Here it is as promised, the fist hedgerow recipe pdf for free.
I've had my team of researchers (me) working tirelessly to bring you this first hedgerow recipe ebook. In this little ebook you will find a host of hedgerow recipes to get you started making the most of widely available hedgerow produce you can gather for free, often only a short walk from home.
We are already getting towards the end of September so you need to get out there now and gather the abundant autumn harvest before it is too late.
My researchers are working on a second hedgerow recipe ebook as I type so look out for it here soon.
Enjoy!
Click here to download your FREE hedgerow recipe book.
Thursday 22 September 2011
Monday 12 September 2011
Bountiful British Berries
September already, I can hardly believe that summer seems to have gone so quickly, but then again it usually does. To be fair although I like summer it doesn’t really like me; sometimes I suffer with bad hay-fever and it can on occasion be too warm in summer to be comfortable. I do like winter because of the transformation of the landscape which lends itself to some good winter scene shots with the camera. However my favourite seasons are spring and autumn; not too warm, not too cold, and constantly changing scenes – birth in the spring and decay in the autumn.
So it’s September now and the start of one of my favourite seasons, but this is all about making the most of the bounty available during the autumn. At this time of year our hedgerows are laden with the most bountiful harvest of ripe fresh fruit for the taking. I remember how as a child and in my teens we would spend many a happy day out picking the fruits of the autumn. My sister, brother and I would go off with Mum armed with empty containers, bags and baskets and return home at the end of the day with containers, bags and baskets full of our pickings.
For days after the kitchen would have the distinct aromas of fresh fruit being prepared in a multitude of ways. Mum would make blackberry, raspberry, and damson jam, apple pies and crumbles and whatever else she could rustle up with all that fruit. Meanwhile Dad and I would steal blackberries, elderberries, rose hips and begin the process of turning them into delicious wine to be enjoyed months or even years later.
My daughter and I still go out picking, spending hours gathering the hedgerow fruits freely available only minutes from our home. I then turn these into much the same as Mum and Dad used to back then. Do you know that by using common hedgerow fruits that you can gather for free you can make the most delightful jams, jellies, fruit pies and fruit crumbles, and delicious wines; all that can rival anything available commercially for a fraction of the price? You just need to get off your back-side and have a pleasant day out in the countryside getting them.
This leads me nicely to what will be my next post on here where I will be singing the praises of hedgerow fruits and giving you some great recipes to get you started. I will also be giving away a free pdf of hedgerow fruit recipes that you can download and keep or print out to refer to in the kitchen.
Just promise me this: If you go out fruit gathering in the autumn don’t take it all, leave some for our wonderful wildlife and some for other gatherers! Enjoy yourself and show respect for nature!
Look out for my next post very soon!
Monday 5 September 2011
Something regional
Continuing with an outline of some of the recipes that are covered in my new UK regional recipe eBook that will be out in time for Christmas, hopefully; I am going to feature a few, but not all, of the recipes you will find there. These will be set out in areas as I did in an earlier post about Derbyshire (see here).
Just north of my home town of Chesterfield in Derbyshire we venture into Yorkshire, Britain's biggest county; so big that it has been split up into 4 seperate areas, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, and Humberside (used to be known as East Yorkshire or Yorkshire East Riding).
Yorkshire not only has its fair share of beautiful unspoilt countryside but is also home to some of the largest and most influential cities in the UK; Sheffield, Leeds, Bradford and York of course are four that spring to mind immediately.
Yorkshire has a lot to offer visitors and is well worth a visit by anyone venturing into the UK, I'll spare the details here because this blog site is about food but a Google search will bring up millions of pages about Yorkshire.
So back to the mission.
Below are a number of recipes originating in Yorkshire for you to try but I have purposely omitted the famous 'Yorkshire Pudding' from the list:
Yorkshire Parkin
Parkin is essentially the Northern English form of gingerbread. Different parkins are characterized by where they are made and Yorkshire Parkin, one the most famous, is made using oats. Yorkshire Parkin is eaten on Bonfire Night, November 5th, celebrating the famous failure of Guy Fawkes to blow up the Houses on Parliament in 1605. Guy Fawkes was a Yorkshireman.
This Parkin Recipe is easy to make and creates a moist sticky cake. However, you will need to store the cake for between 3 days to a week before eating. This allows the cake to soften and become moist and sticky. Delicious.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
Ingredients:
4 oz/110g soft butter
4 oz/110g soft dark brown sugar
2oz / 55g black treacle/molasses
7oz / 200g golden syrup/ corn syrup
8 oz / 225g medium oatmeal
4 oz/ 110g all-purpose/plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground ginger
1 very large, or 2 medium eggs, beaten
1 tbsp milk
Preparation:
Heat the oven to 275°/140°C/gas 1
Grease an 8" x 8"/ 20cm x 20cm square cake tin.
In a large heavy-based saucepan over a gentle heat melt together the butter, sugar, treacle, golden syrup. Do not allow the mixture to get hot.
In a large spacious baking bowl stir together all the dry ingredients. Gradually add the melted butter mixture stirring to coat all the dry ingredients.
Add the beaten egg/s and mix thoroughly. Finally add the milk.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and cook for 1 ½ hours until firm and set.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. Once cool store the Parkin in an airtight tin for a minimum of 3 days up to a week before eating; this allows the flavors to develop and the mixture to soften and become moist and sticky. The Parkin will keep up to two weeks in an airtight container.
Yorkshire Curd Tartlets Recipe
Ingredients: Makes 10
175 g/6 oz/1.5 cups wholemeal flour
A pinch of salt
150 g/5 oz unsalted (sweet) butter, diced
50 g/2 oz/0.5 cup ground almonds
Cold water, to mix
50 g/2 oz/0.25 cup caster (superfine) sugar
1 egg, beaten
225 g/8 oz/1 cup curd (smooth cottage) cheese
Finely grated rind of lemon
45 ml/3 tbsp currants
Grated nutmeg, for dusting
Thick cream, to serve
Method:
Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Add 75 g/3 oz of the butter and rub in with the fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the almonds. Mix with enough cold water to form a firm dough. Knead gently on a lightly floured surface. Wrap in clingfilm (plastic wrap) and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll out the pastry (paste) and use to line 10 sections of a tartlet tin (patty pan). Beat the remaining butter with the sugar. Beat in the egg, then the cheese, lemon rind and currants. Spoon into the pastry-lined tins and dust with nutmeg. Bake in a preheated oven at 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5 for about 20 minutes until golden and set. Serve warm or cold with thick cream.
Yorkshire Apple Pie Recipe
Ingredients: Serves 6
For the pastry (paste):
225 g plain (all-purpose) flour
A pinch of salt
50 g white vegetable fat (shortening), diced
50 g hard block margarine, diced
Cold water, to mix
For the filling:
3 large cooking (tart) apples, sliced
65g granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
A pinch of ground cloves
75g Wensleydale cheese, crumbled
15 ml/1 tbsp single (light) cream
Method:
To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Add the fats and rub in with the fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix with enough cold water to form a firm dough. Knead gently on a lightly floured surface. Cut in half. Roll out one half and use to line a pie plate. Prick the base with a fork.
To fill, put a layer of half the apple slices on top. Mix all but 15 ml/1 tbsp of the sugar with the cloves. Sprinkle half over the apples, then sprinkle with half the cheese. Top with the remaining apple slices, then the sugar, then the cheese. Dampen the edges of the pastry with water.
Roll out the remaining pastry and lay over. Press the edges well together to seal. Trim, knock up the edge and flute with the back of a knife. Make a hole in the centre to allow steam to escape. Roll out the trimmings, cut into small leaves and use to decorate the top. Brush with the cream, then sprinkle with sugar. Place on a baking (cookie) sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7 for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Serve hot.
That's it for now. I'm feeling the urge to go and bake something!
If you'd like a PDF of the above recipes then click here to download one free.
Thanks again!
Just north of my home town of Chesterfield in Derbyshire we venture into Yorkshire, Britain's biggest county; so big that it has been split up into 4 seperate areas, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, and Humberside (used to be known as East Yorkshire or Yorkshire East Riding).
Yorkshire not only has its fair share of beautiful unspoilt countryside but is also home to some of the largest and most influential cities in the UK; Sheffield, Leeds, Bradford and York of course are four that spring to mind immediately.
Yorkshire has a lot to offer visitors and is well worth a visit by anyone venturing into the UK, I'll spare the details here because this blog site is about food but a Google search will bring up millions of pages about Yorkshire.
So back to the mission.
Below are a number of recipes originating in Yorkshire for you to try but I have purposely omitted the famous 'Yorkshire Pudding' from the list:
Parkin is essentially the Northern English form of gingerbread. Different parkins are characterized by where they are made and Yorkshire Parkin, one the most famous, is made using oats. Yorkshire Parkin is eaten on Bonfire Night, November 5th, celebrating the famous failure of Guy Fawkes to blow up the Houses on Parliament in 1605. Guy Fawkes was a Yorkshireman.
This Parkin Recipe is easy to make and creates a moist sticky cake. However, you will need to store the cake for between 3 days to a week before eating. This allows the cake to soften and become moist and sticky. Delicious.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
Ingredients:
4 oz/110g soft butter
4 oz/110g soft dark brown sugar
2oz / 55g black treacle/molasses
7oz / 200g golden syrup/ corn syrup
8 oz / 225g medium oatmeal
4 oz/ 110g all-purpose/plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground ginger
1 very large, or 2 medium eggs, beaten
1 tbsp milk
Preparation:
Heat the oven to 275°/140°C/gas 1
Grease an 8" x 8"/ 20cm x 20cm square cake tin.
In a large heavy-based saucepan over a gentle heat melt together the butter, sugar, treacle, golden syrup. Do not allow the mixture to get hot.
In a large spacious baking bowl stir together all the dry ingredients. Gradually add the melted butter mixture stirring to coat all the dry ingredients.
Add the beaten egg/s and mix thoroughly. Finally add the milk.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and cook for 1 ½ hours until firm and set.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. Once cool store the Parkin in an airtight tin for a minimum of 3 days up to a week before eating; this allows the flavors to develop and the mixture to soften and become moist and sticky. The Parkin will keep up to two weeks in an airtight container.
Yorkshire Curd Tartlets Recipe
Ingredients: Makes 10
175 g/6 oz/1.5 cups wholemeal flour
A pinch of salt
150 g/5 oz unsalted (sweet) butter, diced
50 g/2 oz/0.5 cup ground almonds
Cold water, to mix
50 g/2 oz/0.25 cup caster (superfine) sugar
1 egg, beaten
225 g/8 oz/1 cup curd (smooth cottage) cheese
Finely grated rind of lemon
45 ml/3 tbsp currants
Grated nutmeg, for dusting
Thick cream, to serve
Method:
Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Add 75 g/3 oz of the butter and rub in with the fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the almonds. Mix with enough cold water to form a firm dough. Knead gently on a lightly floured surface. Wrap in clingfilm (plastic wrap) and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll out the pastry (paste) and use to line 10 sections of a tartlet tin (patty pan). Beat the remaining butter with the sugar. Beat in the egg, then the cheese, lemon rind and currants. Spoon into the pastry-lined tins and dust with nutmeg. Bake in a preheated oven at 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5 for about 20 minutes until golden and set. Serve warm or cold with thick cream.
Yorkshire Apple Pie Recipe
Ingredients: Serves 6
For the pastry (paste):
225 g plain (all-purpose) flour
A pinch of salt
50 g white vegetable fat (shortening), diced
50 g hard block margarine, diced
Cold water, to mix
For the filling:
3 large cooking (tart) apples, sliced
65g granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
A pinch of ground cloves
75g Wensleydale cheese, crumbled
15 ml/1 tbsp single (light) cream
Method:
To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Add the fats and rub in with the fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix with enough cold water to form a firm dough. Knead gently on a lightly floured surface. Cut in half. Roll out one half and use to line a pie plate. Prick the base with a fork.
To fill, put a layer of half the apple slices on top. Mix all but 15 ml/1 tbsp of the sugar with the cloves. Sprinkle half over the apples, then sprinkle with half the cheese. Top with the remaining apple slices, then the sugar, then the cheese. Dampen the edges of the pastry with water.
Roll out the remaining pastry and lay over. Press the edges well together to seal. Trim, knock up the edge and flute with the back of a knife. Make a hole in the centre to allow steam to escape. Roll out the trimmings, cut into small leaves and use to decorate the top. Brush with the cream, then sprinkle with sugar. Place on a baking (cookie) sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7 for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Serve hot.
That's it for now. I'm feeling the urge to go and bake something!
If you'd like a PDF of the above recipes then click here to download one free.
Thanks again!
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