash potato recipe!

Fry off the onions in a little sunflower oil until transparent – probably around 8 minutes on a medium gas flame. Once cooked put to one side.

Fry the mince – not all at once – fry off a little at a time seal the meat and gently colour. Once all the mince is cooked put into a shallow saucepan, add the diced mushrooms & carrots (uncooked) plus all the juices from the pan you used for the frying. Add 2 beef stock cubes (dissolved in hot water). Cover and leave to simmer.

Check about 45 minutes into the cooking, and if it has cooked, take it off the heat. Add a little cornflour fixed in water to the mixture to make sure the shepherd’s pie has a thick sauce. Put into your ovenproof dish, and ideally leave overnight (this marination will REALLY bring out the flavour!). Once the mixture is cool put your mash potato on top and use a fork to make swirly patterns (this will make the top crispy, it’s not just for decoration!).

Finally you need to cook in a pre-heated oven at 220 degrees for at least 45 minutes – check the pie is piping hot before serving. Best served with? Crusty farmhouse bread in chunks, and cool drinks.

author:Helen Porter

Scotch Salmon Recipes

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Scotch Salmon Recipes – Tweed Kerrie

Salmon is one of the major ambassadors abroad for Scottish produce; it is sought after in the world’s best markets and recognised as being the king of fish. This is usually applied to the wild variety which was fished in abundance from the rivers Tay, Awe and Tweed to name but three. It was once so plentiful that there was a law preventing the owners of estates from feeding their staff on salmon more than three times a week!

Today it is a little different. Wild salmon is harder to come by, and is probably still better than the farmed variety, but since the wild fish swim the Atlantic and back feeding on a varied diet its superiority is not surprising. However, I believe that properly sourced farmed salmon is a fine product, the best coming from the Shetland Islands where their strict regulations and strong seas create a fish as close to a wild one as you will get.

This traditional recipe is from Edinburgh. It was a very popular dish in the nineteenth century, sold in cookshops and inns in the city, with mashed potatoes. The sauce can be thickened with egg and cream, but it is not traditional.

INGREDIENTS
1kg / 2lb fresh salmon
2 shallots, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp chives, chopped
salt and pepper
pinch of mace
150ml / 5fl oz water
150ml / 5fl oz dry white wine
125g/ 4oz mushrooms, chopped
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Put the salmon in a pan which it fits neatly add water to just cover and poach the fish gently for about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and reserve the cooking liquor. Remove all the skin and bone, add them to the liquor and simmer for 10 minutes.

Strain and reserve the liquor. Cut the fish into cubes about 5cm (2in) across. Season with salt, pepper and mace. Put into a clean dish with 150ml (5fl oz) of the fish liquor, wine and shallots. Cover and gently simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile heat up the butter and stew the mushrooms gently in it for 2 or 3 minutes, add the chives, drain off the liquid and add to the salmon. Serve strewn with the chopped parsley and with mashed potatoes.

Cold Salmon

A cold poached whole salmon makes a classic centrepiece of a buffet. However, I believe that baking the fish or part of a fish whole is a better method which keeps the flavour and moisture in. This idea is simple but you do have to be quite brave with timing and get to know your own oven. I once read of a recipe for cooking a whole fish in a dishwashing machine! You can imagine the dinner-table discussion, instead of talking about the relative merits of Neffs and Agas it would be Mieles or Hoovers! You may have to adjust the cooking time, depending on the size of the fish.

INGREDIENTS
1.5kg/ 3lb salmon, cleaned and scaled
2 tsp olive oil
salt and black pepper
1 bay leaf
8-10 sprigs of thyme
8-10 fresh parsley stalks

Heat the oven to l60°C/ 325°F/ Gas 3. Take a piece of foil big enough t0 wrap the fish and pour 2 teaspoons of olive oil, to cover the sheet, where the fish will sit. Rub the fish with olive oil and seasoning and stuff the cavity with the herbs.

Wrap up the fish quite loosely in the foil and bake in the oven for an hour. To check if it is cooked, unwrap it and push it lightly on top, if it is firm it is cooked, if slightly springy then it isn’t.

Another way to check if it is cooked is to make sure no blood is visible on the bone inside the cavity. Either allow the salmon to cool quickly and refrigerate or serve warm with one of the sauces suggested

Scottish Gravadlax

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Gravadlax

The name is certainly not Scottish, but Scandinavian. However, we do have long connections with Scandinavia, not least with the Vikings. The only bit which may be slightly out of context is the use of dill -I am not sure how native it is!

Gravadlax is in many ways like smoked salmon, which is also brined, but with smoked salmon the brining is the process before the smoking whereas in this dish the brining is the main part. This is of course what prevents the fish going off. It is essential to use the freshest fish possible and although some people say frozen fish is perfectly good, I believe the texture alters, and that nothing but the best, freshest salmon will do – which of course means Scottish, or better still, from Shetland, which has deeply Scandinavian roots.

INGREDIENTS
2kg/ 4lb piece of salmon, filleted, but not skinned, this weight is without the head and the tail cut off good 10cm (4in) up.
4 tbsp coarse salt
4 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
6 tbsp fresh dill, roughly chopped

Mix together all the dry ingredients. On a plastic tray big enough to take the salmon, sprinkle a third of the mixture. Place one side of salmon skin-side down on it; sprinkle with another third of the mixture. Make sure that the whole fish is covered. Place the second side of salmon on top, with the skin facing up and sprinkle the rest of the salt mixture over the top. Cover with cling film and place a weight on top, of about lkg (2lb). Put it into a cool place or the fridge. After 2 days turn the whole ’sandwich’ over and baste with the moisture which will have been exuded.

The gravadlax will be ready in about another day. Scrape off any excess salt and slice the salmon either like smoked salmon or in the Scandinavian way in wedges almost straight down. Serve with a dill mustard.

Scottish Smoked Salmon

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Smoked Salmon

Smoking has been used for centuries as a method of preserving food. Today smoking is big business and it is easy to become blasé about smoked salmon since it is apparently so plentiful and relatively cheap. As a result a proliferation of ’added value products’ are on the shelves to tempt us, with things like malt whisky, or Cajun spices. Beware, the true product should be lightly brined first then smoked over smouldering oak logs for between 24 and 48 hours. Most modern stainless-steel kilns can push a side through in under 8 hours. Inverawe Smokehouse in Argyll still smoke in the traditional manner; it may cost more but it is worth it.

It is worth briefly talking about the smoking process, since there are two ways of producing smoked fish.

Hot smoking is the process where the fish is smoked close to the heat source producing the smoke and is effectively ’cooked’.

Cold smoking is where the fish is placed further away from the heat source in the smoker and is only bathed in smoke, and is not cooked at all. The reason the fish does not ’go off’ is because it has been brined, or dipped in a salt solution, which prevents bacteria breaking down the material. In general terms hot smoked food is flaky, and cold smoked is firmer and sliceable, like traditional smoked salmon.

Today there are various types of smoked salmon alongside the traditional one above, some are
brined longer and some are hot smoked. Different smokehouses have different names for them, it is worth reading the small print.

INGREDIENTS
smoked salmon (allow 50g/2oz per person or 100g/ 4 oz for a main dish)
sliced brown bread
lemon wedges

To serve

If you buy smoked salmon in vacuum packs, open them at least half an hour before you want to serve the fish, to allow it to ’breathe’. In my opinion smoked salmon should be served with good brown bread and unsalted butter with a wedge of lemon, if you insist, good salmon does not need the latter. The flavour is clean, not salty with the fresh fish flavour balanced by the depth of oak smoke. The texture should be firm and not flabby or oily.

Mussels – Scottish Style

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Mussel & Onion Stew

There is quite a bit of work in this recipe but the result is well worth it. A hotel near Musselburgh, whose mussel beds were known about as far back as the Romans, gave rise to this one.

Today we can get superb rope-grown mussels which are without barnacles and sand, and they have a hundred times more flavour than the imported green-lipped mussels.

Wash the mussels, removing the ’beard’, the bit of weed they attach themselves to the rope with, and rinse in cold water.

Discard any broken or open ones which don’t close when tapped sharply on the side of a pan. Put the cleaned mussels into a large pan with the wine and cover. Bring to the boil and simmer until they open, this takes only a few moments. Discard any which have not opened. Strain off the liquid and reserve. Remove the mussels from their shells and keep them on one side. Place the bay leaf, thyme and onion into a pan of milk, heat gently for about 5 minutes and strain. Keep the milk warm.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, and sweat the chopped onions in it.

Stir in the flour, pour on the hot mussel juices, stirring to create a thick sauce, then add the warm milk. If the liquids are warm then no lumps will form. Cook gently so the flour loses its dry taste.

Return the mussels to the stew, add the cream and bring back to just below the boil. Mussels must not be cooked too long or they go rubbery. Serve on hot plates sprinkled with parsley with copious quantities of crusty white bread.

INGREDIENTS
60 mussels
2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped
125g/ 40z butter
75g/ 302 plain fl0ur
1/2 bottle white wine
300ml / 10fl oz double cream
2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
600ml/1 pint milk
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
1 small whole 0r 1/2 0nion

Steamed Mussels with White Wine & Cream

The simplest of dishes, the difficult bit is in the preparation. Wild mussels are not a good idea nowadays unless you know exactly where they come from and are happy about how clean the water is. Farmed mussels are so good and they are generally rope-grown, which means that they are suspended in the water and do not get covered in barnacles and weed.

You need to give them a good scrub and remove the bit of weed or ’beard’, which is what the mussel has used to attach itself to the rope and to its colleagues. This is done by scraping with a sharp knife. Rinse in plenty of cold water and they are ready to use. Discard any broken ones and any which do not close when tapped sharply on the shell.

Put the vegetables into a heavy-based pan, large enough to take the mussels when covered with a lid. Put in the mussels and pour on the wine.

Over a gentle heat allow the mussels to steam in the wine until they are all open. This will take about 5 minutes. Discard any which have not opened. Remove the lid and bring to a rapid boil. Pour on the cream and return to the boil; simmer for about two minutes. Distribute the mussels between four bowls, season with black pepper and sprinkle with chopped parsley pour over the sauce making sure the vegetables are evenly distributed. Serve immediately.

INGREDIENTS
2kg/ 4lb mussels
1/2 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 stick of celery, finely chopped
150ml / 5fl oz white wine
300ml/ 10fl oz double cream
ground black pepper
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Three Classic Soups from Scotland

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Three Classic Soups from Scotland

Scotch Broth

The classic Scottish soup. Originally it would have been the entire meal, consisting of a bit of everything a household produced, meat, cereals and vegetables. It is best made the day before you want it to allow all the flavours and textures to develop. A dish for the winter, best made with mutton if available, or one-year-old lamb. The vegetables should all be cut to a similar size; about 6mm (1/4in) dice. Cabbage and potato can be added, depending on season and availability. Preparation should be in three stages: soaking the peas and barley in water for an hour or so; then cooking up to the removal of the lamb; then, when the lamb is cool enough to handle, returning it to the soup.

In a large pan sweat the onion in a little lard to soften, add the meat and water to cover, bring to the boil and skim off any deposit from the surface. Add the pre—soaked barley and peas, simmer for 30 minutes. Add the remaining vegetables; continue to simmer gently until just cooked. Remove the lamb bone and allow to cool, then trim off the meat, roughly chop it and return it to the soup. Discard the bones. Just before serving add the parsley.

INGREDIENTS
1kg/ 2lb piece neck of mutton, or lamb trimmed of fat
75g/ 3oz pearl barley, washed and drained
75g/ 3oz split peas, washed and drained
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 large leek, trimmed and chopped
3 small white turnips, diced, or 1 medium swede, peeled and diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
water

Cock a Leekie

A traditional soup using everything available to a farmstead, although I am not sure where the prunes will have crept in! They do, however, add a touch of sweetness and if the bird was old, which it most certainly would have been, then the sweetness of the prunes would have given the soup a real lift.

The leeks also may have been bitter and would likewise benefit from the addition of prunes. A whole bird will give enough soup for 8 people. It is really a meal in itself and for the original crofters would have represented quite a feast.

Wash the chicken and pat it dry with kitchen paper. Slice the leeks into 6mm (1/4in) slices, keeping at least 2.5cm (1in) of the green part. Put the prepared onion inside the bird. Put half the leeks into a large casserole and put the chicken on top. Add cold water to cover the chicken and bring to the boil; skim away the scum from the surface and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.

Add the herbs, cover the pan and allow to simmer gently for about 2 hours, or until the bird is cooked. Top up with water as necessary to keep the bird just covered.

When cooked, remove the bird and let it cool enough to handle. Discard the herbs and peppercorns and skim off as much fat from the broth as you can. Season with salt if need be. Cut the meat of the bird into small pieces and return it to the broth, taking care to avoid any skin or bone. Add the prunes and simmer for 5 minutes.

Blanch the remaining leeks by plunging them into boiling water and cooking for a few minutes, then refresh them in cold water and drain them. This just cooks them and they keep their lovely bright colour. Just before serving, add them to the broth to heat through. I like this method as it gives you two textures of leek; one is well cooked with little colour, the other has bite and colour. Serve each bowl of broth with three prunes and sprinkle some chopped parsley on top.

INGREDIENTS
1.5-2kg / 3-4 lb boiling fowl
1 onion, peeled and studded with cloves
10 large leeks, washed and trimmed
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of thyme
2 stalks fresh parsley
6 peppercorns
24 stoned dried prunes
water
2-Stbsp fresh parsley,
chopped to garnish

Watercress Soup

The vibrant green colour and peppery flavour of this soup is warming on a chilly day. It is also delicious served chilled, in which case you may need to add a little single cream to thin down the texture. Perfect for summer picnics or barbecues.

Melt the butter in a heavy-based pan and add the onion, leek and thyme, stirring to coat in butter; cook gently until soft. Add the potatoes and stir to coat with the butter. Cover with stock and simmer until soft, seasoning with salt and pepper. When nearly cooked, after about 15 to 20 minutes, add the watercress and cook briefly for about 5 minutes. Leave to cool slightly then purée and strain through a sieve. Serve hot or chilled, with crusty bread.

INGREDIENTS
2 bunches watercress, washed
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 leek, trimmed and sliced,
avoid the very green tops
50g/ 2oz butter
3 medium potatoes, peeled
and sliced
vegetable or chicken stock to
cover (see p136)
1 sprig fresh thyme

Scottish Cuisine

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Scottish Cuisine

Scotland is of course part of Britain, and therefore its culinary delights fall within the remit of the ‘British Classics’ category.

Christopher Trotter is the author of ‘Scottish Cookery’, from which many of our Scottish recipes are taken. Chris trained as a chef in Switzerland and at the Savoy in London.

Food from Scotland is, to me, the best there is. For hundreds of years Scotland has grown, harvested, produced and processed food that is more natural and has more flavour than food from anywhere else in the world.

The fertile soil, climate, and Scotland’s long tradition of husbandry, curing and preserving methods put the country in the forefront when it comes to creating and exporting food products, some of which are the finest and most sought-after delicacies in the world.

In Scotland we have a tremendous variety of natural foods, which stem from the qualities of the landscape: superb beef, lamb and venison from the fields and hills, salmon, trout and shellfish from the abundant streams, lochs and extensive coastline; and grains, fine vegetables such as potatoes, and soft fruits from the rich, fertile soil. From these wonderful raw ingredients we have also developed a wide variety of other products, including smoked foods, biscuits, breads, jam and marmalade; and perhaps the best known of all Scottish exports — whisky.

The culinary tradition in Scotland began, as in many other countries, with cooking in iron pots over open fires, the equivalent to the French ’pot au feu’ — a dish in which meat, vegetables and grain were cooked in stages in a large pot of water to produce a rich and nourishing meal. Many of these early cooking methods are reflected in dishes still around today, for example, ’Chicken in the Pot’. However, whereas France came to be regarded as a culinary giant, Scottish cooking seemed to lose its way.

Possibly the crushing of the clan system in the eighteenth century, which led to the break—up of a way of life and its culinary traditions, was partly responsible. Perhaps it was due to the French chefs, who came over here after the French Revolution, and whose culinary influence lingers to this day. Their new masters, the lairds of Scotland, demanded the best quality cuts of meat, and many of today’s terms, especially for cuts of meat, show the French influence, for example ’fillet of beef’ is derived from the French ’filet de boeuf’.

So what is Scottish cooking? Although Scotland appears to lack a culinary tradition, there is a long tradition of husbandry and food production, combined with a quality of landscape and climate second to none. I maintain that if the raw ingredients used to create contemporary dishes in the home or in a restaurant, be they meat, game, fish, fruit, or vegetable are from Scotland, it is Scottish cooking. The cook or chef, inspired by his or her surroundings, and by international influences, can create wonderful new dishes, often based on traditional methods, using raw materials from Scotland. After all, what is French cooking if not born of Italian chefs 200 years ago?

My passion for cooking with Scottish food dates back to when I ran a small fishing inn on Loch Awe with my wife. I had spent some time working abroad and in England, and it was a revelation to return to Scotland and cook with the wonderful raw produce which I had taken for granted as a child growing up in Scotland. It was here, too, that I discovered the remarkable wild harvest on the doorstep: wild herbs like sorrel and wild garlic, rowanberries and fungi, and fish from the loch.

The only problem was in locating a reliable source of supply; very often I had to go to out—of—the-way places to collect produce. I remember a box of odds and ends of live fish on the quayside at Tarbert, which ended up as a fish stew; and swimming in a loch to collect oysters by hand!

Today there are still problems in locating produce. Recently I ordered asparagus from a vegetable supplier, it was delivered the next day, and had come from Spain! Needless to say I telephoned the supplier to ask why, with the best asparagus in the world only 30 miles away from me, he had to buy it from Spain. Nowadays I buy direct!

This book takes a look back to see how previous generations of Scots prepared this produce; for example, how the Arbroath Smokie developed from a necessary method of preserving fish to become a delicacy sought after the world over, or how the tradition of smoking food produced a
wonderful soup like Cullen Skink, or a dish such as Ham and Haddie.

These dishes remind us of the history of cooking with wonderful raw ingredients, simplicity being at the heart of all that is best in Scottish cooking. This holds good in contemporary recipes, and some of my own offerings and ideas are developments of the same raw materials used in traditional dishes, letting the excellence of the natural ingredients speak for themselves. The food needs no disguise or over—embellishment.

Here are some delicious dishes, simple to prepare, using the best of what is produced in Scotland: succulent fillet of beef, with a delicate wild garlic sauce as an ideal accompaniment; a venison steak, tender as beef fillet, but healthier and with more flavour, which needs only some brambles to show it off; or try smoked venison, with just a simple accompaniment of dauphinoise potatoes. The wonderful, firm texture of salmon, combined with asparagus and chervil, exemplifies using what is fresh, in season and readily available. What could be better than delicious fresh halibut with a simple cheese and mustard glaze? Or the wonderful, perfumed flavour of Scottish tayberries, in Tayberry Tart?

These recipes are not difficult and go somewhat against the current trend of combining complex techniques and a wide variety of ingredients, together with some technical wizardry, which seem to surround us. Here then is a collection of recipes designed to show off what to me is the
best food in the world.

Chris Trotter, author of ‘Scottish Cookery’ ISBN 1-84204-024-3

Old English Crumpets

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Crumpets

Toasting crumpets in front of an open fire became particularly popular during the reign of Queen Victoria. They are made with a yeast batter, cooked in metal rings on a griddle. Serve them freshly toasted and spread with butter and maybe a drizzle of golden syrup.

Makes about 10
225g/8oz plain flour
2.5 ml/1/2 teaspoon salt
2.5ml/1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking powder)
5ml/1 teaspoon fast acting yeast granules
150ml/1/4 pint milk
oil for greasing

1 Sift the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl and stir in the yeast. Make a well in the centre. Heat the milk with 200ml/7fI oz/scant 1 cup water until lukewarm and tip into the well.

2 Mix well with a whisk or wooden spoon, beating vigorously to make a thick smooth batter. Cover and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour until the mixture has a spongy texture.

3 Heat a griddle or heavy frying pan. Lightly oil the hot surface and the inside of three or four metal rings, each measuring about 8cm/31/2 in in diameter. Place the oiled rings on the hot surface and leave for 1-2 minutes until hot.

4 Spoon the batter into the rings to a depth of about lcm/1/2 in. Cook over a medium-high heat for about 6 minutes until the top surface is set and bubbles have burst open to make holes.

5 When set, carefully lift off the metal rings and flip the crumpets over, cooking the second side for just 1 minute until lightly browned.

6 Lift off and leave to cool completely on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining crumpet mixture. lust before serving, toast the crumpets on both sides and butter generously.

Traditional English Chocolate cake

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Chocolate cake

The first chocolate arrived in England in the 1500s, and the 17th century saw the opening of expensive chocolate houses, which were frequented by the rich and famous. Today, chocolate cake is a staple of every self-respecting tea table in England. Sheila bakes this particular recipe every Sunday for your Spanish friends after the Paella. They love it!. You can also use the same recipe to make cupcakes and decorate with the butter-cream in the same way or other types of chocolate decoration.

Serves 10-12

225g/8oz/2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
5ml/1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
50g/2oz/1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
125g/4 ½ oz/9 tbsp soft butter
250g/9oz/1 ¼ cups caster (superfine) sugar
3 eggs, beaten
250ml/8fl oz/1 cup buttermilk

For the chocolate butter-cream

175g/6oz/1 ½ cups icing (confectioner’s) sugar
115g/4oz/1/2 cup soft unsalted butter
few drops of vanilla extract
50g/2oz dark chocolate

1 Butter two 20cm/8in sandwich tins (pans) and line the bases with baking parchment. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Sift the flour with the bicarbonate of soda and cocoa.

2 Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs. Add the flour and buttermilk, mix well.

3 Spoon into the prepared tins. Place into the hot oven and cook for 30-35 minutes until firm to the touch. Turn out of the tins, peel off the paper and leave on a wire rack to cool completely.

4 To make the chocolate butter-cream, sift the icing sugar into a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the butter until very soft and creamy.

5 Beat in half the sifted icing sugar until smooth and light. Gradually beat in the remaining sugar and the vanilla extract. Break the chocolate into squares. Melt in a bowl over a pan of hot water or in a microwave oven on low.

6 Mix the melted chocolate into the butter-cream. Use halt to sandwich the cakes together, and the rest on the top.