Chicken dinner sausage rolls

Hands up if you love a roast chicken dinner.  Keep them up if you love a sausage roll or two.
Okay, I can see enough hands (in my mind's eye) to think that a chicken and stuffing sausage roll could be a popular choice, especially when served up with a tsunami of umami in the form of mushroom and wild garlic gravy.
Chuck in some chips and peas and there you have it; winner, winner, chicken dinner.

Start by soaking 10g dried mushrooms in 250ml hot water - we'll come back to these later, but you will need an intensely flavoured, brown stock.

150g breadcrumbs
Grated rind of a lemon
2 banana shallots, finely chopped
2 heaped teaspoons fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
A handful of chopped parsley
2 eggs
250g cooked chicken, chopped into small pieces
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a little rapeseed oil in a frying pan.  As usual we used Bennett and Dunn's oil. Locally grown and pressed.
Gently fry shallots over a low heat until soft.
And before you come over all "it's alright for you but where I am I supposed to get banana shallots?" I got mine from Lidl and if you can't find just use a small onion instead.

Combine with all the other ingredients and set aside while you make the pastry.  
But first, turn on the oven to heat it to 200ºC
I've got a bit creative here, but you could just as well make your favourite pastry recipe or use a ready made short crust or flaky pastry.

100g plain flour
100g rye flour
100g cold butter
1 tblsp poppy seeds
125ml buttermilk
Pinch of salt

Combine the flours in a bowl and add the salt.
Chop the butter into small pieces and rub it into the flours until the whole lot looks like fine breadcrumbs. Is there any other way in which this stage of pastry making is ever described?
Add the poppy seeds and stir to distribute them evenly.
Pour in the buttermilk and bring the mixture together to form a stiff dough.
Turn out on to a floured surface and roll into a rough rectangle, approximately 25cm wide by 50 cm long 

Brush one long edge with water to form a seal.
Place chicken mix in a long sausage shape along the pastry

and carefully roll up along the long edge, bringing the dry side down onto the moistened edge.

Cut into even pieces - I made 16, but you can make fewer, bigger rolls if you prefer.
Place the rolls on a heavy duty baking plate and put into the oven

Bake at 200ºC for 20 minutes.

While they cook, prepare the gravy.

Melt 50g butter in a saucepan and add 1 finely chopped field mushroom or a couple of button mushrooms.
Cook until the mushrooms are soft.
Add 20g plain flour and cook, stirring continuously for 2 minutes.
Add the mushroom stock that you prepared, Blue peter fashion, earlier and stir well to incorporate it and remove any limps.
You can add a good splash of sherry or vermouth at this stage if you wish and, if it's in season, a handful of chopped wild garlic.
Cook over a low heat for at least 5 minutes.

Serve alongside the chicken and stuffing rolls, with a big bowl of home made chips and a mountain of peas.

Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2018 ©

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Slow cooked ox cheeks for cold blustery days

Mid way through March and there were 2" of snow in the back garden, a biting, lazy wind, icicles hanging from the gutters and skies uniform grey and pregnant with nascent flakes of new snow and their threat of drifts, blocked roads and closed schools.
The calendar may have told us Spring had arrived, but the elements coldly contradicted such confidence.
What better for such wintry days than unctuous, slow cooked, cheaper cuts of meat, bulked out with pulses and a gravy like liquid tar, black with treacle and stout?

If you can't get ox cheeks, use shin of beef instead, or even oxtail.

2 onions, ideally red, thickly sliced
500g ox cheek
100g carlin peas, soaked overnight and drained
I used the wonderful Hodmedods peas 
1 cinnamon stick
200ml stout - drink what's left in the can or bottle
150ml stock
1 tblsp black treacle
Salt and pepper

Put the cast iron bowl over a medium heat and add 1 tablespoon oil.  Fry the onions until soft, but not coloured and then lift out with a slotted spoon, leaving as much oil as possible in the bowl.
Increase the heat and sear the ox cheek slices or cubed shin beef on all sides.

Add all the other ingredients, except the salt, pop on the lid and transfer to the slow cooker base.
Cook on LOW for 10 hours.
Taste and add as much salt as tickles your tastebuds.

Perfect accompaniments include buttery mash or creamy polenta and the sunrise glow of a dish of buttered carrots,

Serves 4

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

2019 Netherton Foundry Shropshire ©

Imagination, talent and artistic ability

I have no artistic talent whatsoever, I can't even draw a credible stick man.  I can string a sentence together, but make no claims to be a "writer".  And as for music, well a passing ability on the recorder scarce makes up for the complete inability to hum a tuneful note.
All of which means that I stand in awe and admiration of anyone with the gift of imagination and the skill to translate their imaginings into some form of reality.

We, of course, have our own resident "creative genius", who can look at a piece of metal and devise a myriad uses.  This is the guy who came up with the a patented, functional, stylish and highly successful glass fryer and then devised the cast iron slow cooker.  His thoughts take shape on a piece of paper, gain form in wood and metal.  He looks at a pan and sees infinite variety, I look at a pan and see dinner.
He IS Netherton Foundry, his brain gave substance to each and every item in our range.
Whilst some of his ideas appear to come from nowhere, flashes of inspiration which stand or fall on their own merit, he also admits to the subconscious affect of years of studying and admiring the work of others, as well as a more conscious and deliberate design approach born of his admiration of a style, an artist, a movement.

Much of what is produced from cars to carpets, and everything we put in our homes, on our backs or in our handbags is derivative.  A single, beautifully conceived and highly original idea is the seed that grows a myriad hybrids, each of which carrying the gene of imagination on to another generation of ideas. "Imitation", as it is said, "is the sincerest form of flattery" and plagiarism and forgery aside, this is fundamentally true.  What greater compliment to an artist, that their work inspires that of others.  There are few wholly original ideas out there, but those with inherent merit will endure in their own right and through the body of work that ensues; think Picasso, Christian Dior, the Sex Pistols.  Of course, their brilliance will light the way for others to follow and their influence will find its way into our everyday lives.  Nowhere is this truer than the world of fashion, with the translation of haute couture designs into High Street basics the very "fabric" (sorry!) of the fashion industry.  

We have recently visited the New Brewery Arts Centre in Cirencester to see and exhibition of dedicated to the work of Lucienne Day.
Hers may not be name recognised as widely as those mentioned above, but her work was truly original and startlingly so. 

 The exhibition may be small, but it is beautifully displayed, the long drops of fabric breathtaking in their vibrancy.
There was also a lovely sample of fabric, called Dawn Chorus, by Vanessa Arbuthnott, which demonstrated perfectly how themes can be translated to produce entirely new designs. 

Amidst the terrific fabrics and insightful photos was this tea towel, entitled Batterie de Cuisine which fascinated us as cookware makers, and I could almost hear the cogs turning in our creative genius's brain as he absorbed that pot bellied pan profile.

We would certainly recommend that you visit the exhibition if you are in the area and if not, find out if it's coming to a venue near you.

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk
Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2018 ©

Meatloaf

Meatloaf recipes seem quintessentially American, like motherhood and apple pie.
Felicity Cloake wrote as much in the Guardian back in 2015 - Meatloaf is the quintessential taste of home for many Americans; like shepherd’s pie, its attraction lies in its familiarity. As Richard Ehrlich wrote in this paper: “In the US, meatloaf is a religion that unites people of all denominations, including atheism.”
It is a dish by which soccer moms judge one another and which every mid western diner features on its menu without fail.  Usually comprising little more than minced (ground) beef, breadcrumbs to bulk it out and ketchup for seasoning, most meatloaves are little more than a giant baked burger.
There is nothing wrong with that, of course.  Meatloaf, mash and gravy is up there with the best of the comfort foods.
But this one is a bit different, taking inspiration from a family favourite meatball recipe and playing around with some new flavours.  This one even comes with its own "gravy".


4 slices bread, crust removed and broken into crumbs
500g pork mince
200g chicken livers, minced or finely chopped
2 tsp fennel seeds
½ preserved lemon, finely chopped
150ml white wine
150ml stock
1 egg yolk
2 tblsp double cream

Thoroughly mix the pork, breadcrumbs, chicken livers, fennel seeds and preserved lemon - get in there, use your hands.

Place the cast iron bowl of your slow cooker on the hob and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Heat over a medium heat and when the oil is hot, add the meat loaf mixing, shaping into a rough barrel shape.

Cook until the underside is browned and then carefully roll it over and brown the other side.  You are aiming for some nice caramelisation.

Pour in the stock and the wine and cook for 4 hours on the LOW setting.

When the meatloaf is cooked, lift it out on to a serving dish and keep warm.

Whisk the egg yolk into the cream and pour this into the casserole.  Increase the heat to the HIGH setting and cook the sauce for 10 minutes.

Pour the sauce over the meatloaf and serve.

Mashed potato or polenta would go well, as would an astringent vegetable such as spinach.  Alternatively go for our family favourite of a massive bowl of peas.

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2018 ©

To inspire: the life force behind Life Kitchen

inspire: from the Latin inspirare, to blow into, breathe upon, to infuse animation.

Inspirational is often over used or over generously applied, much like iconic and genius.
But in the case of Ryan Riley, the young man - and I do mean young, he is 24, behind Life Kitchen it is barely adequate.
When Ryan was just 20 years old, his mother Krista died.  She was too young to die, she was only 47, but cancer is a cruel and indiscriminatory disease.
There can be no-one out there who has not experienced the impact of cancer at some point in their lives.
You may remember Netherton's daughter raising money for the Teenage Cancer trust after the cruel death of her friend.  We have both lost a parent to cancer. 
But there is hope and there are treatments and one day cancer will no longer be the killer it is today.
But for now, it remains with us.

Chemo and radio therapies can play a part in treating cancer and prolonging life, but they come at a cost.  One of the side effects of chemotherapy is its assault on the tastebuds, food that was once enjoyed is changed beyond recognition, some flavours are lost entirely and many people are left with an unpleasant metallic taste that lingers and cannot be disguised.  It's bad enough that you are suffering from a life threatening disease, but to diminish your quality of life, is doubly hard.
Ryan's mum, who had been a great cook and food lover suffered these depressing side effects and it was this that inspired his idea for the Life Kitchen.
And now, with the help of some very famous names, he is making that concept reality.
In his words, one tweet set the wheels in motion, turning a well intentioned but ill thought out concept into a life affirming, life enhancing initiative.
Life Kitchen is about offering free cookery classes to people living with cancer, exploring how food can once again be pleasurable, sharing knowledge, techniques and recipes in a comfortable, relaxed environment.

We were thrilled to attend the very first sessions, which were held at River Cottage and hosted by the inimitable and irrepressible Sue Perkins.  I have to admit to a bit of a girly crush here, she was even more delightful in real life!!  In my mind she has morphed into "Lovely Sue", which makes me chuckle with memories of Radio 4's Fags, Mags and Bags.

There were 2 classes held that day, with Ryan demonstrating 2 dishes, which were easy to reproduce (which is not to detract from the evident skills of the attendees) and rammed with flavour.  Ryan has been doing his research and has discovered that no matter the devastation wrought to your tastebuds by chemotherapy, you can still detect the flavours of mint and cinnamon and by adding these judiciously to your food, you can experience a mouthful of joy.  Sue reminisced about her father, who had lived with cancer and peppermints for 20 years.
The staff at River Cottage were wonderful, everyone from head chef, Gelf Anderson, to the KP unobtrusively fetching, carrying and washing up.  We felt privileged to be there in any case, but the warm welcome after a horrendous journey down made it very special indeed.

It is testament to Ryan's enthusiasm, determination and evident love of his late mother that he has persuaded so many well known people from the world of food to back his initiative - the next classes were held at Jamie Oliver's cookery school in London.
But he cannot keep going on good wishes, so if you can, please chuck him a few quid on his crowdfunder page and encourage anyone you know who would benefit from these classes to get involved.  He is not going to cure cancer, he is unlikely to win the Nobel prize, but what Ryan is doing is no less valuable.  He is a force of nature, a genuine sunbeam and we are proud to be involved in Life Kitchen.

Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2018 ©
www.netherton-foundry.co.uk