Mince Pies

When I was growing up in Canada, one of the things I really disliked at Christmas time was . . . Mincemeat. Oh, but it was horrid. That probably has something to do with the fact that it had real meat in it . . . ground beef . . . and ground beef made me want to gag. Mixed with raisins and other fruits, it made me want to gag even more . . .



Combine that with the interesting fact that my Aunt used to make her mincemeat out of venison that my Uncle shot every year, and I could never trust whether the mincemeat my mother was using had come from my Aunt or not . . . and I just could not face eating Bambi . . .

Aside from all that . . . it just didn't taste good to me . . . not at all. Never, no never . . .



Oh, how very different mincemeat is over here in the UK. I just love it and I can't get enough of it any time of the year, but MOST especially during the Christmas Season!!!

Filled with lovely bits of bramley apple . . . raisins . . . currants . . . sultanas . . . candied peel . . . not to mention lovely warm spices and oranges and lemons, chopped almonds . . . all bound together with soft dark brown sugar, brandy and suet . . . Just the thought of it gets my taste buds tingling.



I love them cold . . . all buttery and spicy sweet in my mouth.



They are a special treat when gently warmed . . . all meltingly delicious and crumbly, with lashings of brandy cream or custard . . . mmm . . .

I usually make my own, using Delia's Foolproof Recipe, but the grocery shops are full of wonderful mincemeat as well. Marks and Spencers make a really yummy luxury version.



There is nothing like spending an afternoon with a cd of Christmas Carols creating the festive mood whilst you bake lovely mince pies . . . the smell of them baking so homey and warm, the music . . . just so soul enriching . . . the cold wind outside buffeting the windows as the rain lashes against the glass . . . me all tucked up warm and cosy in the kitchen, my slippers padding across the floor and Jess stretched out and softly snoring on the carpet in front of the AGA . . .



Ahh . . . this has to be bliss. Can there be anything else on earth so wonderful??? I think not!



Well . . . eating them comes a close second, I do have to admit!




*Mince Pies*
Makes about 24
Printable Recipe

I just adore these delicious Christmas Treats! Crisp and buttery pastry encasing a delicious filling of spiced fruits, and dusted with icing sugar. Oh, so very wonderful. It just would not be Christmas without a breadbox filled with these!

560g mincemeat
(either homemade or storebought)
350g flour
pinch of salt
75g of cold butter, cut into bits
75g cold lard, cut into bits
ice water as needed
For the finish
some milk for brushing
sifted icing sugar for dusting

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Drop in the butter and lard and rub it into the flour/salt mixture using your fingertips. Rub until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Add the ice water by the tablespoon, mixing in with a fork, until you get a dough that leaves the sides of the bowl clean. Shape into a ball, wrap in cling film and place in the refrigerator to rest for half an hour.

Roll half of the dough out 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured board. Cut it into 24 rounds with a 3 inch fluted pastry cutter. Place them into two lightly greased patty tins, lining the holes. Spoon a dessertspoon of mincemeat into each. Roll out the other half of the dough in the same manner, and cut out 24 rounds iwth a 2 1/2 inch cutter. Brush the edges of these rounds with a bit of water and then place them on top of the mincmeat filled patty tins to form lids. Press around lightly to seal. Brush the tops with a bit of milk. Prick with a fork if desired. Place on the top rack in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

Remove from the oven and cool completely before disting with icing sugar. Store in an airtight container.

A Basic Christmas Cake

Christmas just wouldn't be complete without a tasty fruit cake to dig into on Christmas day and throughout the holidays. Love it, or hate it . . . Christmas Fruit Cake is a strong tradition here in the UK. Even back home in Canada, we always had fruit cake at Christmas, both a dark one and a light one, as well as my mother's War Cake, which was a type of boiled raisin cake, which we absolutely loved. They weren't as elaborately decorated over there as they are over here though, but you could buy iced ones if you wanted them. My mother never iced hers, and in truth . . . we never missed it.



The Christmas Cake as we know it here in the UK today comes from two customs which became one around 1870 in Victorian England. Originally there was a porridge, the origins of which go back to the beginnings of Christianity. Then there was a fine cake made with the finest milled wheatflour, this was baked only in the Great Houses, as not many people had ovens back in the 14th century.



You don't have to make your own of course. The shop shelves are filled to the brim with a variety of beautifully decorated Christmas Cakes at this time of year, in a great many sizes and shapes. I, myself, however . . . get a certain satisfaction from baking and decorating my own. I am not sure if it is cheaper or not, but it certainly is delicious and, in the doing so, I like to think I am helping to usher in the Christmas Season in our home. I usually bake my cake around the middle of November, and then I will wait until about a week or so before Christmas to decorate it, having given myself a few weeks to plan and get in all the things I will need to fancy it up with.



Fruit cake is one of the things that my Todd looks forward to most at Christmas . . . even more than the turkey, and it is a much loved holiday tradition that I look forward to baking every year. Not only is a show stoppingly beautifully decorated Christmas cake fun to make, but it beats a the flavour of a shop bought one every time . . . seriously! I'll continue with this in a few weeks time when I decorate my cake. Make sure to come back then and see how I make out!



*A Basic Christmas Cake*
Makes one 9 inch round deep cake
Printable Recipe

I have been making this same Christmas cake for years. It always turns out beautifully moist and is filled to the brim with lots of lovely fruit. This needs to be started the night before so make sure you plan ahead. I always like to make my cake a 5 to 6 weeks before Christmas so that it has time to ripen.

450g currants (3 cups)
175g raisins (generous 1 cup)
175g sultanas (generous 1 cup)
50g glace cherries, rinsed dried and cut in half (1/4 cup)
50g whole candied citrus peel, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
3 ounces of cherry brandy
225g flour (1 1/2 cups plus 2 1/2 TBS)
pinch salt
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground mixed spice
225g butter, softened
225g soft light brown sugar (18 TB)
4 large eggs
50g chopped almonds (1/4 cup)
2 TBS black treacle
the grated zest of both one orange and one lemon


The night before you want to bake your cake, put all the weighed out dried fruit into a large bowl, along with the chopped peel, giving it a good mix. Stir in the cherry brandy. Cover the bowl and allow it to steep overnight, giving it a stir every now and then before you go to bed.

The next morning, pre-heat the oven to 140*C/275*F. Take a 9 inch round deep baking tin and grease it well. LIne it with a double thickness of baking parchment and butter it again. Set aside.

Sift the flour into a bowl along with the spices. Beat the butter and the sugars together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Gently fold in the flour mixture. Once it has all been incorporated, fold in the dark treacle and the steeped fruits, along with any brandy that may be in the bowl (it is doubtful that there will be any) the peel, the chopped nuts and the grated peels. Spread this mixture into the prepared pan. Set the pan on a large baking tray. Take a double thickness of newspaper and wrap it around the cake tin, tying it on with a piece of string. Top with a piece of parchment paper that you have cut a 1 inch hole in the centre of. Place the oven tray with the cake tin on it onto the lowest shelf in your oven. Bake for 4 1/2 to 4 3/4 hours, until it springs back when lightly touched in the centre and is baked through. Try to resist peeking until at least half an hour before the cake is done.



When done, remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes, then remove the newspaper and dump it onto a wire rack and remove the baking parchment. Let cool completely before wrapping it in a large piece of muslin that has been soaked in more brandy. Place into an airtight tin and store until you want to decorate it.

Sultana Scones

Is it scon that rhymes with on, or is it scone that rhymes with stone??

Who knows. It sounds mightly delicious no matter which way you say it. If asked what the difference between a scone and a North American baking powder biscuit is, I would have to say first and foremost, it is in the preparation. In a baking powder biscuit the fat is cut into the flour using a pastry blender, or two round bladed knives. In a scone the fat is gently rubbed into the mixture with your fingertips, lifting the mixture high up and dropping it back into the bowl as you rub, in order to help incorporate some air to the mix.



Baking powder biscuits generally use all vegetable fat, and sometimes cream . . . scones usually use all butter, and sometimes butter and cream.

In both instances, it is wise not to overhandle the dough, lest you end up with tough scones or biscuits.



Baking powder biscuits are a bit heavier in texture and more savoury than scones . . . most scones are light and sweet . . . and go just perfectly with a nice hot cuppa and lashings of preserves and clotted cream, whereas baking powder biscuits are at their most perfect when served with hot soups and stews.



When cutting press the cutter straight down onto the scone dough and then lift it straight up without twisting. This gives you nice straight edges and they bake up straight as well. Twisting when you cut means you end up with lopsides scones.



Delicious, no matter how you cut them . . . no pun intended.




A plate of these, split and buttered alongside of a bowl of clotted cream and a jar of strawberry preserves and I am in heaven. This . . . is . . . bliss.

Damn . . . I forgot to buy the clotted cream . . .

No matter . . .



*Sultana Scones*
Makes about 14
Printable Recipe

Making good scones is easy as long as you don't overhandle the dough. Tender and moist, wrap them in a clean tea towel after baking to help to keep them that way. Served warm with lots of butter and preserves, these are wonderfully delicious . . .

8 ounces self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 ounces softened butter
1 ounce caster sugar
2 ounces sultanas
1 large egg
milk

Pre-heat the oven to 220*C/425*F. Line two baking trays with baking parchment and set aside.

Measure the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour mixture with the tips of your fingers, until the mixture closely resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and the sultanas.

Beat the egg together with enough milk to make a total of 150 ml of liquid. Stir this mixture into the flour mixture to make a soft, but not sticky dough. You don't want it to be too dry, or too sticky.

Turn out onto a lightly floured board. Knead lightly a few times, then pat out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into rounds with a 2 inch cutter, then place them onto the prepared baking trays. Brush the tops with a little milk.

Bake for about 10 minutes, until golden brown and nicely risen. Lift onto a wire rack to cool and then wrap in a clean tea towel to serve. Delicious!

Slow Roasted Pork Belly

For the past several years I have been looking at pork belly and wondering what it would taste like. It's one of the lesser expensive cuts that you can buy, and I had wondered was it any good? Would we like it? Would it cook away to nothing?

A pretty nondescript piece of meat, it looks like a big slab of bacon, unsmoked completely and with a thick layer of skin and fat covering the top of it, not to mention another layer of fat normally running through the centre of it . . .



I kept hearing such wonderful things about it, and so yesterday I finally caved in and bought a hunk.



The lovely thick layer of skin and fat on this particular cut of meat really helps to keep it moist as it cooks. The alchemy that occurs means that the pork skin slowly crisps to a wonderfully crisp layer of crackling whilst the fat in the layers, melts and dissolves, basting the meat constantly, giving you a moist and succulent roast underneath.



If you've been holding off from buying this particular cut of meat, hold off no longer. This truly is a hidden gem, and you'll find yourself wondering why on earth you waited so long!

And all for a mere £2.63. Who knew?



*Slow Roasted Pork Belly*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

If you love succulent, rich meat with magnificently crunchy crackling, this tasty dish is for you. Cheap, easy and yet moreishly delicious! This will grab you by the socks!

1 kg piece of pork belly, with skin still on
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large onions, peeled and sliced



Pre-heat the oven to 160*C/325*F. Lay the onions on the base of a fairly heavy baking dish. (You want one with an edge) Take your piece of pork and using a Stanley knife, score some deep heavy cuts all along the rind at 1/2 inch intervals, if it has not already been done for you by the butcher. Cut down through the skin and into the fat, but not all the way to the meat. Rub the skin with a little bit of olive oil and some sea salt, massaging it into the cracks. Season the pork flesh with a bit of salt and pepper. Place the pork on top of the onions, flesh side down and skin side up. The onions will act as sort of a trivet and keep the porl from touching the hot dish. Pour a bit of water into the pan, just enough to cover the bottom of it by about 1/4 inch. Bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, checking it every so often to see that the pan hasn't gone dry, and adding more water periodically. Don't let the water touch the crackling or the meat. At the end of that time you should have a succulent moist piece of meat and delightfylly crisp and crunchy crackling. If the crackling isn't as crisp as you would like, turn the oven up to about 200*C/400*F and roast for a further 15 to 20 minutes to crisp it up a bit further. Don't worry, the water in the bottom of the pan will help to keep the pork from drying out.

Remove from the oven and allow to sit for about 5 minutes. Slice the crackling off the top and break into bits of crunchy delight and slice the meat with a sharp knife.

You can drain all the fat from the pan and serve with the juices and caramelized onions if you wish, but I just made a tasty pot of apple pear sauce to serve with mine.



*Apple Pear Sauce*
Makes about 3 cups
Printable Recipe

This sauce is so easy to make and goes so very well with pork chops and roast pork. It's also tasty in it's own right simply served warm with some vanilla ice cream, or with pancakes for breakfast!

4 cooking apples, peeled and chopped
3 pears, peeled and chopped
1 TBS lemon juice
4 ounces pressed apple juice
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until all the fruit is soft and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and whip with a fork until the mixture is mashed but with some texture still remaining. Serve warm.

Plum Bread and Butter Pudding

Can there be any more comforting pudding on earth than Bread and Butter Pudding?

I think not.



Essentially designed to use up all the stale bread in the house, this quintessential British pudding was created by an epicurian of genius proportions back somewhere in the 17th century, having evolved from it's tasty ancestor . . . bread pudding. Bread pudding used up stale bread as well, and along with a varieity of sweet spices, currants and raisins was simply steamed and then devoured. When more luxurious items like eggs, butter and cream became more readily available, it was only a matter of course before they found their way into the mix, and we ended up with the deliciously tasty dessert that we have come to know and love today.



I am always one for trying and adapting things to the currant situation in my larder. I have made this lovely pudding with dates and nuts. I've also used stale brioche and studded the pud with chunks of Green & Blacks milk chocolate. After Christmas is all over, it's wonderful made with the last of the Pannetone . . . stale gingerbread and chunks of roasted apple . . . I've deliciously been there.

Essentially, it's the perfect pud to use up all sorts of stale bread, cakes and loaves . . .



Today I came home from the shops armed with several punnets of juicy, dark, ruby coloured plums . . . on offer at two punnets for three quid. How could I resist?

We just love plums in this house, and they looked so beautiful sitting there in their little baskets, just begging to be bought.



I've done plum cakes and tarts recently and today I thought . . . mmmm . . . Bread and Butter Pudding with Plums . . . why not?



*Plum Bread and Butter Pudding*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

What could be any better than Bread and Butter Pudding? Why Plum Bread and Butter Pudding of course! Rich and creamy and indulgently delicious, not to mention stogged full of tasty roasted plums. What's not to like?

1 punnet of dark red plums
(about 8)
1 cup of caster sugar, plus a bit to spoon into the plums
1/2 loaf of coarse stale bread
softened butter
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup of whole milk
4 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla paste



Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Wash the plums and cut in half. Remove the stones and then place them into a baking dish, skin side down. Place approximately 1/2 tsp of caster sugar into the centre of each. Bake in the heated oven for 15 minutes or so, just until the juices begin to run. Remove from the oven and set aside. Turn the oven temperature down to 180*C/350*F.

Trim all the crusts off of the bread. (I always give them to the birds) Cut the bread into 1 inch wide strips. Butter them on both sides generously. Lightly butter a 6 by 8 inch glass baking dish.

Whisk together the eggs and the sugar, whisking until the sugar is almost dissolved. Whisk the milk and the cream together in a large beaker along with the vanilla paste. Slowly whisk in the egg mixture, whisking until you have a nice creamy custard like solution. Sit aside.

Place the bread into the baking dish, by placing three strips across, almost upright, but not quite. Place a plum half on each. Place another three strips in front of the plums. Place another three plum halves on each. Repeat until all the bread strips and plum halves have been used. I also cut several strips into smaller pieces and tuck them in all the way around the pudding, kind of like a frame.

Pour the custard slowly onto the bread in the pudding, in and around the plums. Allow the bread to absorb the custard, before pouring on more. Add custard until the bread can't absorb any more. Drizzle any plum juices over top and then place into the oven. Baked for 30 to 35 minutes, until the sides of the pudding are set and the top is nicely puffed and lightly browned. The centre should still be a bit jiggly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to warm. Cut into slabs to serve. We like to serve this with additional cream for pouring over top.

Beer Battered Fish

I wasn't kidding yesterday morning when I said that fish and chips were one of my absolute favourite dishes. When I first came to the UK, nine years ago now, that was one of the top things on my list of things to eat. After having eaten quasi "English" fish and chips in Canadian restaurants my whole lifetime, I really wanted to experience the real thing.

I was here, visiting for three weeks, and it was not until the last week of my visit that I was able to do so. I can remember it was bucketing down rain (how typically English and NORTHERN English) and Todd rode to the shop on his bicycle to pick them up, as he didn't have a car back them. I was so excited as I waited back at the flat . . . finally I was going to be eating the meal of my dreams. They would all be so jealous back home!



He arrived home at the flat with a filmsy blue plastic bag filled with plain newspaper (no print allowed anymore, I'm afraid) stogged full of beautiful hand cut and fried chips and two gorgeous big battered filets of Cod, so big that they hung off the sides of our plates. Oh, they smelled so good . . . and the taste . . . well, it was everything I had dreamt of, and more.

Back then you could get a cone of chips (a little styrofoam cone shaped cup) for about 60p and a portion, which was enough to feed two people more than amply, was £1. A lovely HUGE piece of cod cost £2 and so we could get ourselves fish and chips of a Friday night for a fiver, which wasn't bad. The only hard part was waiting in the queue at the local chippies which always went around the corner of a Friday evening!



Nowadays the same meal would cost you in access of 12 to 15 pounds and I have to say it . . . the fish and chips down here in the South just cannot compare to the ones up North, at least thus far in my experience. If anyone knows any different then let me know!

Anyways, after all that talk about fish and chips yesterday morning, and, even though we'd had fish for dinner the night before, my taste buds were tingling for some lovely battered fish, and what can you do when that happens, I ask?



Why . . . you must have what you must have!!

And we did. I made my own though, coz, well . . . it's better than the fish in the chippies down here . . . and alot cheaper too. (No fried chips this time though. I only had new potatoes in the house and they make rotten chips)




*Beer Battered Fish*
serves 4
Printable Recipe

This is the best battered fish you could ever want to eat. Light and crisp and the fish is beautifully flakey inside. Make sure your oil is hot before you start frying the fish. Also make sure your fish is well coated with flour before you dip it into the batter. If you follow these two rules you will be rewarded with delicious crisp battered fish, perfectly moist on the inside.

4 cod or haddock fish fillets
(I like the thick ones myself)
6 ounces flour
1 tsp baking soda
8 ounces of beer
the juice of half a lemon
salt to taste
Flour for dredging the fish in
Oil for frying
To serve:
Malt Vinegar, Lemon Slices, tartar sauce

Place about an inch and a half of sunflower oil into a deep skillet. Heat over medium high heat until hot. A cube of bread should brown in the hot oil in about 10 seconds. While the oil is heating get the fish ready.

Place the flour, soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in the beer and lemon juice to make a thick batter. Set aside.

Season your fish pieces with a bit of salt and then dredge completely in the flour, shaking off any excess. Dip into the batter and then carefully tease it into the hot oil. Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes perside, until nicely browned and crispy. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon to drain on some kitchen paper. Serve immediately with some chips if desired, and salt and vinegar. Lemon Slices and tartar sauce are optional!

Lancashire Hot Pot

Lancashire hotpot is a culinary dish consisting essentially of meat, onion and potatoes left to bake in the oven all day in a heavy pot and on a low heat. Originating in the days of heavy industrialisation in Lancashire in the north west of England, it requires a minimum of effort to prepare. It is sometimes served at parties because, not only is it easy to prepare for a large number of people, it is also relatively inexpensive.

There are many regional variations, and it is frequently found listed amongst the usual pub grub dishes in various hostelries around Britain. The basic recipe consists of a mix made up of meat and vegetables (carrot, turnip, potatoes, onions or leek) which are then covered with a buttery thatch of sliced potato or pastry. (Don't you just love the idea of a "thatched" roof of potato covering the top?)The type of meat to be used in a true Lancashire hotpot is a matter of some controversy, with many being of the opinion that it should be lamb (with optional lamb kidneys) and some thinking it should be beef. As much food can be added as will fit in the pot.

Flavour can be enhanced with seasoning; salt and pepper would be the most traditional, and any other ingredients available in the kitchen. Some stock is usually added to cover the contents while it cooks to help keep them moist and aid in the tenderizing, although some recipes rely on a well sealed pot on a low heat to retain enough moisture within the meat, onion and potatoes.

The hot pot referred to is a brown pottery dish with straight sides used to cook casseroles in British cuisine. The basic recipe formerly included oysters at one point, when they used to be more affordable, but more often than not nowadays they are left out. (Good thing too because I am not overly fond of the little boogers, ooops I mean buggers!)

Can you believe that in all the seven and a half years I have been over here I had yet to experience this culinary delight until yesterday when I baked my very own hot pot for the first time???? Neither can I, but I can tell you this, it won't be another seven and a half years before I bake another one. It was absolutely delicious! I now know why people line up at the bar at the Rover's Return to sample this Lancashire piece of golden cuisine!

*Lancashire Hot Pot*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

I guess you could call this the English version of Irish stew. One pot cooking of the most delicious persuasion.

1 TBS olive oil
750g diced lamb
2 onions, peeled and sliced
2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunky pieces
1/2 medium swede (rutabaga) peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
500ml lamb stock
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
750g of potatoes, peeled and cut into thin slices
butter
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 160*C/350*F. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the meat in batches and fry it until browned on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon to a large casserole dish (one with a lid) as it browns. Set aside.

Once all the meat it browned and removed from the skillet add the vegetables to the pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring them occasionally. Return the lamb to the skillet and pour over the stock. Add the Worchestershire sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix it all in well and then carefully pour the mixture back into the casserole dish. Tuck the two sprigs of thyme into the mixture, burying it.

Cover the top of the mixture with a layer of half of the sliced potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and then dot with butter. Finish layering with the remaining potatoes and adding a final dusting of salt and pepper and dot once again with some butter. Put the lid on.

Bake in the heated oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the lid and bake for a further hour until the meat is very tender and the "thatch" is nicely browned in places and tender as well. Serve hot spooned out onto hot plates along with seasonal green vegetables on the side and plenty of crusty bread and butter to mop up the delicious juices.

Toad In The Hole

A delightful and tasty recipe I discovered shortly after I arrived here was a lovely dish called Toad in the Hole. I had often heard about this British delicacy but had never had any idea of what it was let alone ever had the chance to try it. I soon learned that it had nothing to do with holes, dirt, or even toads for that matter!

The origin of the name 'Toad-in-the-Hole' is quite vague. Most suggestions are that the dish's resemblance to a toad sticking its little head out of a hole provide the dish with its somewhat unusual name.

From wilkepedia I learned that Toad in the hole originated in the town of Alnmouth in Northumberland. Alnmouth has a links golf course which can at certain times of the year be overrun with Natterjack toads. It was at just such a time, that a golf tournament was being played and the leader made his put only to have the ball promply ejected by a rather vexed toad that had been quietly asleep in the bottom of the cup. On hearing of the players misfortune, the chef at the towns hotel where the players were staying devised the dish, thinking it would resemble a toad rising from the eighteenth, and served it that night.

Now that is what you call a dish with an interesting history to go along with it. But then again, I am discovering that this is true of most of the food over here. It all has a lovely history to go along with it, which is truly delightful!

I found a recipe in a Delia cookbook, her "How to Cook" series and I tried it out. (You can always rely on Delia) This was the cadillac of Toad in the Hole recipes and included a lovely version of an onion gravy as well. I was hooked!!! It quickly became a family favourite, although I have since found a much easier way of doing it.

To be sure, it is quite simply sausages baked in the oven with a delicious Yorkshire pudding batter baked around them, but there is an art to making a good one. I made this for my boys the first time they came over for a visit and they fell in love with it. I always serve it with mashed potatoes and steamed carrots . . . and a good gravy is a must!!!



*Toad In The Hole*
Serves 2 to 3
Printable Recipe

2 large Eggs
4 oz (125g) Plain Flour
1/4 Pint (150ml) Milk
1/4 Pint (150ml) Cold Water
Salt & Pepper
6 Good Quality Herby Sausages of your choosing (I like Cumberland myself)
2 tbsp Lard or Dripping or Cooking Oil*

On a low heat cook the Sausages in a frying pan on all sides until nicely browned and sticky. Do not prick the skins! Allow to cool.

Crack open the eggs into a large measuring jug and beat well. Add the milk and water together, mixing it all together really well. Set aside.

Sift the the flour into a large bowl and season with a sprinkling of salt & pepper. Make a well in the centre. Gradually whisk in the liquid mixture, whisking until you have a stiff but smooth batter with no lumps. Allow to rest for half an hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 205*C/425*F. Slip the lard or oil into a deep sided baking tin and place just this in the oven. Once it is quite hot and the fat is sizzling, quickly, but carefully, take it out and rest on the top of the hob. Pour in the Batter mixture. Then add the Sausages, parallel to each other, the length of the tin.

Place back into the oven and bake for around half an hour until the batter is puffed up, golden brown and crispy. Serve cut into squares with fluffy mashed potatoes and a delicious gravy of your own choosing.