May 26th to the 1st of June is National BBQ Week here in the UK, and with that in mind Newman's Own has put together some quick tips to help you achieve the perfect BBQ!  Getting it right is never easy, but with these handy tips anyone can have a fun, stress-free and smoothly run BBQ!



Stop flipping, leave it be! - If you leave your food to sit on the BBQ for a few minutes before turning, you will get better caramelization and therefore a better flavour.  It also means that the food is less likely to stick to the BBQ.

If you have a lid, use it! - "If you're looking, it ain't cooking!" - a well known phrase in the BBQ world.  With the lid down your food will cook faster and more evenly, which will also prevent food poisoning from under-cooking.  it also means your charcoal lasts longer or you use less gas, which means more BBQ's for the summer!

Wait 30 to 45 minutes to use your charcoal BBQ - The coals should be grey before using which means they are hot and give an even temperature.  Before this, they will flame and burn your food with uneven heat distribution and not cooking in the middle.

Don't stab your sausages -  Pricking the sausage may reduce the chance of it splitting but not by much. However, it will guarantee that all the juice will come out of the sausage leaving it drier and less tasty.  So it's worth not stabbing them and enjoying a tastier sausage!

Don't risk under cooking - Digital thermometers are a genius invention.  For under £10, BBQ-ers can easily check that their meat is cooked by measuring it's temperature.

All post-tax profits from Newman's Own products go to the Newman's Own Foundation which donates all profits to charity, with over £1 million already being donated to a wide range of charities in the UK alone and over £250 million donated around the world.

With a selection of sauces, marinades and dressings the Newman's Own products are the perfect BBQ essentials and the all new Smokin' Hot Dog Sauce will add some extra hot flavour to your hotdogs this year!  If you've been inspired to get the BBQ started at home, Newman's Own has come up with some recipes to fire up your imagination.

Newman's Own Smokin' Hot Dog Sauce is available from April 2014 from Morrisins at a suggested RRP of £1.89




This hot dog sauce is a personal favourite of ours. We just love it and we love the Newman's own BBQ sauce too!



 

*Newman's Own Minced Lamb BBQ Skewers with Pita Pockets*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

If you prefer, the skewers can be placed side by side on a baking sheet and cooked in an 180*C/350*F/ gas 4 oven.

For the skewers:
500g (1lb 2 oz) lean minced lamb
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
4 TBS Newman's Own Sticky Original BBQ Sauce
Pita Pockets:
4 pitta bread
2 tomatoes, chopped or sliced
100g (4 oz) feta cheese, crumbled or cut into small cubes
50g (2 oz) piece of cucumber, sliced or chopped
4 to 6 lettuce leaves, depending on size, shredded
a few springs of leaf coriander (cilantro)

Put the minced lamb, chopped shallot and 2 TBS of the BBQ Sauce in a bowl and stir until well mixed.  Shape the mixture into small balls and thread on to 8 medium or 12 small skewers.  Place in a shallow dish, spoon the rest of the BBQ sauce over the meat and cover with cling film.  Chill in the fridge for several hours or overnight until ready to cook.

Lift the skewers from the dish and grill or barbecue for 10 to 15 minutes or until cooked through, turning them over once or twice and basting or brushing with any BBQ Sauce left in the dish.

Toast the Pita bread lightly on each side or warm on the barbecue.  Cut a slit down one side of each pita and carefully open out to make a pocket.   In a bowl, mix together the chopped tomatoes, feta, cucumber, lettuce and coriander leaves and divide between the pockets.  Serve with the lamb skewers and accompany with a bowl of natural yoghurt dusted with paprika and finely chopped coriander.

Tip:  When shaping the meat around the skewers, press it firmly together so it doesn't break up and fall off during cooking.  If using wooden skewers, soak them in cold water for 30 minutes prior to using or cover the exposed ends with small pieces of foil to prevent them from scorching.




*Newman's Own Honey Turkey and Red Pepper Burgers*
Makes 4
Printable Recipe

Turkey mince makes mouthwatering burgers and is far lower in fat than ground beef or lamb.  Add extra salad to the buns such as sliced tomatoes, onion rings or cucumber slices according to pertsonal taste.

500g (1 lb 2 oz)  turkey mince
1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 large open mushroom, peeled and finely chopped
6 TBS Newman's own Sticky Honey BBQ Sauce
2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into thick wedges
4 sesame seeded burger buns, split in half and lightly toasted
5cm (2 inch) piece of cucumber, sliced
4 lettuce leaves

Put the mince into a bowl, add the chopped onion and mushroom and stir until mixed.  add 3 TBS of the Honey Sauce and stir again until evenly combined.  Shape the mixture into 4 burgers, pressing the meat together to give a firm shape - a round pastry cutter or special burger press makes the task easy.

Put the burgers on a plate, spread over the remaining Honey Sauce and cover with cling film.  Chill in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

Grill or barbecue the burgers over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until they are cooked all the way through, turning over half way and brushing or basting with any of the sauce left in the dish.

Grill the pepper wedges for about 5 minutes or until lightly scorched.

To assemble the burgers, layer up lettuce, pepper wedges, cucumber and burgers in the split buns and serve hot.

Tip:  If you prefer you can make 8 small burgers and serve them in rolls or small buns as finger food.


Follow Newman's Own on Facebook.
Follow Newman's Own on Twitter.

When I was a child Gammon/Ham was the centre piece of every Easter celebration dinner.  It was always served cold, thinly sliced, with mustard and mashed potatoes and vegetables on the side.  In all honesty as a child, I was far too full of chocolate and candy to really get too excited about Easter dinner.  There would have been a lemon pie for dessert though and that would have gotten me plenty excited.  (Its my favourite!)

I was contacted a week or so ago by the Lizzie at Piper's Farm who wanted to know if I would like to take a look at their website and possibly try some of their products. I took a look, loved what I saw and said I would LOVE to try some of their products!

Located in the heart of Devon, Piper's Farm is a farm dedicated to the production of meat, poultry and meat products via traditional, slow growing methods, allowing the animals to reach natural maturity in a completely stress free environment. In other words, it's farming the way it used to be. Started over 20 years ago, their goal was to produce healthy meat that families could enjoy eating with complete confidence.



I am a great believer in humane farming practices, and have long held the theory and supported the ethos that happy meat is a better tasting meat.

I was quite happy to try some of their products out and the next day a package was delivered from them, right to my door. It was very well packed and arrived fresh and well chilled.

Included in the pack sent was a package of Pork Sausages, Red Ruby Rump Steaks, Smoked Back Bacon, Chicken Fillets, Pork Steaks, a Lamb and Mint Pie and a Red Ruby Steak and Mushroom Pie.



First up were the pies. My Todd is a real pie man. He just loves meat pies and I have to confess to having a certain fondness for them myself. It was very easy to tell which pie was which pie . . . the top crust was very clearly marked and a key was included so that we could figure out which mark meant what.



The Steak and Mushroom Pie was meaty and chock full of lovely chunks of tender steak and mushrooms, in a rich thick gravy.



Likewise the Lamb and Mint Pie was filled with lovely bits of lamb and carrot and a rich and flavourful gravy, with the merest hint of mint that too nothing away from the deliciousness of the Lamb.

Both pies had a beautiful crust, crisp and not at all greasy. In short, these were quite simply the best meat pies that my pie loving husband and I have ever eaten! We both fell in love with them and would buy them in an instant!



The next day we tried out the Rump Steaks. From their site: Red Ruby Beef is legendary, a native Exmoor Breed, Devon Ruby with a tight grain, good fat marbling and a real depth of flavour. I simply pan grilled the steaks, using my fool proof method and serving them with a simple pan sauce created by deglazing the skillet with some red wine and a dessertspoon of Onion Marmelade. They were delicious! See for yourself!



They were tender and well flavoured. We both really enjoyed them as well!



Next up was the sausages. All of their sausages are made using natural skins and ingredients. The ones we were sent to try were the plain Pork Sausages. Made with Pork, Oats and seasoning they were beautiful and so meaty. They were also HUGE. Todd usually can eat about 3 bangers, but he had a hard time finishing the two that I gave him. We both loved them. They were not greasy or fatty and had a wonderful flavour.



Just look at the tastiness of that sausage! We loved them! Now I want to try their Cumberland, which as you know is my favourite kind of sausage.

The next day I cooked their Pork . Their pork is saddleback pork produced from traditional breeds, grown slowly to natural maturity, and spending their summers in cider orchards munching on grass and windfalls. I know I should have just cooked it plainly, but I wanted to do something different and so I did a stir fry with it. It was delicious! I kid you not. I don't like pork that is really . . . well, porky, if you know what I mean. I don't like it to smell like a pig when I cook it. This did not.



The meat was tender, not tough. Sometimes when you cook meat quickly as in something like a stir fry the meat can be quite tough. This was perfect and we both really enjoyed it immensely!



*Stir Fried Pork and Peppers*
Serves 4, but can very easily cut in half
Printable Recipe

Spicy and sweet and scrummy yummy! Better than a take away for sure!

For the meat:
4 lean boneless pork steaks
2 ounces rice wine vinegar (1/4 cup)
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 TBS brown sugar
5 TBS olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

To finish:
3 TBS finely chopped fresh gingerroot
1 TBS sweet chili sauce
5 TBS teriyaki sauce
1 green pepper, trimmed, seeds discarded and cut into strips
1 red pepper, trimmed, seeds discarded, and cut into strips
1 yellow pepper, trimmed, seeds discarded and cut into strips
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
a small handful of flaked toasted almonds
2 TBS chopped fresh mint (Optional)

Mix together the rice wine vinegar, garlic, brown sugar, oil and salt and pepper in a bowl. Slice the pork into thin slices, across the grain. Add to the bowl and stir to coat. Set aside to marinate for half an hour.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Scoop the pork strips out of the marinade and add to the hot pan, along with the gingerroot. Cook and stir until the pork begins to turn colour. Stir together the sweet chili sauce and teriyaki sauce. Pour over top. Continue to cook and stir for a few minutes longer, until pork is cooked through. Stir in the peppers and cook, stirring frequently until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season to taste with some salt and pepper. Sprinkle with almonds and chopped mint (if using) and serve immediately.

We still had some sausages left and so I made a tasty Pork Sausage Egg Fried Rice to go along with the Stir Fry, which we also really, really enjoyed.



*Leftover Pork Sausage Fried Rice*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

A really tasty way to use up leftover cooked pork sausages and rice.

2 TBS vegetable oil
2 large free range eggs, lightly beaten
3 TBS dark soy sauce, divided
1 fat garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 TBS minced fresh gingerroot
1 bunch of spring onions, trimmed, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
4 cooked thick pork sausages, cut in quarters and sliced into chunks
2 small carrots, peeled and grated
a large handful of frozen petit pois
2 cups of cold cooked white rice
2 TBS rice wine vinegar

Heat 1 TBS of the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Measure out the soy sauce. Take 1/4 tsp of it and beat it together with the eggs. Add the eggs to the heated pan, swirling them to coat the bottom of the pan. Cook and stir until cooked through, but still moist. Scrape out of the pan and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in the pan. Add the ginger, garlic and spring onion white bits. Cook stirring constantly until fragrant. Add the sausage chunks. cook and stir to heat through and brown a bit. Add the carrots, peas and rice, stirring to combine. Add the cooked egg, remaining soy sauce and vinegar. Cook, stirring constantly, until the rice is completely coated with teh mixture. Let cook, undisturbed fora bout a minute longer, until heated through. Sprinke the green bits of the onions over top and then serve immediately.

We haven't yet tried the bacon or the chicken fillets, but if the rest of what we were given to try is any idication . . . I am sure we will be more than pleased with them as well!

All the meat sold by Pipers Farm is produced by the Grieg family on their own 50 acre farm community of about 25 small farms. They have an on farm butchery and a kitchen where they produce everything they sell including a variety of ready meals and pies. I have to say that Todd and I were very impressed with everything they sent and with the delivery service and all the information we were given. We both highly recommend and hope that you will give them a try! Many thanks to Lizzie for having given us this delicious opportunity!

Since I will have spent most of Monday sitting around in a hospital having tests of one sort or another, I knew there would not be a lot of time for cooking. In fact, this will probably be a scrambled egg or beans on toast night! I did want to give you something tasty this morning to look at.




I thought of getting something from out of my archives and then I remembered the World Food Cup that I had participated in last June, and the lovely dish I created for that, but never got to share on here.



This was a dish that I felt was a coloured commentary on British cookery, or a "pundit" as it were. My good friend Angie helped me come up with the name for it, and I couldn't think of a better one.




Here in the UK we have some of the best meat in the world . . . and why not show it off. As they say, if you've got it why not flaunt it!



This dish is a wonderful meat fest of gargantuan proportions . . . salt marsh lamb (if you can get it), meaty pork sausages, bacon chops and beautiful British rump steaks . . . all grilled to perfection and placed inside individual "plate-sized" traditional Yorkshire puddings, with a tasty garnish of grilled tomatoes and mushrooms. With true English Roasties on the side as well as some tasty cabbage, leeks and peas, this is a dish truly fit for a king!!!




*Pundit Pudding*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

The best of England, served up in your very own Yorkshire pudding bowl! Do plan ahead as the batter for the puddings needs to sit out for an hour at room temperature before baking!

4 Lamb chops, trimmed
4 Small rump Steaks
4 small bacon chops
4 thick and meaty Butcher’s pork and leek sausages
Butter, melted
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 Large Tomatoes
4 Large Mushrooms
For the Pudding:
2 large free range eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp salt
1/2 pint milk, at room temperature (1 1/3 cup)
140g plain flour (1 cup)
a little oil or dripping

Make sure all your ingredients for the pudding are at room temperature before beginning. Beat your eggs together in a large measuring jug until very light. Whisk in the milk. Sift the flour into a bowl along with the salt. Make a well in the middle and add the wet ingredients all at once, pouring them into the well, and then whisk them in, slowly incorporating the dry mixture from the sides until you have a smooth batter. Now, this is the important bit . . . COVER IT AND LET IT SIT ON THE SIDEBOARD FOR ONE HOUR.

Preheat your oven to 230*C/450*F. Place a small amount of oil or dripping into each of four medium sized pie tins. (You will want ones with a six inch base) Place the tins on two baking trays and then put them into the hot oven to heat up until the fat is hot and sizzling. Remove from the oven and quickly divide the batter amongst each muffin cup, filling them about 2/3 full. (You may not use it all.) Return to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until well risen, browned and crispy, reducing the oven temperature by 10 degrees every five minutes.

While your puddings are baking cook your meats. Preheat the grill to it’s hottest. Brush the steaks and chops with some melted butter and sprinkle with some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the sausages on a rack in a grill pan and grill for about 7 to 8 minutes, turning frequently. Add the lamb chops and the rump steaks. Continue to grill for another 5 to 7 minutes, allowing 3 to 5 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove to a heated plate and keep warm. Now grill the bacon chops, allowing 3 to 5 minutes per side. Remove to the heated plate and keep warm.

Slice the tomatoes in half and brush each half with some melted butter, along with the mushrooms. Place all beneath the grill and grill for about 5 minutes. Remove from the grill and season to taste.
Remove the crisp and fluffy puddings from the oven and tip out of the pie tins. Place each one on a heated plate, right side up. (So that it looks like a bowl) Place inside each: one lamb chop, one sausage, one bacon chop and one piece of rump steak. Garnish each with half a grilled tomato and a grilled mushroom.
Serve immediately with some crisp roasted potatoes and a green vegetable on the side. (I used lightly sautéed Savoy cabbage and leek mixed with some tender spring peas.)

Bisto Gravy and Brown Sauce are completely optional!

Number one has to be THE ROAST DINNER WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS!  This will consist of a perfectly cooked roast, be it Beef,  Chicken, Pork, or Lamb.  Also included will be perfect Roasted Potatoes, and tall and fluffy, crisp Yorkshire Puddings, or batter puddings as they are also called. 

There will also be gravy and an assortment of cooked vegetables on the side and any number of condiments such as Horseradish Sauce, hot English Mustard or Apple Sauce.  Popular vegetables are cabbage, brussels sprouts, carrots, swede (rutabaga) and peas! 

Number Two would have to be FISH AND CHIPS.  This delicious dish has been a popular meal with the British since the 19th century.  Known as a street food, even small Hamlets can boast of having their own fish and chips shop and it would not be a trip to the seaside without enjoying  a feast of fish and chips, wrapped in white paper as you sit on a bench watching the waves and beating off the sea gulls. (They love fish and chips as well.) 

The fish, which usually Cod, Haddock or Plaice is dipped in a delicious batter and deep fried. Chips are almost always hand cut and twice fried.  You will always be asked if you want salt and vinegar on them and they will lavish them with salt and malt vinegar if the answer is yes.   This is the ultimate finger food!  When enjoyed in a sit down restaurant you will often have them served with some mushy peas and or coleslaw. 

Number three - EGG & CHIPS -  Simple supper fare for the working class man, and boy does it taste good. Some crisp hot chips picked up at the local chippy, served with fried eggs and bread and butter. It doesn't really get much better than this.  

Simple, yes, but proof positive that sometimes simple can be very, very good.  You can use oven chips if you wish, but once in a while it doesn't hurt to have a real chip. (In the UK French fries are called Chips.)

Number Four, CLASSIC SHEPHERD'S PIE - The UK is famous for all of their pies, steak and kidney, chicken and mushroom, pork pies, etc. but one of the absolute most comforting of pies is this classic.   And its not really even a pie!

This is the perfect family meal and is very easy to make with a rich ground lamb and gravy filling topped with vegetables and a layer of fluffy mashed potatoes. You can top the potatoes with grated cheese if you wish.  It is cousin to the also very popular COTTAGE PIE which is made with ground beef.

Both are equally popular and incredibly satisfying. You can also use leftover cooked beef or lamb in the fillings, which is how they were originally planned to be used, as a vehicle for the leftovers from Sunday dinner.

BUBBLE AND SQUEAK  is another bonus meal created from the leftovers of Sunday lunch!  Traditionally it is a hash made with leftover gravy, potatoes, cabbage, and onions, as well as brussels sprouts during sprout season, but really . . .

You can use whatever combination of cooked vegetables you have to hand . . . carrots, peas, parsnips, beans, swede . . . it doesn't really matter . . .

 

The name comes from the way it bubbles and squeaks in the pan as it is cooking.

Number five -LANCASHIRE HOT POT.  This hearty dish hails from the North West of England and is synonymous with an era that pre-dates the Industrial revolution. Here you have layers of a hearty lamb stew and vegetables (usually carrot and onions) topped with a "thatch" of sliced potatoes.