Here is a recipe using Brussels sprouts which is ideal for a winter lunch or supper.

Ingredients for 2 people:

• 14 cleaned Brussels sprouts
• medium onion peeled & chopped
  
• 4 rashers of bacon chopped
• rapeseed oil for frying
• black pepper

Method:

• place the sprouts in boiling water & par-boil until just crunchy (about 8 minutes)
• drain the sprouts
• as the sprouts are cooking, fry the onion and bacon until crunchy in the rapeseed oil
• add the partly cooked sprouts to the frying mixture, and stir in for about 3 minutes
• grind some black pepper over the mixture
• serve!

Time: about 15 minutes from start to finish

We used Bridget sprouts & Woburn Country Foods black back bacon as it gave it a sweet, smoky flavour.

Served with a baked potato, it was a great Sprout Supper!

Celeriac and apple mash

We had this yesterday during a conference at Chatsworth House. It went well with the beef cobbler – and would be the perfect accompaniment for game.

Ingredients for apple and celeriac mash:

2 Bramley apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1 small celeriac – about 500g, peeled and cut into chunks
knob of butter
Caster sugar to taste
Freshly ground black pepper

Method:

• Add the apple and celeriac chunks to a large pan of boiling, salted water.
• Boil for 8-10 minutes until tender.
• Drain.
• Mash, until smooth, with a potato masher or ricer, adding the butter and some ground black pepper.
• Taste and add a little caster sugar if the mixture is a bit tart

This recipe for apple and celeriac mash is a quick and easy recipe, ideal for the colder months.

Today we had our first leeks & to celebrate we did the ‘leeks au gratin’ recipe.

Ingredients:

• 6 leeks – sliced across in circles1/2″ thick
• 250ml double cream – must be double!
• 2 handfuls grated cheese

Method:

• drop leeks into a pan of boiling water – bring back to the boil.  Simmer for one minute & drain well.
• place leeks in a shallow, greased oven-proof dish.
• cover leeks with the double cream
• sprinkle the grated cheese on top
• cook in oven preheated to 180C for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

This recipe for Leeks au Gratin could not be easier & produces a very special dish.

For more vegetable recipes, try this book from Amazon:

Champ is a recipe of mashed potatoes with butter and spring onions

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds (1.8kg) potatoes
• 1/2 pint (300ml) milk
• 1 cup (225g) chopped spring onions
• 1/2 cup (110g) butter
• Salt and black pepper

Method:

• Cook peeled potatoes in boiling water.
• Simmer milk and spring onions together for five minutes.
• Strain and mash potatoes, but keep them hot.
• Add hot milk, spring onions, salt, pepper, and half the butter.
• Stir in.
• Serve very hot, with a well of melted butter in the middle.

Try this potato recipe for Champ to warm you up!