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Here
you will find our tried and tested recipes for fantastic food.
Whether it be something light for a summer's afternoon or a hearty warming
meal for a winter's night, you should find a recipe here that will do the
job !
TAKE
ME TO THE KITCHEN |
| Cocktails
? Some fine wine ? A beer ? How about some absinthe ? Is
it really as bad for you as they say ? Or perhaps I can recommend
the best ciders and tell you the ones to avoid ? It's all here
- simply read on...
TAKE
ME TO THE BAR |
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THE MENU
THE BAR MENU
back to top
SAUSAGES COOKED IN REAL ALE, SERVED
IN A YORKSHIRE PUDDING
THAI GREEN CURRY
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2
chicken breasts cubed |
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200ml coconut milk (half a tin. The remaining half can be poured into a
freezer bag and frozen for next time) |
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3 or 4 dried kaffir lime leaves |
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1 green or red pepper , diced
Green Curry paste: |
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2-3 spring onions |
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Green chillies to taste (1-3) |
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juice and zest of 2 limes |
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1 clove garlic |
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1 inch fresh ginger diced |
 | 2
lemon grass stalks |
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2 tablespoons fresh coriander |
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2 tablespoons fresh basil |
 | olive
oil |
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1/
Pound all the ‘paste’ ingredients in a pestle and mortar, adding
enough olive oil to lubricate the
mixture OR whizz all paste ingredients in a food
processor until smooth.
2/ Fry the paste and diced peppers on a medium heat for 3 or 4 minutes,
stirring from time.
3/ Add the coconut milk and lime leaves. Simmer this mixture for 10
minutes.
4/ Add the cubed chicken (no need to fry these first) and continue
simmering until chicken is just
done.
5/ Serve with rice and a few roughly torn basil leaves scattered on top. |
BRIE-STUFFED
MUSHROOMS WITH CRANBERRY
| These
make a great starter or could be served as a light supper with some warm
crusty bread. |
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Allow 3-6
medium-sized mushrooms per person for a starter |
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Piece ripe brie |
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Breadcrumbs |
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Melted butter |
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Lambs Lettuce for
garnish (or Rocket leaves) |
 | Cranberry
sauce (warmed)
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1/
Rub mushrooms with clean dishcloth to remove loose dirt.
2/ Remove stalks.
3/ Place upturned mushrooms on lightly greased baking tray
4/ Insert a cube of brie into each stalk cavity.
5/ Season, then drizzle with melted butter.
6/ Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top to cover the brie.
7/ Bake in oven for 5-10 minutes until mushrooms are cooked to your
liking.
8/ Serve with warmed cranberry sauce on bed of lamb’s lettuce |

TUNA
STEAKS WITH GINGERED CARROTS
| Another
great starter or you can add a salad to create a light lunch dish. |

BEEF STROGANOFF
A
very simple dish - 5 ingredients - but unbeatable for flavour if done
properly;
a perfect end to a cold winter's day
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 | Onions |
 | Mushrooms |
 | Beef |
 | Stock |
 | Cream or creme fraiche |
For 2 you'll need 1 onion finely
chopped, 1lb shin, stewing or braising steak,
at least a dozen or so medium-sized mushrooms, about half a pint of stock
and
a small pot of cream or creme fraiche. |
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Trim
the meat and chop into bite-sized pieces; chop the onion. Slice
about half of the mushrooms and chop the remainder into quarters.
Fry the onion in a little oil for a few minutes then add the meat plus a
level desertspoon of plain flour.
Fry
until sealed and browned then add the quartered mushrooms. Fry for a
couple of minutes then add the stock. Turn down the heat and simmer
for an hour before adding the remaining mushrooms. Season with salt
n pepper, adding a few mixed herbs if desired, then continue simmering for
another hour or so until the meat is really tender. Add the
cream / creme fraiche and serve with rice, noodles or tiny roast potatoes
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SELGUM (CURRIED
TURNIP)
No,
don't turn your nose up at this one straightaway ! This is an
unusual
but authentic eastern Indian dish and tastes incredibly good. At
least try it once...
This is one of those rare dishes where you can actually taste every
individual ingredient, plus it's quick and easy to cook...
Furthermore, although it's best served straightaway it also keeps well and
actually tastes even better the next day...and it's healthy too...Well,
what are we waiting for - here's the recipe...
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BARBECUE MARINADES
| Oriental:
60ml Soy Sauce
30ml Honey
60ml Sherry
tsp Cinnamon
large pinch Pepper
3 or 4 cloves
60ml Cold Tea
1 crushed Garlic Clove
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Couldn't be simpler... just mix all
ingredients together and pour over the meat. Can be used on chicken,
beef or pork - tastes fantastic. |
| Red Wine:
150ml Red Wine
30ml lemon juice
1 small sliced Onion
1 finely sliced Carrot
1 finely chopped Celery Stalk
2 tsp chopped Parsley
2 tsp chopped Thyme
1 Bay Leaf
6 crushed Peppercorns
60ml Olive Oil |
Again, very simple - just mix all the
ingredients together and add to your meat. Remember the longer you
leave it to marinate, the better the end result. Can you used for
chicken but better with beef or lamb. |
| Honey:
30ml Olive Oil
1 finely chopped Onion
1 finely chopped Garlic Clove
60ml Orange Juice
30ml Honey
45ml Wine Vinegar
15ml Worcester Sauce
1 tsp Horseradish
1 tsp dry Mustard
Salt and Pepper
half tsp Rosemary
half tsp Thyme |
Fry the onion and garlic in the oil until
turning golden, then add the other ingredients. Simmer for 5 minutes
then leave to cool. Fantastic on chicken, pork or fish. |
CHICKEN
BURRITOS WITH SALSA VERDE
| A
lot of people get confused when confronted with a Mexican menu:
Enchilladas, Tortillas, Empanadas, Burritos, Chimichangas... what does it
all mean. So before we go further, let's clarify...
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| Tortilla |
Basic
thin flat bread 'wrap' used in most Mexican dishes |
| Taco |
A
tortilla deep fried into a 'U' shape and stuffed with a filling |
| Nachos |
Deep
fried tortilla chips covered with various toppings |
| Enchillada |
A
tortilla rolled and stuffed with a filling, usually topped with a sauce |
| Flauta |
A
small enchillada which has the ends folded in (to contain the filling) and
has been deep-fried |
| Burrito |
A
tortilla stuffed and formed into a 'parcel' shape |
| Chimichanga |
A
deep-fried Burrito |
| Quesedilla |
A
flat tortilla covered in a topping then topped with another torilla ! |
| Empanada |
A
small savoury 'pastie' shaped pastry |
| Fajitas |
Marinated
meat fried with onions and peppers and served with warmed tortilla and
soured cream |
| That
should clear up any confusion. Now for this recipe.
Essentially each person ends up with a flour tortilla stuffed with refried
beans, cheese and shredded chicken, topped with a sauce made from spring
onions, fresh green chillies, stock and cream. Accompaniments would
be rice, guacamole, salsa and soured cream; very tasty and also very
colourful on the plate. |
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For 2:
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2 chicken breasts |
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2 flour tortillas |
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1 can pinto beans
(kidney beans or borlotti beans make reasonable substitutes) |
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6 (or more) fresh
green chillies |
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1 small onion,
finely chopped |
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2 small tomatoes,
chopped |
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1 bunch spring
onions |
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1 tsp ground cumin |
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Stock |
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half tsp oregano |
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Cheese for grating
(Monterey Jack is best; cheddar almost as good) |
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1 small pot double
cream |
 | 1
small pot soured cream (to serve |
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First poach the chicken breasts in a
little stock or water. As they cook, start preparing the beans...
Finely chop the small onion and one or two chillies. Fry in a little
oil for a few minutes then add the cumin and oregano. Fry gently for
3-4 minutes then add the drained beans, chopped
tomatoes and enough stock to just cover. Allow to simmer for at
least 20 minutes - longer
is fine - until reduced enough that you end up with a thickish paste once
blended. You'll need to use your judgement here; when it looks ok,
get the blender or masher out and turn the mixture into a paste.
You will already have removed the
chicken breasts from their cooking liquor by now and left
them to cool. Once cool enough to handle, flake the meat with 2
forks and set aside while we make the salsa verde...
Finely chop the spring onions and
remaining chillies. Fry these gently in butter until soft then add
approx half pint stock. Season with salt and pepper then simmer this
mixture down until reduced. This can take as long as you want
it to take - it can be done in 10 minutes if you're in a hurry but really
the sauce tastes better and better the longer it cooks. At the end
of the cooking time add the pot of double cream. Your sauce
should be the same consistency as this cream so again, use your judgement
when reducing the mixture down. Blend it before serving.
Now stuff the tortillas...
Warm them through in the microwave for a few seconds (enough to make them
more
pliable) then lay them out flat on your worktop. In a straight line
across the centre of
each tortilla add the following: a good spread of the bean mix, a
generous handful of
shredded chicken and top this off with some grated cheese. Roll up
each enchillada and
seal with a cocktail stick. Warm these through in the oven until
cheese has melted.
To serve:
Allow 2 per person; spoon the salsa
verde across them. Serve with rice, gaucamole,
salsa, soured cream and more grated cheese if desired. Absolutely
delicious...
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DAD'S CHILLI RECIPE
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1
medium onion, finely chopped |
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1 clove garlic, finely chopped |
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1lb minced beef |
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1 can tomatoes, chopped |
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quarter tsp marmite or Bovril |
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heaped tsp ground cumin |
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heaped tsp chilli powder |
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level teaspoon dried oregano |
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tbsp tomato ketchup or tomato puree |
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stock – approx half pint |
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1 can Kidney beans |
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1 pepper (preferably red) chopped into large dice or slices |
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Start by frying the onion and garlic gently in
some olive oil (teaspoonful or so).
Once the onions are starting to brown, turn up the heat and add the minced
beef and the dry spices.
Cook on a fairly high heat, stirring regularly, until the meat is browned.
Add all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the chopped pepper and the kidney
beans.
Turn heat down and allow to simmer for 45 minutes approx.
At this stage, season with salt & pepper to taste, then add the
peppers and kidney beans.
Return to a simmer, cover with a lid and continue cooking until the
peppers are tender.
Serve with rice.
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BEEF AND ALE PIE
Great winter-warming
fayre ! The secret is
to cook the ‘filling’ the day before you want to
make the pie as the flavours will develop overnight (it almost marinates
itself…).
Quite simple to cook and uses only a few ingredients but tastes wonderful.
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1 large onion finely chopped |
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1 clove garlic finely chopped |
 | 1lb
Beefsteak – Shin, Braising or Stewing cut into 1inch cubes |
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a dozen small-medium mushrooms, quartered |
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a teaspoon of mixed herbs |
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flour |
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Stout, half pint approx (Mackeson or Guinness) |
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Salt n pepper |
 | Frozen
Puff Pastry (Jus Rol) |
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Fry
the onion and garlic in a little oil.
Meanwhile toss the meat in flour to coat evenly.
Add the meat to the pan – turn the heat up – and fry briskly until
sealed and lightly browned.
Add the remaining ingredients; bring to the boil then turn heat down and
simmer for at least
2 hours until the meat is completely tender.
Add more water or stock if necessary.
To
create the pie you have 2 options: Firstly
you can tip the filling into a pie dish and
top with the rolled pastry OR
you can simply roll out the pastry, cut it into squares or rectangles
(or circles come to that) and bake it in the oven for 10 – 15 mins till
it’s nicely risen and golden.
Then just sit each piece of pastry on top of each hot portion of filling.
Either way is good;
the latter method gives a more consistent presentation so would be a
better option if serving guests.
Serve with a selection of fresh vegetables
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LONG
ISLAND ICED TEA -
Mix a half-shot each of the following: white rum, vodka, tequila,
gin, triple sec. Add approx 2 shots lemon mix. Shake over ice
and strain into a long glass. Top up with coke. |
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MARGUERITA
-
Rim chilled glass with lime juice and salt. Shake and strain 2
measures tequila, 1 measure triple sec and approx 2 shots of lemon mix. |
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PLANTER'S
PUNCH -
Shake
a shot each of dark and light rum over ice with equal quantities of orange
and pineapple juice plus a splash of grenadine |
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RUSTY
NAIL -
A simple but effective Winter / Christmas cocktail. A large scotch
and a large drambuie in a large brandy glass... |

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ABSINTHE
-
Don't
bother trying this unless you like wasting your money. The
supposedly hallucinogenic element inAbsinthe (Thujone) is present in such
miniscule quantities that it is unlikely to effect you UNLESS you drink it
in massive regular quantities, in which case the sheer volume of alcohol
would cause you to hallucinate anyway ! It tastes exactly like
Pernod so if you like that taste just buy Pernod instead - it's less than
half the price. |
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RUDDLES
ORGANIC -
My
favourite real ale. Tastes like proper good old-fashioned beer
should taste. Available bottled or on draught and tastes equally
good either way |
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HENRY
WESTON'S CIDER -
Absolutely the best cider you can buy anywhere. Good old-fashioned
full-bodied flavour, really tastes of apples unlike most (all ?) canned
ciders. Go for the 8.2% Vintage Dry for ultimate
Cider-drinking pleasure ! |

| Drinks
to avoid
On no account EVER touch any of
the following with a barge pole...
Any 'brand name' or 'supermarket' ciders
apart from the ones I've recommended.
Certainly steer well clear of ANY cider less than 5% - it will be crap:
guaranteed.
Any 'Supermarket' brand strong lager -
this will give you serious heartburn and
possibly even hallucinations if drunk in great quantity.
Any liqueur that has a name you don't
recognise.
Be very wary if offered sherry - make
sure it's a well-known brand before imbibing!
Same advice as above but Vermouth
instead of Sherry...

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