Celebrating Christmas without the Turkey – Festive Pork Loin and trimmings. Go straight to the I’m rather bemused that the day I started to write up my Festive Pork Loin – one I’d prepared earlier that week, I spotted a feature in The Observer with Claudia Roden’s Roast Belly of Pork with chestnut puree and […]
Pork Tenderloin with Sauce Verte
Perfect Spring Pork Tenderloin from Parson’s Nose Butcher. Tenderloin is one of my favourite cuts of pork. It’s the ‘fillet’ from a pig – the equivalent to porcine fillet mignon. Tender, lean, and sweet, it’s a cut with very little fat and as such it’s easy to overcook it and make it dry. The idea […]
Italian Wild Boar Ragù – From Tuscany to Abruzzo
Wild Boar Ragù with Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Although we tend to associate Italian wild boar recipes with Tuscany, hunting and eating cinghiale is common in many rural parts of the country. Abruzzo, with it’s massive and famous national park, in the centre of the Apennines, is well-populated with wild boar. They breed prolifically and, like deer, can […]
Coniglio Alla Stimpirata – Sweet and Sour Rabbit from Sicily
The Taste of Sicily – Coniglio Alla Stimpirata One of the first Sicilian dishes I tried was caponata. A sweet-sour vegetable dish that is like a more exotic ratatouille and is sometimes served with pine nuts and raisins, I was smitten at the first spoonful. It’s a recipe to make in late summer here in […]
Venison Casserole – Spiced Venison in Ale
The Ultimate Venison Casserole in Ale – Environmentally Friendly Swap. While we’ve had a few warm days recently, we are definitely still hovering on the edge of winter and spring. Chillier evenings call for hearty casseroles and, since there’s currently an environmental reason to enjoy wild venison. I was gifted a selection of wild venison […]
Italian Date Night – A Valentine’s Menu
Slow-Cooked Venison Shank in Red Wine for an Italian Date Night Dinner This is the second of our date-night menus, which we are sharing just ahead of Valentine’s Day. If your taste is more for British food and an all British date-night, then do take a look at our English Sparkling Wine with Scottish Seafood […]
A love affair with schnitzel – frugal pork or decadent Weiner Schnitzel with veal
Wiener schnitzel with veal or pork schnitzel – one recipe, two choices. A recipe I remember from my childhood, Weiner Schnitzel or veal schnitzel was always a treat. My mother ALWAYS used veal and made her own breadcrumbs. An authentic Wiener schnitzel. Part of the reason I loved the dish was because I always got […]
Grilled Lamb Steak with Lentils and a Super Tuscan for 2021
Italian style lentils with grilled lamb steak paired with Gagliole organic Super Tuscan 2016 The idea of serving my own idea of Italian style lentils with grilled lamb steaks marinated in Italian herbs and garlic and paired with a super Tuscan wine seems entirely appropriate. In a country of tradition and authenticity, the Super Tuscan […]
A Piquant British take on a Classic Persian Lamb Fesenjan
Lamb Fesenjan with Opies Pickled Walnuts. #Ad: Written in Conjunction with Opies My first attempt at a Lamb Fesenjan, inspired by trying the dish in a Persian restaurant in London, was a sticky and very sweet mixture which bore little resemblance to the dish I’d enjoyed. The original, served to me at a restaurant called […]
Rump Steak with Blue Cheese and Opies Pickled Walnuts
From the perfect pairing to a triumphant trio of flavours – steak, blue cheese and pickled walnuts. #Ad: Written in Conjunction with Opies Opies Pickled Walnuts, synonymous with the Christmas cheeseboard in my house, are one of those store-cupboard staples I keep having to buy. For a start, they end up on every platter of […]