Seriously Satisfying Steak, Mushroom and Ale Pie
Date Posted: 03/03/2025
Ingredients
Half kilogram Essington Shin of Beef
1 onion, chopped
2 portobello mushrooms, sliced
2 bay leaves
250ml real ale
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1 heaped tablespoon plain flour
1 tablespoon Cooking oil
1 egg, beaten
Pre-made pastry
Method
Toss meat in oil to coat. Season with sea salt.
Brown meat in hot pan then remove and set aside.
Cook the chopped onions until starting to brown, then add in the flour and mix well.
Add the real ale to the onion mixture to deglaze pan.
Place browned meat, sliced mushrooms and onion and ale mixture into a slow cooker and cook on high for 6 hours.
Roll out pastry and line pie dish. Blind bake pie casing.
Fill pastry casing with slow cooked beef filling and place pastry lid on top.
Pierce pie lid to allow steam to escape during cooking.
Brush top of pie with beaten egg
Bake in a preheated oven until pastry is golden and cooked through.
Serve with Essington fresh vegetables and a stunning red wine from our premium selection.
Essington Creamy Pumpkin Soup
Date Posted: 14/10/2024
Ingredients
1 medium pumpkin
1lb carrots
1lb potatoes
1 small onion
3 pints vegetable or chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 pint single cream
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Olive oil
Method
1. Peel and dice the potatoes, pumpkins flesh, onions and carrots
2. Fry in olive oil for a few minutes
3. Add stock and bay leaf
4. Simmer for about 30-40 mins until vegetables are tender
5. Liquidise and add the cream (for the calorie conscious the cream can be omitted)
Tip: The seeds from the pumpkin can be toasted and sprinkled on top just before serving.
Slump and Grunt
Date Posted: 21/07/2022
A delicious recipe from Maine where the farmers were reputed to eat too much of it at lunchtime and slump in their chairs and grunt all afternoon.
Ingredients
275 ml water
15gm butter
450gm blueberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
225gm sugar
110gm SR flour
Half teaspoon salt
50gm sugar
150ml milk
Method
Preheat the oven to 190c or gas mark 5.
Grease a deep baking dish and put in the water, the 225g sugar, lemon juice and berries and put into the oven. Meanwhile, rub the butter into the flour and add the rest of the ingredients to make a batter. When the berries are hot, spoon the batter mix over the top and bake for 20 minutes.
It is best served hot with cream or ice cream!
Honey and Lemon Drink
Date Posted: 27/12/2019
Honey and lemon drinks have lots of health benefits and are a great way to start the day. They are known to increase immunity and relieve coughs and colds. Perfect for this time of year when the weather is colder!
Ingredients
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. Staffordshire Honey
½ cup or more of hot water
Method
Put honey and lemon juice into a tea cup or mug. Add hot water and stir. Add more lemon juice, honey or hot water to taste.
It is important that you drink the mixture immediately after preparing it, preferably on an empty stomach, to derive all the benefits.
Courgette Soup
Date Posted: 18/07/2018
Ingredients
1 lb courgettes
1 small onion
½ pint of vegetable stock
Rosemary
Salt and pepper
Method
1. Slice the courgettes and peel and slice the onion.
2. Heat a little margarine in a large saucepan and gently fry the onion until soft.
3. Add the sliced courgettes and cook for a further 10 minutes
4. Stir in the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Simmer until the courgettes are cooked. Add the rosemary and the seasoning.
5. Allow to cool and then liquidise the soup or push through a fine strainer.
6. Re-heat and serve.
Allergens: celery
(wheat, milk and soya from bread roll and butter)
Simnel Muffins
Date Posted: 23/03/2017
Ingredients
250g mixed dried fruit
Grated zest and juice 1 medium orange
175g softened butter
175g golden caster sugar
3 eggs, beaten
300g self-raising flour
1 tsp mixed spice
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
5 tbsp milk
175g marzipan
200g icing sugar
2 tbsp orange juice for mixing
Mini Eggs
Method
1. Tip the fruit into a bowl, add the zest and juice and microwave on medium for 2 minutes (or leave to soak for 1 hour). Line 12 deep muffin tins with paper muffin cases.
2. Preheat the oven to fan 180C/ 160C/gas 4. Beat together the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, spices and milk until light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes) – use a wooden spoon or hand held mixer. Stir the fruit in well.
3. Half fill the muffin cases with the mixture. Divide the marzipan into 12 equal pieces, roll into balls, then flatten with your thumb to the size of the muffin cases. Put one into each muffin case and spoon the rest of the mixture over it. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until risen, golden and firm to the touch. Leave to cool.
4. Beat together the icing sugar and orange juice to make icing thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Drizzle over the muffins and top with a cluster of eggs. Leave to set. Best eaten within a day of making.
Seville Orange Marmalade
Date Posted: 03/01/2017
January is when the Seville oranges are in season and is your only chance to make your own delicious marmalade.
It keeps well or you can prepare and freeze the pulp for making later in the year.
Ingredients
1.25 kg oranges
2 lemons
2 kg sugar
1.6 litres boiling water
Method
1. Scrub the fruit and remove stalks and scald with boiling water.
2. Peel the oranges. Put the peel to one side and put the pulp into a pan.
3. Shred the peel on the finest blade of a food processor and put in another pan with the lemon juice.
4. Put the lemon skins with the pulp and 600ml of boiling water.
5. Add 1 litre of boiling water to the pan with the shredded peel and the lemon juice.
6 Simmer both pans for 2 hours.
7. Strain the pulp through a colander into a large jam pan until all the fluid has gone through.
8. Discard the pulp and add the shredded peel to the liquid.
9. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
10. Boil until setting point is reached then for a further 10 minutes.
11. Pour into clean, sterile jars and seal immediately
Three Fruits Marmalade
Date Posted: 03/01/2017
Ingredients
4 Grapefruit
4/5 Sweet Oranges
6 Lemons
4 bags Sugar (4kg)
5.5 pints boiling water (3 litres)
(Makes 32, 8oz jars)
Method
1. Scrub the fruit and remove the stalks. Place in a large bowl and scald with boiling water.
2. Peel the oranges, grapefruit and the best half of the lemons.
3. Put the peel to one side for slicing and cut the pulp into a pan with any reject pieces of peel.
4. Shred the peel on the finest blade of the food processor and put it into another pan with the juice of the worst half of the lemons.
5. Put the empty skins of the worst lemons onto the pan with the pulp along with 2 pints (1.2litres) boiling water.
6. Add 3.5pints (2.1 litres) boiling water to the pan with shredded peel and lemon juice.
7. Bring both pans to the boil and simmer for 2 hours.
8. Tie the colander to the handle of the large jam pan and strain the pan of pulp into it.
9. Stir the pulp and allow to drip through the colander till all liquid has gone through.
10. Discard the pulp and add the pan of shredded peel to the liquid.
11. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Place over a high heat and boil till setting point is reached, then boil for ten minutes longer.
12. Pour into clean jars and lid immediately.
Eve's Pudding
Date Posted: 15/08/2016
Ingredients
450g (1lb) cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped coarsely
75g (3oz) soft light brown sugar
100g (3 ½oz) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
100g (3 ½oz) caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
2 eggs
100g (3 ½oz) self-raising flour, sifted
Grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
¼ tsp vanilla essence
Cream or custard, to serve
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4 and grease a 1.5-litre (2 ½ pint) ovenproof baking dish. Put the apples into the baking dish and sprinkle with the brown sugar; mix together lightly.
2. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy, then work in the eggs, sifted flour, lemon zest and vanilla essence and mix to a soft batter. Spread over the apples in the dish and bake for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the surface with caster sugar. Serve immediately with cream or custard.
Apple Charlotte
Date Posted: 15/08/2016
Ingredients
450(1lb) peeled, cored and chopped apples (Bramley or Cox are ideal)
1 tbsp caster sugar
110g (4oz) unsalted butter
6 medium-thickness slices bread, crusts removed
1 egg yolk
Cream or custard to serve
Method
1. Place the chopped apples in a saucepan with the sugar and 25g (1oz) of the butter. Cook over a low heat until soft and broken down. Remove from the heat and puree the apple in the pan with a hand blender. Leave to cool.
2. Melt the remaining 85g (3oz) of butter in a saucepan or the microwave and brush it over one side of each bread slice, making sure the bread is well covered. Cut into rectangles and use most of them to line a 20-25cm (8-10in) pudding basin or round cake tin, 12cm (4 ½ in) in depth, placing the pieces buttered-side down and slightly overlapping (reserve a little bread for the top). Press down firmly.
3. Preheat the oven to 180ₒ C (350ₒ F), Gas Mark 4. When the apple puree is cool, whisk the egg yolk and pour the mixture into the bread-lined basin or tin. Cover with the remaining sliced bread, butter-side up, and press down firmly. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Carefully turn out onto a warmed plate and serve with cream or custard.
Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts
Date Posted: 08/06/2016
Method
- Take half the weight of chestnuts that you have of sprouts.
- Prick the skins and boil the chestnuts for 4 mins (or cook frozen ones in microwave)
- Meanwhile boil the sprouts as usual.
- When the chestnuts are cooked remove the skins and chop the chestnuts roughly
- Put the chopped chestnuts and cooked sprouts with a knob of butter into a hot pan and mix together.