How to cook cold smoked kippers
Following my post on Craster Kippers, I discovered from Dan at the River Farm Smokery that not all kippers are hot smoked. He had offered me some large olive cans for the kitchen garden so we popped into the shop buy some treats. There were packs of Scottish kippers – ingredients: herrings, salt and oak smoke. When I unwrapped them the next day their flesh was pinkish. We grill Craster kippers for eight minutes. I wasn’t sure how to cook these so I put them under a low grill 130c for 14 minutes (skin side down) and served them...
read moreTransform your pastry scraps into delicious cheesy biscuits
Optimistically, I always save my pastry scraps to make these melt in the mouth cheesy biscuits. They usually lurk in the back of the fridge and are forgotten. Danny eventually hoofs the bag of tired pastry scraps and I feel really bad. We have missed out on a superb delicacy. Today I was more galvanised and made the biscuits whilst I was waiting for a tart to bake. These biscuits are simple to make and everyone loves them. They are a delicious appetiser before a supper party. At other houses they have been served at the end of a meal in lieu...
read moreHow to cook perfect poached eggs
We’re very keen on a cooked breakfast at the cottage. This is now largely restricted to the weekend. Our chickens give us a good supply of fresh eggs. We used to buy our bacon in 1 kilo packs. A dangerous move as the great slab like pack looked so inviting that we had bacon sandwiches most mornings. A delicious way of jumping a couple of dress sizes in a year. Now I buy just enough bacon for the weekend. Poached eggs have been a favourite with me since I could say “egg”. I always thought that you had to have a special poached...
read moreDeluxe scrambled egg recipe
Last Saturday morning I discovered that we had run out of bacon. I unearthed a pack of streaky from the back of the fridge. Weekend breakfasts are important at the cottage. They tend to be indulgent. Danny covered his disappointment with a practical suggestion. “Let’s crisp it under the grill and scatter it over scrambled eggs. It would enhance the eggs.” He stared at me for a second and quickly added. “I’d offer to make scrambled eggs but you are so much better when it comes to scrambled.” It’s true....
read moreEggs and bacon
We take turns to make each other breakfast in bed at the weekend. It seems to be Danny’s turn a bit more than mine. Yesterday he was served Craster kippers and hot buttered toast with a mug of coffee. This morning I was presented with Fred Fitzpatrick’s home cured bacon, eggs from our own chickens and a fresh mug of tea. I never tire of a good cooked breakfast. Whenever I see a plate of bacon and eggs I think of a memorable meal that we had in Lisbon. We had flown to Lisbon, on the cheap, for a long weekend. One evening we decided...
read moreSuperb warming lunch time snack
“This tastes just like good tapas,” Danny smiled and indulgently counted the remaining triangles on his plate. He is at his happiest mid meal. I’d come home for lunch on a chilly dreary day wanting something warm to eat for lunch. I poked about in the fridge and discovered a length of salami, some Philadelphia cheese, the wedge of Nduja and the crusty ends of an old loaf of white bread. I grilled the crusty side of the bread and flipped them over. Then I spread a thin layer of Nduja on the soft side, scattered this with...
read moreNduja (Italian spreadable salami from Spilinga) is available at Borough Market
I had never heard of spreadable salami until I visited Borough Market in London last weekend. This is an Italian speciality originating from Spilinga, a village in the Calabria region in the toe of Italy. Nduja is a bit of a firecracker. I was given the teeniest sample on the end of a hefty kitchen knife. It was tasty and after a few seconds there was a small explosion of fiery chilli heat. My mind raced, this could be used in sandwiches, pasta sauces, on pizzas and under toasted cheese. I love salami and I love chilli. I was in heaven. We...
read morePatum Peperium. Gentleman’s Relish
This exquisite concoction is so quintessentially English that Danny had never heard of it until the fateful day when he stepped over the Cottage Smallholder threshold. And then I didn’t rush at him shrieking, “Patum Peperium,” or even, “Gentleman’s Relish.” In retrospect, this might have got the relationship off to a cracking start. Several years passed before he was introduced to this delicacy. My nephew, Hamish, sent Danny this special Fortnum’s pot of relish one Christmas. Whilst I marvelled over...
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