FLOWER POT KITCHEN: ROAST BREAST OF LAMB & RICH PORT GRAVY

31 Jan 2012

ROAST BREAST OF LAMB & RICH PORT GRAVY

THE ROAST

2 Breasts of lamb, boned out by the butcher

King Edward potatoes

Seasoned flour

RICH PORT GRAVY

100ml port

200ml Lamb stock from freezer

50g butter

1 tbsp flour

Salt & pepper

YORKSHIRE PUDDING

200g plain flour

200g beaten eggs

200g milk

Salt & pepper

YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS
Whisk the flour with the salt and pepper, beat in the eggs, then whisk in the milk, pour into a jug and leave to rest for approx 20 minutes. Pre heat the oven to 220 degrees, place half a teaspoon of beef dripping in each well in the batter tin and place in the oven till smoking hot, take out and immediately poor the batter into each well and return back to the oven, this should be done in under 30 seconds, don't bash and bang the batter and don't slam the oven door, do not open the oven door until 20 minutes has passed and the puddings are cooked, they will be light, crispy, tall and golden, just perfect. You can freeze any you don't need and just re-warm them for 5 minutes in a moderate oven when needed.

ROAST BREAST OF LAMB
I love to cook this high and fast, for a crispy skin and juicy lamb that has been basted in rendered down in its own fat, helping to keep the meat really moist and tender. Pre heat oven to 200 degrees, place the breasts of lamb open flat on a flat baking tray, season with salt and place in the oven for approx 45 minutes. Take the pan and pour of any lamb fat, reserving, making sure you don't pour off any meat juices.

RICH PORT GRAVY
With the roasting tray, scrap off all the caught meat bits and any juices into a pan, if there is not a lot of fat add a teaspoon from the reserved, bring up to a heat and stir in the flour to make a loose roux and cook out gently for a few minutes, add the lamb stock and port and bring to a simmer, this will thicken in a few minutes, taste and adjust season to your taste.

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.