The British Isles have a wealth of authentic recipes from the cuisines of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Great recipes using local produce and traditional techniques to produce delicious, hearty dishes. Here are a few of my favourite British recipes.
Salmon Wellington Traditional beef Wellington is a series of parcels – beef wrapped in mushroom, wrapped in crêpe, wrapped in pastry – and the method can easily be adapted to other proteins, especially salmon which looks very pretty with its orange flesh contrasting against the golden pastry. When making salmon Wellington there’s no need to […]
Mushroom & Cheese Pies Thanks to chef Simon Sandall who rattled off this suggestion on the spur of the moment when we were making beef Wellington together and wondering what to do with leftover mushroom duxelles and pastry off-cuts. You could always make the duxelles specifically for these pies and whip up a larger batch […]
Potted Trout Potting is an old English technique for preserving meat or seafood by storing it under a layer of fat, similar to French confit or rillettes. The food was traditionally cooked thoroughly to eliminate excess moisture then packed into a ceramic pot. Meats with a lot of natural fat could be sealed under a […]
Pedro Ximénez Sherry & Date Puddings These simple Sherry and date puddings are inspired by part of a far more elaborate recipe by Cheong Liew in his book My Food. He adds ginger for an extra dimension, so stir 2 teaspoons of ginger juice into the batter if you like ginger’s pepperiness (made by squeezing […]
Date Scones This recipe is inspired by Matt Moran’s date scone recipe in Australian Food, which is in turn inspired by the scones his Nan Valda used to make. The dates and mixed spice make them so tasty I don’t think they need jam or cream, just lashings of Pepe Saya butter – but feel […]
Herb Scones I love herb scones alongside a bowl of soup, but they also make a great savoury addition to afternoon tea. Use just one herb or a mixture of any fresh herbs you like: parsley, chervil, dill, chives, tarragon or thyme – even a little very finely chopped rosemary – in this versatile, tasty […]
Cheese Scones Given scones British heritage, I like to use a good crumbly cheddar in my cheese scones; most of it mixed into the dough and a little saved to sprinkle on top. Depending on your oven, the topping may brown unevenly, so check after 10 minutes and if necessary turn the tray around to […]
Pumpkin Scones Pumpkin scones are perhaps the most Aussie scone of all, made famous by Lady Flo Bjelke-Petersen, wife of a Queensland Premier. Use leftover roast pumpkin if you have some (you’ll need about 1 cup mashed), in which case you may need to add a splash more milk. These pretty orange pumpkin scones are […]
Duck Fat Potatoes Duck fat potatoes are quite a delicacy in France – so when I had some rendered duck fat left over from frying duck breasts for duck à l’orange (see video below), I thought I’d make some. The verdict: easy and utterly delicious! The trick is to fry them for about 10 minutes […]
Pan-fried Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta Did you grow up disliking soggy, cabbage-smelling Brussels sprouts? I did. Then I discovered how delicious pan-fried Brussels sprouts. With a bit of charring and some cured pork fat if you like they are delicious! I like to use a spicy, chilli-flecked pancetta (or the black pepper-dusted one from Salumi […]
