Recipes

Roast fore rib of Scottish beef with pan gravy and Yorkshire pudding (serves six)

Ingredients

4kg fore rib beef
6-8 large Maris Piper potatoes
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
3 eggs
4oz plain flour
275ml milk
Salt
Half glass of red wine for gravy
Knob of butter

Method

Preheat oven to 200C. Trim meat of any heavy fat and cartilage. Some fat is essential for self-basting the roast as it cooks. Season sides with rock salt and pepper. Place in large roasting tin. Cut the potatoes length-ways and scatter around the beef so they cook in its fat. Cook for approx 40 minutes, which will cook the meat rare to medium. Remove from oven and leave to rest.

While the beef is resting, use the roasting tin to make gravy using excess juices.

Add the wine, a knob of butter and some boiling water until the gravy is a consistency and strength of choice. Season.

For the Yorkshire pudding, mix together the eggs, flour and pinch of salt. Add milk slowly, whisking until it's a runny batter. Pre-heat baking tin with a little oil in each mould for around 15 minutes, and then pour in batter. Cook for around 25 minutes until golden brown, raised and crispy on top.

Easter Cake

Ingredients

110g soft butter
110g self raising flour, sieved
110g caster sugar
2 eggs
Vanilla essence
300ml whipping cream
500g chestnut puree
1 bag small chocolate eggs
Desiccated toasted coconut

Method

Cream butter and sugar in a blender. Whisk eggs and vanilla essence and slowly add to mixture. Fold flour in to mixture using a wooden spoon. Divide into two 18cm tins and smooth it. Bake in an oven pre-heated to 170C for 25 minutes until golden brown. Remove tins and cool on rack.

Spread a thin layer of chestnut puree, then a layer of whipped cream, leaving half aside. Place other sponge on top. Mask sides and top with remaining cream and stick coconut on the side. Put together some soft butter and chestnut puree and mix until it becomes a lighter colour and suits tastebuds. Place in piping bag and pipe over cake to look like a bird's nest. Decorate with chocolate eggs to finish.