FOOLPROOF CRISPY CRACKLING ROAST PORK EVERYTIME

Easy perfect crackling every time.

Glorious crispy crackling roasted loin of pork a brilliant Sunday roast, simple to cook and great served with roast lyonnaise potatoes and a homemade apple sauce.  There is a fool proof method for crispy crackling every time, simply leave your pork out of the fridge half an hour before cooking, using paper towel pat the skin completely dry, rub a generous amount of sea salt all over the skin and in any score marks, pre heat your oven 220 C / 430 F pop the pork in a shallow roasting tin and roast for 30 minutes at this heat then turn down to 200 C / 395 F for the remaining cooking time, that’s it, perfect crispy crackling everytime.

Lyonnaise potatoes are so simple to make a one pot wonder and such a joy to eat, rich sumptuous potato dish that delivers in flavour

Prep time 10 minutes / Cooking time 1 hour

Ingredients

(serves 4)

1 loin of pork french trimmed

1 tbsp sea salt

6 potatoes peeled and thinly sliced and placed in cold water

1 onion finely sliced

1 clove garlic finely sliced

1 glug olive oil

500ml chicken stock

Salt and 

Method

Pre heat your oven to 220 C / 430 F.  Bring the pork out half an hour before cooking to come up to room temperature, pat completely dry with paper towel, generously rub the skin with sea salt all over and in any score marks.  Place in a shallow roasting tin and pop in the oven for 30 minutes then turn the oven down to 200 C / 395 F for the remaining cooking time for this loin a further 20-30 minutes, that’s it, leave to rest uncovered for at least 15 minutes, you can wrap some baking paper or foil around the meat but not over the crackling.

BEST CRISPY CRACKLING STICKS

LYONNAISE POTATOES 

Ingredients 

(serves 4)

2kg floury potatoes very thinly sliced

1 glug olive oil

1 large onion thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic thinly sliced

25g butter cut into 6 cubes

1ltr chicken stock

Fresh ground black pepper 

Pre-heat your oven to 180 C / 356 F.  Heat a frying pan medium hot, add the olive oil, onions and garlic and gently fry for 10 minutes, rub one or two of the butter cubes all over the bottom and sides of the roasting tin.  Place the thinly sliced potatoes in to the chicken stock and toss to coat well.  Place a double layer of potatoes overlapping in the roasting tin, sprinkle over a quarter of the softened onions and garlic, repeat the layers along with a little black pepper finishing with a final layer or potatoes, pour over the chicken stock until just up to the last layer, dot over the cubes of butter and bake in the oven until fork tender, if the top of the potatoes starts to brown up too much place a cartouche of grease proof paper on top.

Apple Sauce

2 kg apples

200g + sugar

1 cup water

Apple Sauce

Peel and roughly dice the apples place in a deep pan, sprinkle over the sugar and add a cup of water, bring to a just simmer and cook until soft and some of the sauce is pulpy but still has soft chunks for texture, taste for sweetness and add more sugar if required and stir until dissolved.  That's it...

ULTIMATE LOADED MASHED POTATOES WITH CRISPY BACON AND GOOEY MELTED CHEESE

Oh boy this is one of my top spoon face stuffing comfort foods, I just eat this all on its own!  Buttery Idaho or Yukon gold mashed potatoes with way to much butter, double cream and a splash of vinegar, then loaded with crispy sweetcure bacon, mexi mix cheese and just a smattering of spring onions to balance the goodness 🤣

Prep time 10 minutes / Cooking time 30 minutes 

Ingredients 

(serves 4)

1 kg Idaho potatoes peeled and rough chopped

1 453g tub Philadelphia cream cheese

2 sticks of butter

1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt 

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

12 rashers natural un smoked sweetcure bacon

4 spring onions finely chopped

300g 4 mix Mexican cheese

Dirty Loaded Mashed Potatoes

Place the potatoes in a large pan of cold water with a generous pinch of salt, bring to a simmer and cook until fork tender around 20-30 minutes.  Cook the bacon crispy, chop and reserve to one side along with the chopped spring onions.  When the potatoes are fork tender drain and leave to steam in the colander for 5 minutes, place back in the pan on the lowest heat, add the butter and cream cheese, salt, pepper and apple cider vinegar, mash to a smooth consistency leave on the lowest heat for a couple of minutes to ensure the mash is served piping hot.

To Finish Loaded Potatoes 

Mix half the Mexican cheese, bacon and spring onions into the mashed potatoes, stir to combine, serve the potatoes on to a platter then top with the remaining cheese and bacon, pop under the grill/broiler for a few minutes just to melt the cheese, remove and sprinkle over the remaining spring onions.

FRIED BUTTER BALLS

Great Fried Balls of Butter

That’s right I made these for my dad while on vacation in Florida, my dad used to eat slabs of butter as a snack, not so much nowadays so I thought I would surprise him with these gorgeous over the top wonderful warm bursting balls of creamy garlic butter that for butter lovers is unbelievably heavenly.

These are just so naughty and delicious and definitely a once in a long while treat, but so worth the abstinence!  Creamy salted butter loaded with fresh garlic (my dad eats raw garlic cloves like candy!) for a milder garlic flavour roast the bulb and use the sweet garlic purée.  You can also add in cream cheese to the butter for a less intense butter and more creamy flavour.

Prep time 10 minutes / Cooking time 3-4 minutes per batch

Ingredients

(makes approx 16-20)

4 sticks of butter

1 bulb of garlic finely chopped

1 egg beaten

1 cup AP flour

1 cup panko breadcrumbs or cornmeal

Combine the butter and garlic together, at this point you can add cream cheese or herbs if you wish, form into balls just over half the size of a golf ball, place on a tray and freeze for one hour.

Set up you dredging station, 3 dishes, one filled with beaten egg, one with flour and one with the panko breadcrumbs.

Heat you oil to 180 C / 350 F and always on the back burner and never leave unattended.

Working fast take the frozen butter balls and roll in the flour, then the egg and finally the panko breadcrumbs, place on a plate while you coat the rest.  Gently fry the balls until golden brown, drain on paper towel, leave to rest for 3-5 minutes as WARNING HOT BUTTER BURNS and enjoy these brilliant balls of butter.

GUINNESS AND MUSHROOM VEGAN SUET PUDDING

This is a game changer, deep rich full flavours from the braised mushrooms in Guinness and a vegetable mushroom stock stuffed in to a steamed pudding that delivers anhearty filling and most satisfying dish that’s great for all food lovers, there is not a overwhelming mushroom flavour but a marriage of stout and stock that the suet pudding soaks up ensuring every mouthful is a delicious as the last.

Ingredients 

(Serves 4)

Stout Pudding Filling and Gravy

6 cep mushrooms sliced whole

8 chestnut mushrooms quartered
4 portobello mushrooms finely chopped

50ml olive oil

1 onion finely diced

3 cloves garlic chopped

1 courgette diced

1 tsp fresh thyme

1 tbsp fresh parsley 

Himalayan sea salt

Fresh ground black pepper

1 can Guinness 

500ml thick mushroom

Recipe below...

1 dash Worcestershire or mushroom ketchup

Vegetable Suet Pudding

100g vegetable suet

200g self raising flour

1 pinch sea salt

1 pinch white pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp dried thyme

150ml + water

Mushroom Vegetable Stock

1 glug olive oil

1 onion diced

1 carrot diced

2 cloves garlic diced

1 leek chopped

1 rib celery diced

4 dried mushrooms soaked in 500ml boiling water

6 whole black peppercorns 

1 sprig fresh thyme

Himalayan sea salt 

To make the awesome mushroom stock place all the diced vegetables and peppercorns in the olive oil and gently soften for ten minutes, add the mushrooms and their liquid, the thyme and approx 500ml water, bring to a gentle simmer for 15 minutes, take off the heat and leave to rest for 30 minutes.  Strain, add back the garlic, onion, half the mushrooms and a little of the diced vegetables, blitz to a smooth sauce.  Season to taste with salt and pepper as needed, for a thicker more robust stock add back and blitz more of the vegetables.

Next make the suet pastry, mix all the ingredients together add the water, add a little more if needed to bring the mix to a soft dough ball.  Cut off one third, this is for the pudding lid, roll out to the diameter of the pudding bowl.  Leave to pastry rest while you make the filling.

Heat the oil, gently soften the onion, garlic, finely chopped portobello mushrooms and courgettes add the stout and simmer to reduce a little, then add the mushroom vegetable stock, Worcestershire, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper, leave to cool.  

In a separate pan add some olive oil and quickly sear the cep and chestnut mushrooms for 30 seconds only, remove from the heat.

To assemble the pudding press the pastry ball into your large pudding bowl rising the pastry all the way up the sides to line the pudding bowl, alternatively you can roll the pastry out and line the pudding basin.

Layer in some of the filling then fill the center with the whole cep slices and chestnut mushrooms, spoon the rest of the filling around the sides with extra gravy until full.  The left over filling that you cannot fit in the pudding is to be used as a gravy for pouring over the steamed pudding when served.  Wet the rim of the pastry and pop on the lid pressing down to seal.

Pop on a wax baking paper disc on the top of the pudding, then cover with tin foil.  Place on a trivet in a deep saucepan, fill the pan with water three quarters of the way up the pudding bowl, bring the pan to a gentle simmer and pop on the lid.  Steam for 60 minutes, leave to rest for 10 minutes in the pan before serving.  Enjoy with gorgeous roast potatoes, savoy cabbage and lots of the left of filling gravy.

BILLIONAIRE’S SHORT BREAD

The next level…

My teenage son made these and his baking attitude is Go Big or Go Home!  He loves millionaire’s shortbread and decided to up them to Billionaire’s shortbread, a buttery shortbread base topped with a thick layer of caramel then a rich double chocolate and mascarpone fudge brownie and finished off with a dark and white chocolate slab and crushed daim bar pieces.

Prep time 10 minutes / Baking time 20 minutes / Chilling time 1 hour

Ingredients 

(makes 9-12)

Shortbread Biscuit

225g plain flour

175g room temperature butter

80g caster sugar

1 pinch salt

Brownie

1 can carnation caramel

85g room temperature butter

225g golden caster sugar

2 eggs

100g 70% dark chocolate

3 tbsp cocoa powder

100g self raising flour

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp caster sugar

200g mascarpone cream cheese

Finishing Touches

150g 70% dark chocolate 

100g white chocolate 

3 daim bars crushed

Pre heat your oven to 160 C fan / 315 F.  Line your brownie tin with baking paper making sure you go over the top of the tin so you have handles to remove the cake once finished from the tin with ease.  Make the shortbread base by hand this is important to ensure a light melt in the mouth shortbread, if you use a stand mixer the shortbread will be tough.  Rub the butter into the flour to resemble fine breadcrumbs, stir in the sugar and salt, pour into your brownie tin and using the back of a spoon gently press down to form a biscuit base.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin.

Beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy, melt the butter and 100g dark chocolate together and stir in the cocoa powder, pour the chocolate mix into the beaten eggs and mix well, loosely fold in the flour.  Mix the vanilla essence, caster sugar in to the mascarpone cream cheese.

Spread the caramel on top of the shortbread, spread half the brownie batter on top of the caramel, then the mascarpone cream cheese rolled by the remaining brownie batter, bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes until just cooked but still soft to the touch.

Leave to cool in the tin, melt the dark and white chocolate in separate bowls over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave, pour the dark chocolate over the brownie and spread even over the top, then dollop the white chocolate in five random portions and using a skewer swirl through the white chocolate marbling through the dark chocolate, bash the daim bars in their packing with a rolling pin and sprinkle over the chocolate, pop in the fridge to set the chocolate around one hour.

Remove from the tin and with a sharp knife cut into nine or twelve squares and enjoy.

TOAD (SAUSAGES IN YORKSHIRE BATTER) IN THE HOLE

Fabulous traditional English pub grub and a staple in our family and friends lives, light crispy Yorkshire pudding with outdoor reared Cumberland sausage from Cumberland in Cumbria just below Scotland that are flavoured with herbs and spices but predominantly with pepper.  Served with creamy buttery mashed potatoes, a ratio of 250g of butter to 1 kg of potatoes and 150ml double cream, yes that’s right and finished off with a caramelised onion gravy.  A wonderful dinner loved by everyone.

Prep time 20 minutes / Resting time 1 hour / Cooking time 45 minutes

Ingredients

(serves 4-6)

The Yorkshire Batter

200g plain flour

200g eggs

200g milk

1 large pinch of sea salt and white pepper

Toad in the Hole Sausages

12 Cumberland sausages (herby peppery)

3 tbsp of beef dipping

Gravy

1 glug olive oil

1 tbsp butter

2 large spanish onions sliced

1 ltr chicken stock

300ml Maderia

50g butter

1 tbsp heaped corn flour

3 tbsp water

Best Ever Mashed Potatoes

1 kg floury potatoes, Maris piper or Yukon gold

250g salted butter

150ml double cream

15ml apple cider vinegar

Salt and pepper

The Batter & Sausages

Make the batter first, I like to leave my batter to rest on the side at room temperature for at least half an hour and up to 4 hours.  Alternatively make the batter the day before and leave in the fridge to rest overnight, bring out 1 hour before cooking and just give a quick whisk.  Pre heat your oven to 200 degrees C, place you sausages in a roasting tin with the beef dripping and pop in the oven for 15 minutes, at this point turn up the heat to 220 degrees C for five minutes, then really quickly open the oven door and pour the batter in to the roasting tin around the sausages, do this as fast as you can and pop back in the oven, I have got this down to 20 seconds, but don't rush and burn yourself!  

Leave the oven at 220 for five more minutes then turn back to 200 degrees C, for the last 15 minutes of cooking time.  This is not totally neccessary and if you are not in the kitchen during the cook or have to divide your time with the family, then just keep the oven at 200 degrees at all time.  The reason I pop the heat up is I find I can get a better rise in the batter.

Under no circumstances, well apart from burning the house down, do NOT open the oven door until the final cooking time is up.  Serve immediately with the onion gravy and gorgeous buttery mashed potatoes.

Mashed Potatoes 

Put your peeled and quartered potatoes in a large saucepan of water, add a good pinch of salt and bring to a rolling simmer cook until fork tender, drain and leave to steam dry in the colander for 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper, add the pack of butter and cream to the pan and gently melt the butter, take off the heat, add the potatoes and apple cider vinegar, mash to your choice of smooth or with lumps, my family like lumpy and I’m a smooth girl!

The Gravy

Meanwhile to make a fabulous gravy, gently pan fry the onions in the oil and butter for 20 minutes until soft and caramelised take of the heat and leave to one side, bring the stock up to a rolling boil and reduce by half, add the Maderia and reduce by 1/3, now whisk in the butter on a lower heat.  If you want to thicken the stock gravy further add the water to the cornflour and start by adding half the cornflour mixture, whisk and cook for a few minutes before deciding to thicken further or not.  Taste and season with salt and pepper or more butter and add the onions, keep warm until needed.

BISCUITS AND SAUSAGE GRAVY

Best Ever Recipe…

Puff pastry light delicate melt in the mouth buttery biscuits are a glorious thing to behold and eat and even better with a rich creamy decedent sausage gravy, a simple breakfast that sets you for the whole day, watch out with this one it has your spoon going back for seconds so best eaten on a Sunday in your pyjamas so you can relax and groan from over eating this beautiful breakfast.

Prep time 15 minutes / Resting time 30 minutes / Cooking time 30 minutes

Ingredients 

(serves 4-6)

Puff Flakey Biscuits

160g cold salted butter

400g supreme light flour

30g sugar

40g baking powder

200g double cream

220g full cream milk

1 egg beaten for wash

The Sausage Gravy

50g butter

1 glug olive oil

4 rashers sweetcure bacon finely diced

1 kg ground herby seasoned sausage meat

1/3 cup AP flour

600ml full fat cream milk

200ml double cream

Season with Lawrys seasoned salt

1/2 tsp white pepper

1 pinch thyme, sage oregano optional

The Biscuits

Pre heat your oven 220 C / 440 F

Place your baking sheet in the oven to pre heat, if you have a stone baking sheet even better.

In a large bowl gently rub the butter in to the flour to a small rubble but not quite breadcrumb consistency, stir in the sugar and baking powder, whisk the milk and cream together add to the dry ingredients and stir gently to combine, at this point I turn the mix out on to the work top and bring the dough just together gently keeping my actions light and not overworking the dough, press out until you have a large flattish mound then fold the dough in half, turn 90 degrees and press out to the same thickness as when you started, repeat this 3 more times pressing out a little less each time, this action is folding the layers of dough and fat which will give your scones the most unbelievable flaky light melt in your mouth texture, not dissimilar to a really good home made puff pastry, cover with a tea towel and leave to rest for 30 minutes.  

Meanwhile make the sausage gravy, instructions below.

Press out the dough to approximately 2” thick and either cut squares and triangles with a knife or using a circle cutter cut out the scones in a straight down and up action, do not be tempted to twist the cutter as this suppresses the rise of the scone while baking.  Remove the hot baking sheet from the oven place your scones on, don’t over crowd, cook in two batches if necessary.  Brush the tops with egg wash, never the sides as this prevents the rise, turn the oven down to 200 C / 400 F and bake the scones in the oven for 15-20 minutes until light golden brown and a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom.

I like to use Tennessee Pride Country Sausage for my sausage gravy. 

The Sausage Gravy

Heat your deep skillet medium hot, add the butter and olive oil and melt, add the finely diced bacon, cook for five minutes, add the ground sausage and cook fully, add the flour, stir in and cook the flour for five minutes then add half the milk and cream stirring all the time until you have a medium thick luscious sauce then I go by eye with the rest of the milk and cream adding more until I am happy with the consistency of my sausage gravy, not to thin and not to thick!  Season Lawrys seasoned salt and white pepper to taste and any herbs you choose at this point and leave to gently just tick over on a low heat while your biscuits finish baking, serve family style in bowls with a spoon and just tear your buttery biscuits and load with lashings of the sausage gravy, eat in your comfort clothes and enjoy this glorious breakfast.

Season to taste

Why not add cheese to the biscuits mix for the best ever cheese scones (biscuits) ever !

MUSHROOM GUINNESS GRAVY

VEGAN

This gravy is a game changer so dang tasty and goes great with roast potatoes, roasted vegetables and vegetable suet puddings in fact anything!  This is a two layer cook, in fact the first layer of mushroom stock is a great mushroom gravy but the second layer adds such a intense layer of flavour that sees me drinking this gravy from a mug with my dinner, it’s a childhood thing, my Nan always served me a mug of braised stock gravy with my slowly braised dinner, I guess can you really ever have to much gravy!

Prep time 10 minutes / Cooking time 1 hour

Ingredients 

(Serves 4)

Mushroom Stock

1 glug olive oil

1 onion diced

1 carrot diced

2 cloves garlic diced

1 leek chopped

1 rib celery diced

4 dried mushrooms soaked in 500ml boiling water

6 whole black peppercorns 

1 sprig fresh thyme

Himalayan sea salt 

Mushroom Gravy

6 cep mushrooms finely diced

8 chestnut mushrooms finely diced
4 portobello mushrooms finely chopped

50ml olive oil

1 onion finely diced

3 cloves garlic chopped

1 courgette diced

1 tsp fresh thyme

1 tbsp fresh parsley 

Himalayan sea salt

Fresh ground black pepper

1 can Guinness 

1 dash Worcestershire or mushroom ketchup 

500ml homemade mushroom stock (above)

To make the awesome mushroom stock place all the diced vegetables and peppercorns in the olive oil and gently soften for ten minutes, add the mushrooms and their liquid, the thyme and approx 500ml water, bring to a gentle simmer for 30 minutes, take off the heat and leave to rest for 15 minutes.  Strain, add back some of the softened garlic, onion, carrot and leek mix and half the mushrooms, blitz to a smooth sauce.  Season to taste with salt and pepper as needed, for a thicker more robust stock add back and blitz more of the vegetables.

For the next layer of the gravy heat the oil, gently soften the onion, garlic, finely chopped mushrooms and courgettes, soften for 25 minutes then add the Guinness and mushroom stock, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper and reduce by one third for around 35 minutes.

CHOCOLATE MOLTEN LAVA CAKE

These chocolate molten lava puddings are a real showstopper for any occasion, the hot rich velvety buttery chocolate centre pours out begging for your spoon, served with a drizzle of cream for that extra rich decadence that renders everyone to making those oooh sounds as they enjoy this really simple but showstopper pudding.

Prep time 5 minutes / Cooking time 10-12 minutes.

Ingredients 

(makes 4)

100g dark 70% chocolate

100g salted butter

150g light brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract paste

3 eggs

50g self raising flour

Pre heat your oven 180 C / 356 F.  In a double boiler gently melt the butter and chocolate, beat the sugar so there are no lumps then beat the eggs in one at a time, add the vanilla extract and chocolate butter and beat in then gently fold in the flour until just combined.  

Grease four small pudding or dariole moulds and line the bottom with a circle of grease proof paper, just over 3/4 fill each mould.

At this point these can be frozen or stored in the fridge for cooking later.

Bake fresh for 10-12 minutes until the top of the cake edges is baked but the top centre is soft and squishy.

From the fridge bake for 12- 14 minutes.

From frozen bake for 16 minutes.

Run a knife around the edge of the mould and turn out on to your serving dishes, pour over a slosh of cream and enjoy.