Wiltshire food producers - Bush Farm Bison Centre

Local food producers are my heroes. It takes a lot of effort and determination to get a product out into the market when all the big corporations are swamping us with their cheap deals and special offers. (A short rant which is now over).
I recently paid a visit to Bush Farm Bison centre in Wiltshire (http://www.bisonfarm.co.uk/index.htm) where I met the very friendly and informative Colin Seaford and his wife Pepe. Colin has had an interest in Bison since a young age and now has over 74 on his secluded farm that is open to the public in the summer months. They also have elk, red deer and prairie dogs!

One of Colin's impressive Bison

Bison are big, big and fast. They are built more like a horse than cattle and on a sprint start they can out run a  horse. All the Bison were in from the fields kept in yards sorted by age, I was a little bit nervous when Colin suggested we go into one of the yards to get a better look. We toured round 3 different yards the last one containing the biggest Bison (not that my back catalogue of Bison is that big - my dad and I crept quite close to one to get a picture in Yellowstone Park in the US). He was massive towering over the rest of the Bison and apparently weighed in at over a ton. 'He's alright' said Colin 'but I wouldn't trust him. She's a nice Bison I can get quite close to her' pointing out a rather impressive female, 'That one however, I would trust her at all, she once chased me on my quad bike out of a field. She was gaining so much ground on me that when I got to the gate I had to jump off the bike straight over it!' Bison aren't for milking then? 'Why would you want to get near an armed animal?' Wise words indeed.

The one not to trust!

One thing Colin was adamant about is that Bison meat does not fall under the 'exotic meats' category. Bison once roamed all over Europe and when Britain became an island they were hunted to extinction. The meat itself has a sweeter flavour than beef, it's not gamey or wild tasting. Bison carry very little fat and the meat has no marbling unlike beef or lamb, it is very high in protein and lower in fat, cholesterol and calories than most other meats. With less than 50 calories per ounce Bison meat has been used by several weight loss programmes.

I came away with two sirloin steaks and really wanted to do them justice and rather than have steak and chips. So after racking my brain I came up with a dish that would compliment the Bison.  

Sirloin of Bison

The Bison meat doesn't take much cooking and we had ours rare. I served it on sweet potato mash with wilted spinach, caramelized baby beetroot, oven roasted baby carrots, parsnip crisps and a red wine and redcurrant jus. It was without doubt one of the tastiest steaks I've ever had (on par with kangaroo fillet) and now I'm a big fan. I would definitely recommend a trip to Bush Farm Bison centre and whilst you're there get some meat. All purchases come with a leaflet with Bison cooking tips and some information about the animals, their sirloin is so good that it won the Guild of fine foods three star award in 2011 and 2012. Just don't get too close to the Bison!

Private dining - a selection of starters

Some of our most popular starters, bespoke menus are designed for each and every function

• Malaysian style squid satay with chilli sauce
• Wiltshire goat's cheese tart with red pepper confit
• Smoked mackerel and horseradish parfait with melba toast
• Pan seared scallops in their own shell with a chive cream glaze
• Chicken liver and port pate with melba toast
• Warm salad of black pudding with smoked bacon and poached egg
• Seared pigeon breast with garlic croutons and raspberry vinaigrette
• Thai style chicken satay with a spicy coconut and peanut dip
• Tempura king prawn tails with a pineapple and coriander jam
• Salmon and coriander fish cakes with sweet chilli sauce
• Rope grown Scottish mussels steamed open in a garlic and white wine cream
• Classic Caesar salad with parmesan croutons
• Cornish crab and lobster salad with vegetable juliennes, coriander, chilli and lime dressing.

Email us to discuss your requirements

Steak night!

Steak night in our house is my favourite night, and pretty much whenever we eat out I'll order steak. You can always tell how good a chef is by how well their steak is cooked (I don't mean well done!). Everyone has their favourite cut of steak, mine is rib-eye. Here's a quick guide to the different cuts of steaks:

Fillet: The prime cut of steak and the most expensive! Slightly over rated in my opinion. It has very little fat and is very tender, used in dishes like Beef Wellington and for the cuts known as Tournedos and the famous Chateaubriand.

Rib eye (or Scotch fillet to my antipodien friends) : My favourite cut of steak, it rivals the rump steak for flavour. The 'eye' of fat in the steak helps to maximise the flavour when cooking.

Sirloin: Spoiler alert!....It was never knighted by an English king! Not the most tender of steaks but it still packs a punch in terms of flavour. A whole strip loin is also great for roasting.

T-bone: For some the T-bone steak is the best of the lot (especially dogs and cats in cartoons!). It has on the one side of the T bone some fillet steak and on the other some sirloin. Cooking food on the bone in my view always enhances the flavour.

Rump steak: The unsung hero of steaks due to it's great flavour and being the least expensive cut. It needs to be cooked quickly as it can become quite tough.

Beef needs to be 'hung' on the bone for at least 28 days good quality butchers would have hung their meat for this long. Most super markets hang theirs for 18 to 21 days. The hanging process really helps to let the flavour of the meat mature gaining greater flavour as it does so. An easy way of seeing how long the meat has been hung is to look at the colour. It the steak is a light red then it hasn't been hung very long. If it's dark red then it has! When buying a steak you want to get one that has a light marbling of fat through it (little specks of fat) this really helps to enhance the flavour during the cooking process.    

Cooking process
Steaks are best cooked at room temperature, if they're cooked when they are cold the proteins in the meat tense up causing the steak to become tough. Take the steak out of the fridge a few hours before cooking to get it to room temperature. Just before you are about to cook the steak brush it with olive oil and season well. Get your griddle or frying pan very hot and begin cooking the steak to your liking, here's some timings to get your steak to how you like it (for a steak that's about 2cm thick) :

Blue: 1 minute each side
Rare: 1 1/2 minutes each side
Medium rare: 2 1/4 minutes each side
Medium-well done: 2 1/2 - 3 minutes each side

When you steak is cooked to how you like it it is important to let it rest for at least 3 minutes to let the juices that have been drawn to the surface to relax back into the meat. I like to serve my steaks with at least one type of veg and homemade game chips-super skinny ones. I also like to top it with a baked field mushroom filled with Stilton, but that's up to you!

8oz Rib Eye steak, with garlic green beans, game chips and Stilton stuffed mushroom.

Pumpkin time!

It's that time of year again super markets are bursting with pumpkins. While most people carve scary faces and put a candle in them there are plenty of ways to cook with them. From pumpkin pie to pumpkin risotto the possibilities are endless. We had a carving competition in our house (I think I won) and had lots of left over pumpkin 'guts'. Rather than throw it in the bin a quick sift through results in a lot of pumpkin seeds. Keep a few back for the garden next year and put the rest on a baking tray drizzle with olive oil and sea salt. Slow roast them at 100C for an hour stirring them as you go and the results are divine. Eat them as a quick snack or sprinkle them over salads.

Slow roasted pumpkin seeds with olive oil and sea salt

Tonight is roast chicken night in our house, I always roast our chickens in a tagine pot it helps to keep the chicken moist and you can add vegetables into the tagine to cook along with the chicken. Tonight I tried chilli pumpkin in the tagine and whenever they are in season we are having them in our roast! Here's how I did it:

Serves 4
Ingredients
1/2 pumpkin skinned and cut into cubes
4 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 red chilli seeded and sliced
1 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper
Splash of olive oil

Method
Put all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix well, when the chicken has been cooking for about 20 minutes add the pumpkin to the tagine cover and cook for a further 45 minutes. If you don't have a tagine use whatever you are cooking your chicken in and cover it with foil. The added bonus of cooking the pumpkin in with the chicken is that as it cooks the pumpkin will soak up all the chicken juices. After 45 minutes has passed remove the tagine's lid or foil, turn up the oven a bit and cook for another 15 minutes to crisp up the pumpkin and chicken skin. Serve with your choice of vegetables and gravy and enjoy!

Roast chicken with goose fat roasted potatoes, steamed broccoli and chilli roasted pumpkin 

Oriental style duck pancakes

As I've mentioned before growing up in Hong Kong really gave me a passion for Chinese food, both cooking and eating it. As a pub chef I often used to put on themed nights and Oriental night was always very popular both with the customers and my brigade of chefs in the kitchen.
These duck leg pancakes are a version of the great Peking Duck, you can opt to use a whole duck (if your feeding a few people!) or duck legs as I've done here. Another option is to buy the Oriental pancakes but if you prefer to give making them a go it's really simple.

Ingredients (serves 2 people)
2 large duck legs
180g Goose fat
2 tbsp honey dissolved in warm water
Sweet chilli sauce
Hoi sin sauce
1/2 cucumber sliced finely
8 spring onions sliced finely
For the pancakes:
225g plain flour
155ml boiling water
1 tsp vegetable oil
Roasted sesame oil

Method
Place the duck legs on a wire rack over a plate or baking dish and pour boiling water over them to tighten the skin. While the duck legs are still warm brush them with the honey and water solution and leave to stand in a cool and airy place for at least 6 hours or over night in a fridge.
Heat some oil in a frying pan and seal the duck legs. Place them in a roasting tray skin side down with the goose fat, cover with foil and roast in an oven at 150C after an hour turn the legs over, cover with foil and roast for another hour.
As this is going on it's time to prepare the pancakes. Sift the flour into a bowl, slowly pour in the boiling water, then add the vegetable oil and knead into a firm dough. over with a damp tea towel and set aside for 30 mins. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 10 mins or until it becomes smooth. Divide the dough into equal sized balls, the picture below will give you a rough idea of how big.

Dough balls ready

Press the dough balls with the palm of your hand into a flat disc. Brush one disc with a little sesame oil and put another disc on top. Using a rolling pin flatten each pair of discs into a 15cm pancake. Heat an ungreased  wok or frying pan over a high heat, then reduce the heat to low and put the pairs of pancakes (one at a time) into the pan. When brown spots start to appear flip them over and cook the other side.

Pancakes cooking

When the second side is cooked lift the pancakes out and carefully peel them apart (they will be HOT!). Fold each pancake in half with the cooked side facing inwards and set aside under a damp cloth. 

Just before serving steam the pancakes for about 10 mins. When the duck legs are cooked heat the oven up to 220C take off the foil and cook for a further 5 mins to crisp up the skin. Take them out of the oven and place them on a wire rack.

Crispy duck legs!

When the legs have had a minute or two to cool a bit shred them with a fork, serve with the pancakes, spring onion, cucumber, sweet chilli and Hoi sin sauce and enjoy! Man man chi!

My most popular lamb dish

As the Wiltshire chef I do a lot of fine dinning dinner parties in peoples homes. Needless to say the host always wants to 'wow' their guests with the food, the most popular main course dish is Rack of lamb with a goat's cheese and rosemary crust served on dauphinoise potatoes with a redcurrant and port jus. A bit of a mouthful (no pun intended) I know but below I'll talk you through each step.

 Ingredients (serves 4)
4 x 3 bone rack of lamb
Dijon mustard
2 x slices white bread
1 x sprig of rosemary
2 x slices goat's cheese
4 x maris piper potatoes
1/2 x sliced onion
1/2 pint double cream
1 x garlic glove crushed
2 x shots of port
2 x tbl spoons of redcurrant jelly
1 x pint quality beef stock (thickened)

Rack of lamb with a goat's cheese and rosemary crust

Method

Firstly ensure there are no bits of meat left on the exposed bones by scraping them off with a knife. Then seal the racks in a hot frying pan ensuring all of the lamb is seared on the outside. In a food processor blitz together the rosemary (taken off the stalk), bread (tear it up, makes things easier), goat's cheese and seasoning. Brush the side of the rack opposite the the bones with the Dijon mustard then press the processed mixture onto the mustard and ensure it sticks. Roast the racks in an oven at 220 C for 15 minutes (serve pink, if you don't like pink meat then roast them for a further 5 minutes).

To make the dauphinoise potatoes peel and thinly slice the potatoes. Fry the sliced onions in a little olive oil (keep some back for the sauce) for a minute then add the garlic and double cream add the potatoes and bake in an oven proof dish at 220 C for half an hour or until a knife slides though the potatoes. 

To make the sauce (or jus if you want to sound like a pro!) heat some olive oil in a sauce pan then fry the onions for a minute then add the port (careful it might ignite!) and let it simmer for a minute to burn off the alcohol, add the redcurrant jelly, beef stock and the stalk from the rosemary and simmer. Reduce by a third and strain through a sieve into another sauce pan. 

When I cook this meal I would prep the lamb first, then make and cook the potato. Then I would make the sauce and finally roast the lamb. When plating up I use a circular cake cutter in the center of a plate and fill it with the potatoes. Then I would cut the lamb in half and place it on the potatoes and spoon the sauce around the potatoes. I normally serve it with purple sprouting broccoli and garnish it with a sprig of rosemary or thyme. Good luck and have fun!

Sun-dried tomato and Parmesan bread

My wife (who is a bit pregnant wife with our 3rd child-3 weeks to go!) recently treated me to a night of home made tapas. I won't make you jealous with what we had but the day after the great feast we had some left overs. After making a few dishes my mind wondered off into bread making, shall I make something really 'out there' or stick to something people might actually like? Common sense prevailed so I decided on sun-dried tomato and Parmesan loaf. This recipe is very easy the only thing that you have to stick at is the kneading stage you must keep going for at least 10 minutes otherwise the final cooked loaf will be too stodgy.

Ingredients
(Makes enough for 4)
425g strong white bread flour
1 tsp salt
225 ml tepid water
Good sized pinch of dried oregano
40g finely grated Parmesan
50g chopped sun dried tomatoes drained
7g easy bake yeast

Method
Preheat your oven to 220 C then mix all the ingredients in a bowl (pouring in the water last) until it forms a rough dough. Tip out onto a floured surface and knead for at least 10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic.

Dough ball ready for kneading

Put the mixture into a greased oven proof bowl and poke it with a finger to make small indentations. Sprinkle with sea salt and brush with the oil left over from the tomatoes. Cover with clingfilm or a damp kitchen cloth and leave for 40 minutes in a warm place for it to double in size.

Ready for the oven

Bake the bread for round 30 minutes until it's golden brown. When you take it out of the oven tap the bottom of the bowl, if it sounds hollow then it's done.

Time to eat!

This bread is best eaten straight out of the oven but it will last for at least 4 days if stored correctly. Serve it with olive oil and balsamic or whatever takes your fancy. Enjoy!

Give it a try, you'll love it.

Salted trout

After a successful fishing trip with my eldest son (see my previous blog) we had 2 rather large trout to deal with. Here's one of the recipes that we used to enjoy these fantastic fresh water fish.
Before refrigerators salt was commonly used to extend the life of fresh produce, salting fish was widely used in northern Europe. In Sweden they came up with the idea of salting fish and burring it underground. The salmon version of this is known as Gravadlax, the lax part literary translated means salmon and the gravad  means 'buried'. I have been reliably informed by a Swedish friend of mine that the trout version is called 'gravadoring'. So here goes...

Ingredients:
2 trout fillets pin boned (all little bones removed)
Sea salt crystals
1 lemon zested
Dijon mustard
Chopped chives (or dill)
Bread to serve (I made sun dried tomato and Parmesan bread-blog to follow)
Wedge of lemon to serve

Method:
Pat dry both fillets with kitchen paper and lay one of them on a large rectangle of cling film. In a bowl mix together the salt and lemon zest and spread liberally over one fillet.

Top this fillet with the other..

Then wrap them very tightly in cling film..

At this point if we didn't have a fridge we would bury it under the cold European earth, but we do so into the fridge it goes for 12 hours to 'cure'. After it's done it's thing in the fridge unwrap it from the cling film and lightly wash the salt off. Pat it dry with kitchen paper an spread Dijon mustard over both fillets. Finely chop the chives/dill and sprinkle over the fillets.

Using a sharp knife slice the trout at around 45 degrees, serve with bread and a slice of lemon and enjoy!

Photo courtesy of my wife  

  

Non food related - Surf photography

John John Florence, Hossegor

I've always had a thing for surfing, it used to be one of my main hobbies. A few years ago my wife (she was my girlfriend back then!) and I went on a camping holiday to the surf mecca that is the southwest coast of France. Two weeks of sand, sea, surf, wine and great food was great but after surfing everyday my body decided it needed a break. I've always admired surf photography in magazines so I thought I'd give it ago. Luckily for me there was an international competition on and the surf was pumping! The photo above is John John Florence (so good they named him twice!) who went on to win the competition and is now a big player on the world tour and future champion.

The surf got a bit bigger!

I submitted a few of my shorts to a surf website called Magic Seaweed and would you believe it they made one of them their 'photo of the day'! Here's the link: http://magicseaweed.com/photoLab/viewPhoto.php?photoId=237746&photoOfTheDay

A couple of weeks ago my wife and I decided to brave our first camping trip with our two boys. On the beach I noticed a few mini waves were starting to break quite nicely over a sandbar. So I grabbed the camera waded out, got the camera down low and clicked away. Here's some of the better ones, great surf for ants!

Crystal clear water on the Dorset coast

Wall of water with steps!

Foamy barrel

One of the bigger ones

Triple overhead for ants!

I managed to take the pictures above without a water housing which was a bit risky but worth it I think.

Thanks for taking the time to have a look.....

Fishing for trout with my eldest son

We recently went on our first family camping trip to the sea side. My eldest son was desperate for a fishing rod so I gave in and got him a kids fishing rod. It was a bit rubbish and whilst down on the local pier we didn't catch a thing, no surprises there. So when we got home I promised him we'd do some 'proper' fishing. So a couple of afternoons ago we went to our local trout fishery, there were people there with their professional equipment, silly hats and camouflaged jackets. James and I turned up with his little fishing rod, a few hooks and a loaf of bread, we got a few looks but we were about to have the last laugh. First cast and boom! Line snapped! 15 minutes later and we had 2 rather large trout in our cool box! We didn't see anyone else catch anything and got back into the car feeling a bit proud of ourselves.

Trout!

When we got home I asked 'James shall we have fish for dinner?' 'The fish we caught? No way!'  Fair enough, so it was up to me and my wife to eat the freshest fish we've ever had in our house. I wanted a dish that would reflect the freshness of the fish and decided on Trout ceviche Oriental style. Here's the recipe:

Serves 2

2 fillets of trout (pin boned)

Juice of 2 limes

Splash of balsamic vinegar

Splash of olive oil

1/2 chilli

1 garlic glove

1/2 a bunch of coriander

Seasoning

A few lettuce leaves

8 cherry tomatoes

Blitz all of the ingredients in a food processor (except the fish, lettuce and tomatoes). Slice the trout into strips, cover the fish with the processed ingredients and leave for 20 minutes. Arrange some of the lettuce and tomatoes on a plate top with the fish and serve! Enjoy!

Making pizza with my kids

Another wet day here in Wiltshire and the school run was a total wash out. My two boys and I looked like we'd been for a swim in our clothes, riding bikes in the rain isn't it's all cracked up to be. After getting home, changed and putting the heating on I decided it was time the boys learnt a bit about cooking and after talking it through with our eldest (5 and three quarters) Pizza was on tonight's menu. Total carnage was what I was expecting and got!
Here's the recipe for the pizza base (made by James and Ollie):

Ingredients
(Makes 3-4 pizza bases)
500g strong white bread flour
1/2 tsp fine salt
7g sachet of dried yeast
1/2 tsp caster sugar
325ml (about 1/2 a pint) lukewarm water
Extra flour for dusting

For the child friendly version I first got all the ingredients ready in separate bowls and made sure we had a large work surface (we used the dinning room table). Most recipes say to put all the flour onto a surface, make a well in the middle then add the water, not such a good idea with little chefs so we opted for a large mixing bowl to try and contain as much mess as possible, it kinda worked.
First mix the sugar, yeast and water together. Mix well and leave for 5 minutes. Then put the flour into the bowl with the salt.

James mixing the yeast, Ollie taking care of the flour.

So far no mess! Next make a well in the middle of the flour and slowly pour in the water mixture stirring as you do.

Boys concentrating!

Mix the mixture with a fork or wooden spoon, it should start to look like stodgy porridge. When it gets to hard to stir with a fork it's time to use your hands. Flour the work surface with quite a bit of flour and empty the mixture onto it. Start stretching the flour with the bottom of your hands and do this for about 10 minutes until it becomes smooth and springy. However if your'e working with 2 little chefs let them punch it as hard as they can!

James showing the dough who's boss, Ollie shouting because he can.

Now you should be getting a mess that can only be described as a flour explosion! Put the dough back into the mixing bowl, dust with flour, cover clingfilm and leave for around 20 minutes. In the mean time, time to thank the boys for their hard work, put on Power Rangers (I really don't see the appeal) and clear up the mess.

What mess?

After the dough has had 20 minutes to do it's thing (double in size) it's time to roll out the bases. Flour your work surface and separate the dough mixture into 3 balls. Roll out into a rough circle finishing with the dough nice and thin. Heat the oven to 230C, now its time to apply your toppings. The tomato sauce is relatively easy - fry 1/2 an onion with a diced garlic glove, add chopped tomatoes and oregano and simmer for 10 minutes. Put the rolled out base onto a floured baking tray and add your ingredients, try not to over load your pizza! The boys had cheese and tomato and my wife and I had chorizo, Parma ham, asparagus, mushroom and mozzarella, and very nice it was too. Have fun!

Chorizo, Parma ham, asparagus, mushroom and mozzarella pizza 

  

Bailey's and chocolate cheesecake

Rather indulgent Bailey's and Chocolate cheesecake 

This dessert is a big favourite and always impresses, my wife and I liked it so much we had it as our wedding cake! Bailey's and chocolate are perfect together, any type of chocolate will do (white, dark etc.) and as we're using chocolate it will set the cake so no gelatin or baking is needed. It's quite a simple dessert and can be made in under half an hour, so here goes:

Ingredients:

Serves 4

300g soft cheese

3 digestive biscuits

1 tsp caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

75g good quality chocolate

75ml Bailey's 

15g butter

3 tsp icing sugar

Method:

First melt the butter then put it in a food processor with the digestives, vanilla essence and caster sugar. Blitz until it looks like wet sand. Cover the bottom of the cheesecake tin with grease proof paper and put the mixture onto it and press down with the back of a spoon making sure it all sticks down. Pop it in the freezer to set. 

Melt the chocolate in the microwave (in 20 second bursts) or in a glass bowl over simmering water. When it's melted leave it to cool slightly, mix all the other ingredients in a bowl add the chocolate and mix well. Spoon the mixture on to the base and smooth the top of the cheesecake with the back of a large knife. Leave to set overnight in the fridge. Serve with vanilla ice cream or chocolate dipped strawberries. Enjoy!

Amesbury Carnival and the left over onions

My wife and I selling Wiltshire sausages

My wife (who's 6 months pregnant with our 3rd child) and I recently had a stall at the Amesbury Carnival. Last year we went as customers but this year we thought having a stall selling Wiltshire sausages might be a good idea, we didn't realise what a good idea it was going to turn out to be! I arrived early with our eldest boy and started setting up. From the start it looked like we had a good pitch as we weren't tucked away with the druids and their healing stone but more right it the middle of it all. The other bonus was there was only one other hot food outlet, one of those burger vans selling (in my opinion) over cooked over priced burgers and chips. We got the BBQ lit around 11.30 and my parents turned up to give a hand with the baby sitting/onion chopping/serving sausage baps. It must have been the smell of yummy (technical chef term #1) sausages and frying onions wafting through the air because within minutes we were off! The queue grew and grew and for about 2 hours it was 30+ deep.

The people of Amesbury queuing for quality food!

Keeping up with demand on a charcoal fired BBQ was a bit testing at times but 3 hours later the queue had got into single figures and we had sold some where in the region of 350 Wiltshire sausage baps. We packed away and headed to the best place the celebrate, the pub. Pint of larger for me, orange juice and lemonade for my wonderfully pregnant wife who some how managed to stay on her feet all day working her socks off. We both sat there in a bit of a daze not really knowing what had just happened, but one thing was for sure we totally nailed it!

My wife serving with my mum and I cooking in the back ground

Back home unloading the car I realised we had a fair bit (half a sack) of onions left over. I made French onion soup and various chutneys, but the one dish I hadn't made for a while was onion bhajis. Growing up in Hong Kong there was always a large Indian influence and the curries were second to none. I tried out a few recipes adding different ingredients, but the one I was most happiest with is the one I'm going to share with you, so here goes:  

Ingredients

Serves 4

2 large onions (sliced length ways)

3 tbsp plain flour 

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp crushed toasted cumin and mustard seeds

1 tsp chopped coriander (optional)

1 tbsp good quality mango chutney

Seasoning-slightly more pepper than salt to bring alive the spices

Vegetable oil for frying

Chilli sauce or yoghurt and mint dip

Method

Gently fry the onions in some butter and vegetable oil until they become soft and opaque, leave to cool. Mix all the other ingredients (not the oil!) and onions until it forms a paste. Either using a spoon or your fingers drop golf ball sized balls of the mixture into hot oil and fry until they become golden brown. Set aside on some kitchen paper and repeat until all of the mixture is gone. Serve immediatley, at this point the bhajis will be soft and gooey (technical term #2) which is how I like them, if however you prefer them slightly more crunchy then 5 minutes in the oven should do it.

Enjoy!

Fine dining with The Wiltshire Chef in Sandbanks, Poole

As the Wiltshire Chef I get asked to do a lot of fine dining experiences in peoples homes, they range from birthday parties to anniversaries and pre-wedding dinners. My most recent booking was for a 40th birthday party in Sandbanks, Poole. After a consultation (in secret!) with the birthday girl's husband we decided on a menu of: Cornish crab and lobster salad with julienne of vegetables with a coriander lime and chilli dressing topped with caviar (see the picture above); Rack of Welsh lamb with a goat's cheese and rosemary crust on dauphinoise potatoes with a port and redcurrant jus (see below) 

We finished with a Cinnamon and chocolate souffle with chocolate dipped strawberries.

All ingredients were locally sourced as I work very closely with my suppliers, having previously worked in gastro pubs and restaurants I have come across some incredible suppliers of fine ingredients and kept a close relationship with them. Fine food speaks for it's self and I believe in using the best ingredients possible.

I hope to be cooking for you in the near future. 

Coronation chicken

With the Jubilee weekend  getting closer I thought it was time I shared my Coronation chicken recipe. The recipe was invented by Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume for the Queen's coronation in 1953. I've made a few adjustments to the original recipe to bring it a bit more up to date.

Ingredients (serves 6)

500g free range chicken breast

1 onion finely chopped

1/2 tbsp cider vinegar

2 tbsp mango chutney

Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

100ml mayonnaise

100ml crème fraiche or Greek yoghurt

60g toasted flaked almonds

2 tbsp chopped parsley

2 tbsp chopped coriander

1 tbsp mild curry powder

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 chicken stock cube

Salt and pepper for seasoning

Method

Bring a pan of water to the boil with the chicken stock cube, add the chicken breasts. Reduce to simmer and cook for around 8 minutes. When cooked remove from the water and set aside to cool. In a bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients, slice the chicken when cool and add to the mixture and season. If possible leave the mixture over night as the flavours will improve. Serve with a garnish of watercress.

Alternatively serve it rolls garnished with pomegranate seeds. Have a great Jubilee weekend!

Canapes

Mozzarella with Chorizo, basil and olive 

As the Wiltshire Chef I get asked to cater for many functions/dinner parties and a lot of people like to start things off with a few canapes. I recently catered for a wedding at the Inner Temple in London for 160 people where instead of a starter they wanted canapes. The 10 canapes they chose looked very impressive as the waiters and waitresses circled the 'Parliament room.' The canape that was the most well received was my chicken liver and port parfait (see below).

                                                                     

So if you're thinking of having a fine dining evening at your own home and would like to get your guests appetites going with an assortment of canapes then please get in contact at www.thewiltshirechef.com

You could chose from the list on the website or we could have a consultation and design a more bespoke menu. I hope to be cooking for you in the near future!

Visit our full website for more canapé ideas

Smoked salmon and chive cream cheese roulade