St George's Day: Patriotic Recipes
 To celebrate St George’s Day on 23 April 2008 try a recipe from writer Jane Grigson’s seminal book, English Food. We couldn’t think of a better way to mark this day than cooking a traditional English meal for all the family.
Toad In The Hole
Yorkshire Pudding Batter (ingredients below)
250g (8oz) flour
Pinch salt
3 eggs
Up to 600ml (1pt) milk or half milk/half water
30g (1oz) lard or pork fat
500g (1lb) pork sausages
Mix flour and salt, make a well in the centre and break the egg into it. Add a little milk. Beginning at the centre, stir these ingredients into a batter, gradually pouring in the remainder of the milk, or milk and water, until the batter is of a creamy but pouring consistency (the quantity will depend on the size of eggs).
Separate the pork sausages and cook them for five minutes quickly in the fat in a frying pan. Strain off the fat into a large roasting pan, pour in a thin layer of batter and bake in the oven for five minutes at mark 7, 220°C, 425°F so that it sets. Place the sausages on top and pour over the rest of the batter. Bake for a further 30-35 minutes until the batter has puffed up and browned. Serve straightaway.
Potted Shrimps
For every 600ml (1pt) of shrimps you need 125g (4oz) of Lurpak butter melted with a quarter teaspoon of powdered mace, a pinch of Cayenne and some grated nutmeg. Heat the whole thing through, put into small pots and cover with a layer of clarified butter, then foil. Serve with brown bread and butter.
Tip: To clarify butter, melt it, skim the foam off the top and carefully pour the butter without the milky residue.
Lancashire Hot Pot - serves 6
12 best end of neck chops
6 lambs’ kidneys (optional)
500g (1lb) onions, sliced thinly
1 kilo (2lb) potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly
Salt, pepper
Water
Butter
Using a deep casserole, put the meat and vegetables into it in layers, seasoning each layer with salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Finish off with a nicely-arranged layer of overlapping potato slices. Pour in enough water to come about halfway up the pot, and brush the top layer of potatoes over with melted butter. Cover and put into a hot oven, mark 6-8, 200-240°C (400-450°F) for about half an hour. Then reduce the heat to mark 1, 140°C (275°F) and leave for two and a half hours. Take off the lid after two hours so that the potatoes can brown.
Shepherd's Pie - serves 6
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbsp oil
500g (1lb) beef, chuck or shin, minced or lean lamb
1 tbsp tomato concentrate
150 ml (quarter pin) dry white wine
300ml (half pint) beef stock
3 heaped tsp of cornflour
Salt, freshly-ground black pepper
1-1.5 kilos (2-3lb) potatoes
90g (3oz) butter
300ml (half pint) milk
30g (1oz) grated cheese, preferably Cheddar
1 tbsp grated Parmesan
Stew onion and garlic in the oil until soft. Raise heat and add minced meat, stirring it about until it’s nicely browned.
Mix in tomato, wine and half the stock. Slake cornflour with remaining stock, and pour into the pan. Season and simmer for ten minutes covered. Pour off any surplus fat.
Boil the potatoes in their skins, peel and mash them with butter and milk.
Put the minced meat into one large or a number of small individual pots, and cover it with the mashed potato. Fork the potato up and sprinkle it with cheese. Bake for 10 minutes at mark 6, 200°C (400°F then reduce the heat to mark 4, 180°C (350°F) and bake for a further 45 minutes. If more convenient, shepherds pie can be baked for an even longer time at a lower temperature to suit your convenience. But the 10 minutes at a high temperature is a good idea to start the top browning.
Pease Pudding
500g (1lb) dried split peas or whole dried peas
60g (2oz) butter
1 large egg
Salt, pepper
To cook the peas, drain them if they have been soaked, then put them into a pan. Cover them with plenty of water and simmer until tender. Split peas will take from 45-60 minutes; whole dried peas will need at least two hours. Drain off the liquid – keep it for soup – and put the peas through a blender to make a puree which is not too smooth. Mix in the butter, then the egg and season well. Put the mixture into a buttered basin and steam for an hour. Turn it out and serve with boiled, salted pork.
Tip: Most dried vegetables don’t need soaking, but if these have been in your cupboard for a few months it’s wise to allow three hours’ soaking time and to add 1 level tsp of bicarbonate of soda if the water is hard.
Brown Bread Ice Cream - serves 6-8
175g (6oz) wholemeal breadcrumbs
300ml (half pint) double cream
300 ml (half pint) single cream
125 g (4oz) icing sugar or pale brown sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp rum (optional)
2 egg whites
Spread the breadcrumbs out on a baking tray and toast in a moderately hot oven. They should become crisp and slightly browned. Meanwhile beat the creams with the sugar. Mix the yolks and rum, if used, and add to the cream mixture, beating it in well. When the breadcrumbs are cool, fold them in gently and thoroughly so that they are evenly distributed. Lastly, whip the whites of the egg stiff and folk into the mixture. Freeze in the usual way at the lowest temperature.
 Our thanks to the Jane Grigson Estate for permission to use these recipes.
To buy a copy of Jane Grigson’s English Food, click here
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