Recipe: Goats cheese custard

Ingredients
70g Ticklemore goat cheese
60ml double cream
2 egg yolks

Method
Melt the cheese in the cream, do this slowly, stir as you go
Remove from the heat and allow to cool
Whisk the egg yolks over a water bath until thick and creamy
Mix the cheese mix with the eggs
Allow to chill for 24 hours

After the custard has chilled i like to serve it with a salad made from some of my favourite produce, Poached baby beetroot, White Asparagus, Broad beans, Golden beetroot, Peashoots, Walnuts and Orange segments. The salad is simply dressed with Rapeseed oil and seasoned.

Recipe: Hand picked wild Nettle Cordial

Ingredients
500g freshly picked nettles, use only the tops
2kg granulated sugar
100g citric acid
1500ml boiling water

Method
Wash the picked nettles and drain
Place the sugar, water and citric acid into a pan and heat to 60c
Remove the pan from the heat and add the nettles, allow the mix to cool
Store the mix in the fridge for 6 days, stiring daily
After six days strain the liquid and pour into sterile bottles with lids
Keep the cordial in the fridge.

Recipe: Citrus Vinaigrette

Ingredients
1 large orange
1 lemon
80ml olive oil
4 basil leaves
3 coriander leaves
Seasoning

Method
Zest and juice the citrus fruit
Place in a pan and boil
Remove from the heat and add the olive oil
Tear in the herbs and blend with a stick blender
Pass the dressing through a fine seive
Season and serve warm

Recipe: River Wear Picked Wild Garlic Pesto

While I was out with Belle today I came across new season wild garlic on the banks of the River Wear the leaves are small at the minute but over the next few weeks the will grow to a good size.

This pesto is a very simple recipe but one I love, it's fresh! full of flavour and for me announces that spring is on its way.

Ingredients
I large cup of wild garlic leaves
150g nuts
250 ml olive oil
60g grated Parmesan

Method
Toast the nuts in a pan
Add the nuts into a jug once toasted with all of the other ingredients
Blitz with a hand blender until smooth.

Recipe: Braised Oxtail

Ingredients

4 nice sized pieces of Oxtail

2 carrots chopped

2 sticks of celery chopped

2 shallots diced

2 cloves of garlic crushed

2 sprigs of Thyme picked

1 litre reduced beef stock

Method

Place a frying pan on the stove and heat, seal the oxtail until golden brown, set to one side

In a deep roasting tray sauté the vegetables and the herbs, this can be done over a low heat, continue this for as long as possible to increase the flavour of the produce, be careful not to burn.

Add the oxtail to the vegetables and cover with the beef stock.

Cover the tray with tin foil and bake the Oxtail for 5 hours at 160c or until it begins to fall from the bone.

To serve remove the Oxtail and place it on the service dish.

Recipe: Pigs Head Terrine

If you have a good butcher he will supply you with a whole or half pigs head at a very good price.
For this terrine i used a full pigs head.

Ingredients
One pigs head
One head of celery chopped
Three carrots chopped
One leek chopped
Two onions chopped
Water
1 Pint of cider

Method
Place the pigs head in a pan with all of the other ingredients, boil then simmer
Cook the pig for 5 hours or until the meat begins to flake
Remove the pig from the pan and allow to cool slightly
Pick through the meat thats on the head, remove the meat and place into a bowl
Shred the meat by hand and add 150g chopped capers, 1 small handful of chopped parlsey and two diced and cooked apples.
Place the mix into a terrine mould and pour over 1 ladle of the cooking stock
Chill until set
Once cold and set, this will be best left over night, slice and serve
Discard the left overs of the head.

Recipe: Wild Nettle soup

Nettles can be found from spring to early summer, they are a great source of calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, cobalt, copper, potassium, trace minerals, chlorophyll, the B-complex vitamins, and more.

Not only do they benifit your health they are also good fun to harvest and cook with. Ensure you follow two simple rules when harvesting, only pick the tender tops of the nettles and more importantly ensure you wear gloves, the nettles will carry the sting until cooked, remember this when you go to chop them for the following recipe.

Ingredients
1 200g packet of smoked Pancetta
1 white onion diced
4 leaves wild garlic
4 handfuls nettles (remove all stems)
600ml vegetable stock
4 small potatoes diced
2 TBSP double cream

Method
In a little oil pan fry the Pancetta
Add the onion and fry until tender
Add the potato and garlic and cook slowly
Chop the nettles and add to the pan, add the stock also
Bring to the boil and simmer for 8 minutes
Blend with a stick blender, Sieve the soup
Add the cream and serve.

Recipe:Wild Garlic Pesto

Wild garlic can be found from late January to late Spring.

As with all of my recipes i only pick what is required, ensure it is washed, drained and used as soon as possible after harvest, this will ensure the flavour is at its best when eaten.

For the pesto
ingredients
200g wild garlic
200g Basil/parsley
200g Parmesan cheese Grated
200g Hazlenuts
Rapeseed oil

Method
Pour all of the ingredients into a blender, blitz until a smooth puree is achieved
Add just enough oil wet the mix
Place the pesto in an air tight Jar until required.

The leaves are also fantastic deep fried in a tempura batter, these can be served and work well with Lamb and beef that has been chargrilled.

Recipe: sticky toffee pudding

Ingredients
250g stoned dates
2 rounded teaspoons baking powder
2 rounded teaspoons bicarbonate powder
150ml water
1 strong cup coffee, 100ml
250g unsalted butter
250g caster sugar
4 eggs
350g plain flour

Method
Pre-heat oven at 150c
Put the dates, water, baking powder, bicarb and coffee into a saucepan and bring to the boil
Remove from the heat and cool, pour the mix into a blender and blitz to a smooth paste

In a large bowl, cream the sugar and butter together. Then add the eggs and flour. Stir in the date mix then spoon into a baking tray lined with parchment paper, this mix will fill a dish 8"x10"

Bake in the oven until set, check with a skewer, dont forget it will carry on cooking when it comes out of the oven, you dont want it to dry out.

To serve cut into portions and serve with icecream, clotted cream or you can make a salted caramel to serve with it.

Recipe: My Blackcurrant souffle

Ingredients
225g blackcurrants- frozen from last seasons Batch picked
150g granulated sugar
A knob of unsalted butter
3 egg whites
Some icing sugar

Method
Pre heat the oven to 200c
Liquidise the black currants and sieve into a saucepan with 50g of the sugar, bring to a simmer and reduce to a thin syrup, remove from the heat and allow to cool

Grease two ramikins with the butter. Then dust with the remaining sugar, ensuring an even covering.

In a bowl, whisk the egg whites to a stiff peak. Add the remaining sugar and whisk again until the mixture is glossy

Using a large spoon fold in the blackcurrant syrup, at this stage be careful not to beat the mix so the air stays in the egg whites

Spoon the mixture into the ramikins, bake for 20 minutes or until risen, remove from the oven, dust with icing sugar and serve immediatly

Recipe: Swordfish, basil mash, lemon and tomato salsa

Ingredients
Three large potatoes
One finely diced red onion
Ten halved cherry tomatoes
One chopped red chilli
Juice and zest two lemons
A knob of butter
Milk for the mash
A handful of fresh torn basil
Two sword fish steaks
Olive oil
Seasoning

Method
Place the potatoes in a pan of salted water, bring to the boil and cook until they fall of a knife when pierced

Whilst they are cooking, place the red onion, cherry tomatoes and chilli in a bowl. Add the zest and juice of the lemons. Pour in olive oil and season to taste

Once cooked, drain the potatoes, return to the pan and leave on a low heat for a minute or so, Mash the potato with butter, milk and basil, cover and set to one side

Heat a frying pan, coat the fish with oil and cook for two to three minutes each side, to serve, spoon the mash onto the plate, top with the fish and finish with the salsa

Recipe: Balsamic reduction

In a pan, combine 100ml red wine vinegar, 100ml balsamic vinegar, 100ml white wine vinegar, 150g Brown sugar, one clove crushed garlic, one sprig of Thyme and one sprig of rosemary. Bring to the boil and allow to reduce by half. Pass through a fine sieve and store in a clean container, this can be stored for upto two weeks in a fridge.

This reduction is great on salads but can also be used with vanilla bean ice cream or strawberries.

Recipe: Basil oil

Take 100g Basil and plunge it into boiling water for ten seconds
Quickly remove it and plunge it into iced water
Drain and put it into a food processor with 150ml of light olive oil
Season to taste and process for a few minutes until the oil is green
Pass through a fine sieve and pour into a clean bottle and store in a fridge until required.

Recipe: slow hay-baked mutton

Ingredients
One 2.5KG leg of mutton
500g butter
Fresh chopped rosemary and Thyme
Hay
500ml red wine
250ml water
Handfull chopped parsley
Olive oil
Seasoning

For the Cassoulet
One chopped leek
3 chopped spring onions
Three leaves torn basil
Eight sliced mushrooms
80g chopped sun-dried tomato
One handful Cooked haricot beans
One red onion sliced

Method
Pre-heat oven to 160c
Heat the roasting tray and add a little olive oil
Seal the mutton to give a little colour
Remove from the heat
Smear the butter all over the meat
Spinkle over the chopped herbs and season
Wet the hay and line the tray with it, place the mutton on top
Add the wine and water to the tray
Cover with tin foil and bake for three hours
Once cooked remove the mutton and rest for 30 minutes, cover with a tea towel to keep it warm
Drain the liquid from the tray and discard the hay
Skim the liquid and set to one side
Heat a large pan and fry the Cassoulet ingredients for a few minutes
Add about 350ml of the stock and simmer
Taste and season as required
To serve place the cassoulet on a plate and add slices of the mutton, finish with fresh chopped parsley