Country 6 - Herefordshire

With a population of less than 200 people per square mile, Herefordshire is one of the least populated counties in England, and with over 5000 farms one of its most rural. It is celebrated for its Hereford cows and cider producing orchards. The county has a long and rich history of cider and perry production. Great Britain produces around 130,000,000 gallons of cider per year, half of which is produced here. Herefordshire has around 3000 apple and pear orchards, covering over 9000 acres, more than any other county in UK. Its cider and perry production is protected under European law, sharing the same status as French Champagne.

The Black Mountain ranges of Wales border the south-west corner of the county, with many picturesque valleys between, the widest and most scenic is the Golden Valley. Rising majestically over Herefordshire, in the east, are the Malvern Hills, an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (ONB). The River Wye, England's fifth longest river, winds its way across the county from Plynlimon in Wales to the Severn Estuary. It is largely unpolluted and is considered to one of the best rivers for salmon fishing in Britain, outside of Scotland. Herefordshire's many scenic villages are filled with 16 and 17th century timber framed houses, many of which can be viewed on the popular 40 mile Black & White Village Trail. Its flower is the Mistletoe.

 

http://www.travelaboutbritain.com (Accessed 02/03/2016)

 

OUR EXPERIENCE

The frazzled Beef sounded better than it was, so it was not a good start to Herefordshire, after last week too. However the fish pie was delicious, although I did use a mixture of fish instead of just salmon and we all enjoyed it. The apple dumplings were also very nice. I remember as a child my mother having a baked apple and I always thought it looked horrid; but know I know better. We had custard with ours, a lovely Sunday pud!

Cooked with score (out of 100):

Frazzled (or Frizzled) Beef............56

Wye Baked Salmon…...................90

Apple Dumplings……………………….87

Frazzled (or Frizzled) Beef

All I could find was this description:

Claimed in the J Salmon ‘Favourite Herefordshire and Why Valley Recipes’ to be thin, fried, beefsteak topped with, or accompanied by, fried patties of mashed potato with onion.

I did this, and we didn’t think it was anything special…

 

Wye Baked Salmon

 

4 thick salmon steaks

1lb shortcrust pastry

1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped 

3oz butter

2oz button mushrooms chopped

2oz fresh breadcrumbs

1 egg beaten

Milk

2 tablespoons white wine

juice of lemon

Egg or milk to glaze

 

Serves 4.  Place salmon into boiling water for 5 minutes, remove the skin.  Set oven to mark 4 or 350F.  Roll out 2 thirds of the pastry on lightly floured surface and use to line a 2 litre pie dish.  Fry onions in half the butter, add the mushrooms and breadcrumbs and season, stir well and fry for 3 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the egg and enough milk to bind. Arrange salmon on the pie dish spread on the onion and mushroom mixture.

 

Melt the rest of the butter in a pan. Add the wine and lemon juice and bring to the boil. Pour over the salmon. Roll out the rest of the pastry for a lid, seal the edges and trim.  Make a hole to release the steam in the centre and decorate with pastry trimmings.  Brush with beaten egg or milk to glaze.  Bake for 45 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.  Serve with mashed potatoes, baby carrots and a green vegetable.

www.allaboutherefordshire.com/files/Wye_Baked_Salmon.do (accessed 10/02/2016)

 

Hereford Apple Dumplings

 

12 ounces prepared shortcrust pastry (340g)

4 teaspoons sugar

4 cooking apples, peeled, cored

2 ounces sultanas (60 g)

¹⁄₂ finely grated an orange, rind of

1 tablespoon marmalade

¹⁄₄ ounce butter, softened (28 g or 2 tablespoons)

milk (for glazing)

sugar (for glazing)

marmalade (for serving)

 

Directions

1.       Heat oven to 400 F (200 C)(gas mark 6).

2.       Divide the pastry into 4 and then roll each piece out into a circle big enough to fully enclose one apple.

3.       Take each pastry circle and sprinkle with a teaspoon of sugar and place an apple in the middle. mix together sultanas, orange rind, marmalade and butter and then divide this mixture between the apples, filling up each core hole.

4.       Fold the pastry around each apple and seal firmly with a little water.

5.       Place them, upside-down, onto a greased baking sheet and decorate the tops with leftover pastry bits cut into leaf shapes.

6.       Brush with milk and sprinkle a little sugar to glaze.

7.       Bake for 10 minutes and then turn down the oven temperature to 350 F (180 C) (gas mark 4) for a further 30 minutes or until the dumplings are golden brown.

Source: English Favourite Recipes published by J Salmon

Country 5 - Staffordshire

Staffordshire is renowned for the craftsmanship of its world famous potteries in Stoke on Trent. It has some beautiful countryside, particularly where the Peak District National Park crosses into the north east of the county, and the breath-taking Cannock Chase, with thirty thousand acres of forest and heathland further south.

The hills in the north are a continuation of the moors of Derbyshire, rising in places to 1,500 feet above the River Trent. They are broken by several wooded valleys; the Manifold, Milldale and Dovedale. The northern part of the county is known as the Potteries. The famous 'Five Towns' that make up The Potteries are Burslem, Hanley, Longton, Stoke and Tunstall. The centre and south of the county are generally level, with a few low valleys intersected by the Trent, Blithe, and Tame rivers. In the centre of the county is a wide tract of heather and forest known as Cannock Chase, a haven for foxes, wild deer, badgers, red squirrels, grouse and green woodpeckers. The southern part of the county is known as the 'Black Country', due to the iron, coal and associated heavy industries that are carried on there.

Flash claims to be the highest village in England, at 1,158 feet above sea-level. Tamworth is famous for its pigs, which are a sandy red colour and its country flower is the Heather.

 

http://www.travelaboutbritain.com/staffordshire/staffordshire.php (accessed 02.03.2016)

 

OUR EXPERIENCE

We loved the oatcakes, we had then on Pancake Day and they were a huge hit. I have to admit I did make the recipe simpler by cooking the bacon and mushrooms as I cooked the pancake, so although we ate separately it was a communal experience in the kitchen with good hot yummy food. The Beef Lobby was also a hit, very warming on a cold winter’s day. Lovely experience of food.

 

Cooked with score (out of 100):

Staffordshire oatcakes............90

Beef Lobby..............................87

Staffordshire oatcakes

Ingredients

225g/8oz fine oatmeal (if you don't have this, blitz some porridge oats)

100g/3½oz wholemeal flour

100g/3½oz plain flour

1 tsp quick-action yeast

pinch salt

825ml/1 pint 9¾fl oz water

1 tbsp baking powder

12 tsp vegetable oil

24 rashers streaky bacon

1 tbsp olive oil

150g/5¼oz chestnut mushrooms, cut in half

300g/10½oz mature cheddar cheese, grated

Method

1. Mix together the oatmeal, wholemeal flour, plain flour, yeast and salt in a bowl until well combined.
2. Make a well in the centre of the mixture, then gradually add the water in a thin stream, stirring well with a wooden spoon, until the batter is well combined and the consistency of thick double cream. (NB: You may not need to use all of the water.)
3. Cover the batter with a damp, clean tea towel and set aside for 3-4 hours (or up to 8 hours), to allow the gluten in the batter to develop.
4. Once ready to cook the batter, whisk in the baking powder until well combined.
5. Heat one teaspoon of the vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, add a ladleful of the batter mixture and swirl the pan to coat the bottom of it in a thin layer of the batter.
6. Fry the oatcake for 1-2 minutes, or until golden-brown on one side.
7. Flip the oatcake and fry for a further minute, or until golden-brown on both sides.
8. Set the oatcake aside on a warm plate and cover with a sheet of greaseproof paper.
9. Repeat the process with the remaining batter mixture, to make about 12 oatcakes. Stack them on top of each other, separated by greaseproof paper, and keep warm.
10. Meanwhile, preheat the grill to its highest setting.
11. When the grill is hot, arrange the streaky bacon onto a grill tray and grill for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until crisp and golden-brown on both sides. Set aside and keep warm.
12. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a separate frying pan over a medium heat.
13. Add the mushrooms and fry for 3-4 minutes, or until golden-brown and cooked through. Set aside and keep warm.
14. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over a medium heat until hot. Return one of the cooked oatcakes to the hot pan and sprinkle grated cheese over one half of it.
15. Continue to cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the cheese starts to melt, then place two grilled rashers of bacon on top of the melted cheese and sprinkle over a spoonful of the mushrooms. Fold the other half of the oatcake over and continue to heat for a further minute, or until the cheese has fully melted.
16. Repeat the process with the remaining vegetable oil, oatcakes, bacon, mushrooms and cheese.
17. Serve immediately.
     
    Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/staffordshireoatcake_92371 (Accessed 05.03.2016)
     

Beef Lobby

Serves 4

450g/1lb stewing or braising steak - fat removed and cut into small chunks

A handful pearl barley (optional)

1 onion diced

1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed (optional)

4 potatoes diced

1 swede diced (the big orange fleshed ones not the little white ones)

4 celery sticks, chopped

4 diced carrots

Beef stock

 

1. Put the meat, onion and pearl barley in a large pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and then simmer gently on a very low heat for 40 mins. Stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking.
2. Meanwhile peel and chop the vegetables to dice of a similar size - small or chunky, however you prefer. Add the vegetables to the pan and top up with stock to cover the vegetables.
3. Cook at a low simmer for approximately 60 mins or until everything is softly cooked and the meat is tender. Cook for 2 hours+ for really tender meat (the longer the better!) or cook in a slow cooker. Continue to stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of pan. Season to taste.
4. Serve in big bowls with chunky bread. HP Sauce is a nice addition, or a little vinegar
    
   NB: Being a "chuck-in" recipe, feel free to add/substitute cabbage, turnip, parsnip, nettles etc.
    
   Source: http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=81775  (accessed 10/02/2016)

Country 4 - Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire (Abbreviated Oxon) is a county in South East England bordering on Warwickshire (to the north/north-west), Northamptonshire (to the north/north-east), Buckinghamshire (to the east), Berkshire (to the south), Wiltshire (to the south-west) and Gloucestershire (to the west).

The county has major education and tourist industries and is noted for the concentration of performance motorsport companies and facilities. Oxford University Press is the largest firm among a concentration of print and publishing firms; the University of Oxford is also linked to the concentration of local biotechnology companies.

The main centre of population is the city of Oxford.

 

The highest point is White Horse Hill, in the Vale of White Horse, reaching 261 metres (856 ft) Oxfordshire's county flower is the Snake's-head Fritillary. Its motto is: Sapere Aude ('Dare to be Wise')

 

 

OUR EXPERIENCE

This is my home country – yet I didn’t know what to bake! My mother’s trusty 1960’s cook book, however, supplied some inspiration. As you can see from the scores, we loved it. Although we do feel as though this year’s challenge is going to pile on the pounds! The biggest surprise was the Carrot Pudding, my meat loving husband thought this was delicious and wants it with a roast. And we all loved the Hollygog pudding – and not just for its name. Next time though, I might put in more syrup or even make it with a thick raspberry jam.

 

Cooked with score (out of 100):

Oxford Sausages………………….............87

Carrot Pudding………………..................90

Banbury Apple Pie…………………………..87

Hollygog Pudding…………………….......85 

 

Oxford Sausages

The following recipe is from Mrs. Beetons Book of Household Management (1859-1861)

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. of pork, fat and lean, without skin or gristle;

1 lb. of lean veal,

1 lb. of beef suet, (I used 8oz)

1/2 lb. of bread crumbs,

the rind of 1/2 lemon,

1 small nutmeg, 6 sage-leaves,

Salt and pepper

1/2 teaspoonful of marjoram.

Chop the pork, veal, and suet finely together, add the bread crumbs, lemon-peel (which should be well minced), and a small nutmeg grated. Wash and chop the sage-leaves very finely; add these with the remaining ingredients to the sausage-meat, and when thoroughly mixed, either put the meat into skins, or, when wanted for table, form it into little cakes, which should be floured and fried. (Alternatively, you could pop them in the oven for 30 mins, but make sure you turn them and the tin is a roasting one as they give off a lot of fat)
Average cost, [at the time] for this quantity, 2s. 6d.
Sufficient for about 30 moderate-sized sausages.

 

 

Carrot Pudding

Accompaniments
Mashed carrots, set with crumb or egg, boiled or baked as a main meal accompaniment. "And so have you a Composition for any Root-Pudding" (Evelyn 1699)

Original Receipt in 'Acetaria: A Discourse of Sallets' by John Evelyn (Evelyn 1699)

Pudding of Carrot. Pare off some of the Crust of Manchet-Bread, and grate of half as much of the rest as there is of the Root, which must also be grated: Then take half a Pint of fresh Cream or New Milk, half a Pound of fresh Butter, six new laid Eggs (taking out three of the Whites) mash and mingle them well with the Cream and Butter: Then put in the grated Bread and Carrot, with near half a Pound of sugar; and a little salt; some grated Nutmeg and beaten spice; and pour all into a convenient Dish or Pan, butter'd, to keep the Ingredients from sticking and burning; set it in a quick Oven for about an Hour, and so have you a Composition for any Root-Pudding.

http://www.foodsofengland.co.uk/carrotpudding.htm (accessed 28/01/2016)

 

Hollygog or Ollygog Pudding

This is a golden syrupy roly-poly which is baked in milk. It was first made in the Oxfordshire village of Kiddington, where it has been passed down among farming families. Original Receipt (with thanks to Dennis Jenner) from Joe Curley, master-cook at Simpsons-in-the-Strand, reported in The Sunday Times magazine c1979

For four to six people, you need:

8 oz. plain flour,

 4 oz. butter or lard,

pinch of salt,

Golden Syrup or treacle,

mug of milk,

cold water to mix.

Sieve flour and salt, rub fat into flour until it has a breadcrumb consistency, and add a little milk to form a stiff dough. Roll out into rectangular strip, spread with syrup or treacle, and roll up like a Swiss roll. Put it in a greased baking dish, and pour over enough milk to come half way up the side. Bake in a pre-heated, moderately hot oven (400 de-grees) for 30-45 minutes. Serve in slices.

http://www.foodsofengland.co.uk/hollygogorollygogpudding.htm  (accessed 28/01/2016)

 

Banbury Apple Pie

 

A very old apple pie recipe from Banbury in Oxfordshire. This would have always been made with cooking apples which tend to be tarter than eating apples and cook to a pulp which makes them suitable for pies.

Ingredients

3 cups (12oz) plain/all purpose flour

pinch of salt

3/4 cup (6oz) butter

1 tablespoon caster/superfine sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

six large cooking apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

juice half lemon

1/2 cup (4oz) sultanas

3 tablespoons soft light brown sugar

pinch of ground cinnamon

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

grated rind and juice of 1 orange

fresh milk to glaze

caster/superfine sugar for sprinkling

 

Method

- To make the pastry, put the flour and salt in a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Stir in the caster sugar, and then stir in the egg and enough water to bind the mixture together.
- Knead lightly on a lightly floured surface.
- Roll out two thirds of the pastry and use to line a shallow pie dish.
- Put the apples slices in a bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice.
- Layer the apples, sultanas, brown sugar, spices and orange rind in the pie dish.
- Sprinkle with the orange juice.
- Roll out the remaining pastry to form a lid and place on top of the pie dish.
- Press the edges together and neaten.
- Make a slit in the centre of the pie.
- Brush the top with milk to glaze, then bake in a preheated oven temperature 400oF/200oC/gas mark 6 for 30 minutes, until golden brown.
- Sprinkle the top with caster sugar and serve hot or cold.

Source: Mothers 1963 Cookbook

Country 3 - Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire is a county in south-east England whose southern border is just 12 miles from the centre of

London. From some towns in south Hertfordshire, central London is less than 20 minutes away by train. The county has a population of about 1,000,000 residents. Other counties that surround Hertfordshire are London (south), Buckinghamshire (west), Bedfordshire (north), Cambridgeshire (north-east) and Essex (east). Hertfordshire is well served by London Luton Airport and London Stansted Airport, both of which are situated a few miles outside the county, while London Heathrow Airport is less than 1 hour away.



The county is full of contrasts which blend together to create a superb quality of life for residents and visitors. Thriving modern towns have developed amongst historic market towns. Country lanes and sleepy, picturesque villages are never far away. The close proximity of London provides employment opportunities with commuters making the most of the fast train links into central London.



The largest town in Hertfordshire is Watford, situated within the M25 motorway and has a thriving shopping centre and business parks. Other large, historic towns include St Albans, Hitchin and Hertford. New towns include Letchworth and Welwyn Garden City. Details of other Hertfordshire towns and village can be found here.



Hertfordshire is a green county, with half of the county designated by the government as Green Belt. Picturesque woodland, river valleys, and open farmland make up a beautiful and varied landscape. The Chiltern Hills to the west and north-west of the county are designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The county has more than 1,800 miles (~3,000 km) of public paths and rights of way, including the The Hertfordshire Way, a 166 mile (265 km) circular footpath. The county also has a number of designated cycle paths. For the more adventurous the county’s canals, rivers and lakes provide opportunities for a number of water sports such as sailing and canoeing as well as the more gentle boat cruises that depart from various points through Hertfordshire.

 

OUR EXPERIENCE

I’ll be honest; I didn't do much this week other than the scones - which were not that much different to what I already make. We didn't try the Pope Lady Cakes as I just run out of time. Will try better next times....

 

 

Cooked with score (out of 100):

Oven Scones………………………............87

 

Wanted to cook:

Pope Lady Cakes

 

Oven Scones

Afternoon tea was a very important meal. Edwardian cookery books are full of recipes for different teacakes (American, Irish, Shrewsbury, Watford, Yorkshire) also for quantities of crumpets, baps, gaufres, pikelets. Also included are many different kinds of scone - brown, white, buttermilk, potato, soda, sago, milk and, as in this recipe, Hertfordshire scones.

 

Ingredients

10 oz (283g) flour

1 teaspoonful sugar

4 tablespoonful butter

4 teaspoonful baking powder

½ teaspoonful salt

cream and water (or milk)

Making and cooking it

 

1. Sift flour salt, baking powder and sugar into a basin
2. Rub butter thoroughly but lightly, into dry ingredients
3. Stir in enough rich milk or half cream to make a soft dough (scarcely stiff enough to roll out)
4. Turn on to a floured pastry board or surface. Roll to a quarter of an inch (1cm) thickness. Cut into rounds
5. Bake on a hot greased baking-sheet in the oven at Gas 8, 230C, 450F for 10 - 12 minutes
6. Whisk 1/4 pint (150ml)  whipping cream until stiff
7. Cut open the warm scones and spread with cream and jam. Sandwich together and serve

Source: http://cookit.e2bn.org/historycookbook/132-hertfordshire-oven-scones.html (accessed 22.01.2016)

 

 

Pope Lady Cakes
'British Popular Customs' by Rev TF Thiselton-Dyer, of 1900 has; "At St. Alban's certain buns called "Pope Ladies" are sold on Lady Day, their origin being attributed by some to the following story: - A noble lady and her attendants were travelling on the road to St. Alban's (the great North road passes through this town), when they were benighted and lost their way. Lights in the clock-tower at the top of the hill enabled them at length to reach the monastery in safety, and the lady in gratitude gave a sum of money to provide an annual distribution on Lady Day of cakes, in the shape of ladies, to the poor of the neighbourhood. As this bounty was distributed by the monks, the "Pope Ladies" probably thus acquired their name. Another correspondent ... says these buns are sold on the first day of each year, and that there is a tradition that they have some relation to the myth of Pope Joan."

 

The following receipt, widely reproduced in recent cookbooks, with minor variations, is for a large, undecorated, Pope Lady Cake. It uses baking soda and cornflour, which would not have been available before the mid-19th Century.

8oz self raising flour
8oz caster sugar
1oz cornflour
8 egg whites
6oz butter
¼ teaspoon almond extract

Grease and line an 8” round, deep cake tin. Cream the butter and the sugar and 4 of the egg whites together. Add the almond extract and fold in the flour and cornflour. Beat the remaining egg whites till they are very still and gently but thoroughly fold into the cake mixture. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake in a pre-heated oven at 110°C/220°F/Gas mark ½ for 1½ hours. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

 

Source: http://www.foodsofengland.co.uk/popeladycakes.htm (accessed 22.01.2016)

Country 2 - Cornwall

We love Cornwall and were really looking forward to this week; my husband more so...


I’ll be honest; I didn’t know what to expect with the chicken pie, but it was really nice. Although, it seems it was even better the next day cold. An upmarket quiche, as my husband said. He really loved Cornwall week as he got pie twice! The pasty was the best he had ever eaten, and I although I had trouble fitting in the filling and the rounds were too small, I must admit it was pretty tasty.

Cooked with score (out of 100):
Chicken Chaudle Pie............87
Pasty....................................90


Wanted to cook:
Saffron Cake
Figgy 'obbin

 

Saffron Cake

Ingredients

A pinch of Saffron (1/32nd of an ounce)

2lbs Flour

1lb Butter

2oz Candied Peel

Pinch of Salt

4oz Sugar

1lb Currents

1oz Yeast

Warm Milk 

This is a traditional Cornish recipe. Saffron colours the cake bright yellow, and gives it its distinctive flavour. Saffron comes from the autumn-flowering crocus sativus and is expensive to buy - the saffron is the stigmata of the crocus, and over 4000 blooms are required to give one ounce of saffron.

Method

1. Cut up the saffron and soak overnight by adding a little boiling water, which it will flavour and stain a bright orange.
2. Rub the butter in the flour, add the salt, sugar, finely chopped peel and the currants. Warm a little milk and pour it over the yeast and one teaspoonful of sugar in a basin. When the yeast rises, pour it into a well in the centre of the flour. Cover it with a sprinkling of the flour, and when the yeast rises through this and breaks it, mix by hand into a dough, adding milk as needed, as well as the saffron water. Leave in a warm place to rise for a while.
3. Bake in a cake tin for about 1 hour at 350F.
   http://www.cornishlinks.co.uk/recipes-figgy-obbin.htm (accessed 03.02.2016) 
    

Figgy 'obbin

Ingredients

8oz Suet

1lb Flour

1tsp Salt

2 tsp Baking Powder

raisins

Milk

Sugar

Method

1. Mix together the suet, flour, salt and baking powder. Add water gradually, to form a dry elastic dough. Knead lightly, then roll out to about 1/2" thick. Sprinkle on two handfuls of raisins, roll them in lightly with a rolling pin.
2. Fold up, like a jam suet pudding, sealing the ends. Criss-cross the top with a knife, brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
3. Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes. Serve hot.
   'This is a traditional Cornish recipe. The "figs" refer to the Cornish common name for raisins.'
   http://www.cornishlinks.co.uk/recipes-figgy-obbin.htm (accessed 03.02.2016)

Pasty

Ingredients

For the Pastry
110g /4oz all purpose/plain flour
Pinch of salt
55g / 2 oz butter or half lard and butter, cubed
2-3 tbsp cold water
For the Filling
50g  /¼ cup onion, finely chopped
110g / ½ cup potato, cut into 1/4 inch /5 mm dice
110g / ½ cup , cut swede into 1/4 inch /5 mm dice
110g /4oz  rump steak, cut into small cubes
Salt and pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten

Makes 4

1. Pre-heat oven to 220 °C/ 425 °F  Gas 7.
   
   Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean bowl.
2. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, working as quickly as possible to prevent the dough becoming warm.
3. Add the water to the mixture and using a cold knife stir until the dough binds together, add more cold water a teaspoon at a time if the mixture is too dry,
4. Wrap the dough in Saran wrap/Clingfilm and chill for a minimum of 15 minutes, up to 30 minutes.
5. NOTE: The dough can also be made in a food processor by mixing the flour, butter and salt in the bowl of the processor on a pulse setting. When the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, add the water, slowly, through the funnel until the dough comes together in a ball. Wrap in Saran wrap/ Clingfilm and chill as above.
6. Divide the pastry into 4 and roll each piece into rounds the size of a tea plate (approx 6 - 7 inches).
7. Place the onion, potato, swede and meat into a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. Season well with salt and pepper.
8. Divide the meat mixture between each pastry circle and place to one side of the circle. Brush the edges with a little beaten egg.
9. Fold the circle in half over the filling so the two edges meet. Crimp the two edges together to create a tight seal. Brush each pasty all over with the remaining beaten egg.
10. Place the pasties on a greased baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes until golden brown.
11. Serve hot or cold.
     

Chicken Caudle Pie

The caudle in this rich and tasty pie is the mixture of egg and cream that is poured into the filling towards the end of cooking time.

ingredients

serves 4
15 g (1/2 oz) butter
15 ml (1 tbsp) vegetable oil
1 medium onion, skinned and finely chopped
4 chicken drumsticks or thighs, skinned and boned
30 ml (2 tbsp) chopped fresh parsley
4 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
salt and pepper
150 ml (1/4 pint) fresh milk
212 g (7 1/2 oz) packet frozen puff pastry, thawed
150 ml (5 fl oz) fresh soured cream
2 eggs, beaten

Method

1. Heat the butter and oil in a small frying pan, add the onion, cover and cook over a low heat, until softened but not browned. Transfer to a 1.1 litre (2 pint) pie dish using a slotted spoon.
2. Add the chicken and cook until evenly browned. Arrange on top of the onion in a single layer. Stir the parsley, spring onions, seasonings and milk into the pan and bring gently to the boil. Simmer for 2 - 3 minutes, then pour over the chicken.
3. Cover with foil and bake at 180°C (350°F) mark 4 for 30 minutes, until the chicken is tender. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
4. Meanwhile, roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until about 2.5 cm (1 inch) larger all round than pie dish. Leave pastry to relax while filling is cooling.
5. Cut off a strip from all round the edge of the pastry. Place the strip on the rim of the pie dish, moisten with a little water, then place the pastry lid on top. Crimp the edges, make a small hole in the top.
6. Beat the soured cream and the eggs together, then brush the top of the pie with a little of the mixture. Bake at 220°C (425°F) mark 7 for 15 - 20 minutes, until a light golden brown. Reduce the temperature to 180°C (350°F) mark 4.
7. Pour the soured cream and egg mixture into the pie through the hole. Shake the dish to distribute the cream mixture and return the pie to the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to stand in a warm place for 5 - 10 minutes before serving or leave to cool completely and serve cold.
    

Finally, a bit about Cornwall....

Located in the far west of Great Britain on a peninsula tumbling into the vast Atlantic ocean, almost completely surrounded by the sea, a magnificent coastline wraps around Cornwall for almost 300 miles. Cornwall is also the location of mainland Great Britain's most southerly promontory, The Lizard, and one of the UK’s most westerly points, Land's End, while a few miles off shore and even further west is an archipelago of tiny islands that make up the Isles of Scilly.

Cornwall has the dramatic coastline with its captivating fishing harbours; the spectacular beaches and the pounding surf that provide a natural playground but it also has the wilderness of captivating Bodmin Moor with its panorama of big skies, fascinating prehistoric remains, great walking trails and more than its fair share of local legends.

Cornwall also has a tremendous history based on its Celtic roots; its Celtic Cornish culture; the warmth and friendliness of the people; and the Cornish language that can be seen in the village names.

In the old industrial heartland, the landscape, recently awarded World Heritage Site status, is dotted with the fascinating remnants of a triumphant mining past illustrating Cornwall's enormous contribution to the Industrial Revolution with engine houses, museums and miles of recreational trails.

The natural environment, recognised nationally across the twelve sections of the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is accessed by the spectacular South West Coast Path providing walkers with miles of gentle strolls and challenging hikes.

And in the wonderful south of Cornwall, fed by rivers from the high moorlands, leafy estuaries, fishing villages, beaches, harbours and beautiful gardens that flourish in Cornwall’s mild climate.