Goose with Pheasant stuffing and Hare.

Something a little different for Easter, using some odds n ends from the freezer, left overs from the Autumn season. The result was very rich, flavoursome and tender, enjoyed by all for lunch today, the quantities are very variable with this one, but the idea is sound and has worked well for us on a couple of occasions now.




 1 Goose breast--wild
3 Pheasant breasts
2 Hare legs, boned and diced
Bunch fresh herbs from the garden
3 Onions, finely chopped
3 Cloves garlic
6 rashers bacon
Tub of frozen stuffing from xmas!
Bottle red wine
Good dollop of Elderberry jelly
2 Tins plum tomatoes--chopped
3 Tablespoons tomato paste.

Cut the goose breast twice lengthways to create 2 flaps that can be lifted from the centre to result in a large flat escalope shape. Cover with cling film and bash out with a rolling pin to increase the size and to tenderise the meat.
Cut Pheasant breasts into chunks, place in a food processor with the stuffing and herbs, then pulse until blended. Place the resultant stuffing in a long sausage shape on the goose breast, roll the goose up to seal in the stuffing. Roll the bacon around the length of the goose meat.
Soften the onion and garlic in a large cast iron casserole, when soft add the bacon wrapped goose. Brown all round, add the hare and when sealed, add a dollop of elderberry Jelly, 2 bay leafs and a generous half bottle of red wine. Bring to the boil and allow the liquid to reduce by about half. Add 2 tins of chopped tomatoes, bring to a simmer, place in oven for approx 2 hours or until the hare meat is tender.
Serve and enjoy.

Roast stuffed leg of Lamb

One of the real delights of the year is the arrival of new season lamb, the one we ate today really lived up to expectations too. Quite a simple dish that will thrill your tastebuds and guests alike. The stuffing can easily be varied to suit your tastes, try adding lemon zest , chilli or use chorizo instead of bacon. No real measurements here either, just experiment a little and most of all enjoy. Again this type of dish is just spur of the moment, throw it all together and see what happens, which we really enjoy doing, makes food really interesting and different every time too.

1 Leg of local lamb
A handful of fresh garden herbs
Clove garlic
3 or 4 rashers bacon
Couple of slices stale bread--sourdough is great
Splash of white wine

Bone the leg of lamb, your local butcher will be happy to do this.
Pick over the herbs, pop the bones, along with some root veg and the herb stalks into a pot to make your stock.
Remove crusts from bread slices then dice them, roughly chop the bacon.
Whiz the bread and herbs in a food processor, place to one side then whiz the bacon to make a coarse paste. Mix into the bread and herb to make a stuffing.
Open out the leg of lamb and cut the meat so it opens quite flat, spread the stuffing onto the meat.
Roll up and tie to prevent it unrolling during cooking.
Peel and slice the garlic.
Season lamb with salt and pepper, then push the tip of a sharp knife into the skin and into the meat, lever it very slightly to make a small opening and insert a slice of garlic. Repeat evenly across the whole joint.
Place on a roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil, and splash of wine, roast.(The cooking time will depend upon the size of the leg and degree of cooking that you wish to apply).
Remove from oven when cooked, allow to rest for a while before carving into thick slices to enjoy with a simple gravy or sauce made from the stock.

Bacon butty

Bacon butty

                                                       A simple treat, an old time favourite.

A perfect winters day out was followed up with a simple bacon butty, but this is no ordinary bacon. Available only from Huddlestons in Windermere, by mail order if needed, is the outstanding Treacle cured back bacon and the equally impressive oak smoked variant too. The Oak smoke is delicately present throughout the whole slice, complimented by the crisp bubbly rind, giving a warm and full flavour with that wonderful crunch, whilst the Treacle cured has a deep sweetness accentuated by the deep aromatic treacle and dark colour that this imparts to the meat, absolutely stunning.
This was simply grilled until crisp then set upon a thick slice of buttered warm sourdough, no sauce needed, just let the bacon do the talking! Definitely be back for more soon.
If Windermere is too far to travel then check out www.cumberlandsausage.co.uk

Enjoy.