One thing that is done extremely well over here in the UK are steamed puddings, and each area seems to have their own individual specialities. Added to that wonder, is the fact that there are not only sweet ones, but savoury ones as well.
They are all very traditional, and whilst most are made using a suet batter, occasionally you will find one which uses the extravagance of butter!
You can find a very good video here which perfectly illustrates the method of covering and steaming a pudding HERE. It's just brilliant and I couldn't explain it any better if I tried, although I do have a tendancy to use a rubber band to hold the lid on, and then I use the steamer pan that fits on top of one of my saucepans.
Savoury or sweet, there is nothing like a deliciously stodgy steamed pudding to help chase away the February blues! Here is one of our favourites.
A delicious buttery pudding filled with lots of chopped preserved ginger in syrup. We do so love ginger in this house and this tasty pudding is chock full of it's deliciously sweet heat. The sauce is also very scrummily gingery, but if you are feeling lazy you can just serve the pudding with some pouring cream.
Either way it's fabulously scrummy!!!
*Steamed Ginger Pudding with Ginger Sauce*
Serves 4
I think there has to be a ginger pudding or cake or bread recipe for just about every area in the UK. This one comes from Cornwall. It's buttery and moist and has a delicious ginger sauce to serve with it. Or, you can just be lazy and have it with cream.
For the Pudding:
4 ounces butter (1/2 cup)
4 ounces caster sugar (a generous half cup)
2 large free range eggs
6 ounces self raising flour (scant 1 1/2 cups)
3 knobs (2 ounces) preserved stem ginger in syrup, finely chopped
3 heaped dessertspoons of golden syrup
For the sauce:
300ml of whole milk (1 1/8 cup milk)
1 TBS finely grated fresh ginger
1 ounce butter (1/8 cup)
1 ounce plain flour (1/8 cup)
2 ounces caster sugar (1/4 cup)
Butter a 3 cup pudding basin. Cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, adding a TBS of the flour after each addition. Fold in the remaining flour and the chopped ginger. Spoon the golden syrup into the pudding basin. Spoon in the cake batter over top. Smooth the top and then cover with a layer of pleated greaseproof paper and another layer of pleated foil wrap. Secure with a rubber band and trim off any excess leaving about an inch belong the rubber band. Place into the top of a steamer pot over steaming water and cover. Steam for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until done. (Should be well risen and look dry on top.)
While the pudding is steaming you can make the sauce. Place the ginger in the milk and then bring to the boil. Allow to sit and infuse for about half an hour then strain off the milk, discarding the ginger. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for about a few minutes over low heat. Slowly whisk in the heated and strained milk, whisking constantly until the sauce boils and thickens. Add the sugar, stirring until it is dissolved. Keep warm.
Turn the steamed pudding out onto a pretty plate and pass the sauce seperately. Serve both warm.
It is hard to believe that I had never really eaten lamb before I moved over here to the UK. It is a meat that I have come to love very much and I have to say that here in the UK we have beautiful lamb . . . some of the best in the world.
More often than not we have lamb chops, cutlets or steaks, and occasionally I will treat us to a shoulder or a leg. All are very, very good.
Last weekend I cooked some lamb shanks for the first time and I was very pleased with the results. They were tender and full of flavour and we both really enjoyed them!
The shank is cut from the shoulder area of the animal and is actually very lean, with very little fat marbling or cut into it. Lamb can be quite a fatty meat, so this was surprising. Because it is so lean, it truly lends itself perfectly to braising in a liquid.
A long slow braising in the oven may require more patience than frying a few chops in a pan or roasting a leg, but your patience will be more than rewarded with fork tender meat and a rich and tasty gravy. Not to mention that, once it is covered and in the oven, it really requires no attention at all.
The resulting dish lends itself perfectly to being served with a delicious mound of buttery mashed potatoes . . . the absolute comfort meal!! It made my meat and potatoes loving husband a very, very happy camper indeed!
*Oven Baised Lamb Shanks*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
Tender and juicy, with a delicious gravy. Perfect comfort food served with freshly mashed potatoes!
5 lamb shanks
olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and chopped
1 large stick of celery, trimmed and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 pound of carrots, peeled and cut into sticks
1/2 pound of parsnips, peeled and cut into sticks
a handful of fresh rosemary leaves
400ml of lamb stock ( 1 1/2 cups)
400ml of chopped tinned tomatoes (1 3/4 cup)
2 star anise
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 TBS red currant jelly
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.
Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the lamb shanks and brown them on all sides. Remove and place into a large roasting dish which has a lid, with the bones sticking up. Add the onions and celery to the drippings. Cook and stir over medium heat until they begin to soften. Add the garlic, carrots, parsnips and rosemary. Cook and stir for several minutes. Add the stock, tinned tomatoes, star anise, sea salt and black pepper to taste, and currant jelly. Heat through and then pour over the lamb shanks in the roaster.
Cover tightly with the lid and put into the oven. Roast for 3 hours, until the meat is very tender. Remove the lid and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes until the meat and bone begin to brown somewhat.
Serve immediately with a nice pile of mashed potatoes. Serve one shank per person on a plate with some of the vegetables and gravy spooned over top.
One might be forgiven for thinking that this looks quite remarkable . . . boring and understated . . . plain and un-imposing . . . proof positive that you must never judge a book by it's cover . . . for if you were to . . .
Judge this particular book by it's cover . . . and give it a pass, you'd be missing something quite, quite wonderfully delicious.
For underneath that plain brown wrapper, lies one of the most beautifully moist and delicious banana loaves you could ever want to eat . . . each bite is an explosion of wonderful banana flavour, all moist and rich and buttery . . . and if you have added the toasted nuts (and I highly recommend that you do!) you have the added crunch and extra texture of something decidedly scrummy!
It's delicious sliced when cold, and spread with softened butter. It goes down a real treat, I promise you this. But . . . here's a little secret . . .
Pop some into the toaster, or under the grill, and toast it until it is gilded brown and crunchy on the edges . . . this banana loaf was one of the favourite things that the Mr at the Manor I cooked at loved me to make. He adored it for breakfast and he always wanted me to pop it into the toaster, until the edges got all toasty and crunchy and then I would spread it with butter for him . . . the butter melting into all that golden crunch. Just look at those doubly toasted walnuts . . . oh so yummy . . .
I'm sure he probably misses this loaf, along with my chocolate chip cookies and various other treats I used to bake for him. I would if I couldn't have them anymore . . . but fortunately . . . I can . . . and I do!
*Sour Cream Banana Loaf*
Makes one 9 by 5 inch loaf
Printable Recipe
Deliciously moist with a great banana flavour. I like to add toasted walnuts to mine, but you can add pecans or even chocolate chips.
4 ounces butter at room temperature (1/2 cup)
7 ounces caster sugar (1 cup)
1 tsp pure vanilla
2 large free range eggs, at room temperature
6 1/2 ounces plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 medium bananas, peeled and mashed
125ml of sour cream (1/2 cup)
Optional:
2 ounces chopped toasted walnuts or pecans (1/2 cup)
or
3 ounces chocolate chips (1/2 cup)
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark4. Butter a 9 by 5 inch loaf tin and line it with baking paper. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Whisk together the flour, soda and salt and then stir into the creamed mixture. Stir in the mashed bananas and the sour cream until combined. Stir in the nuts if using. Spoon into the prepared pan and smooth over the top.
Bake for 1 hour until well risen and firm to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Tip out of the pan onto a wire rack. Carefully peel off the paper and tip back upright. Let cool completely before cutting. Wrap airtight to store.
Note: This is lovely served at room temperature, sliced and spread with butter. Or, toast it in a toaster until the edges get crisp and golden and serve it hot and spread with butter. Delicious!
In honor of Valentine's Day for my sweetie pie I made the Toddster a Traditional Cream Tea. I do love him an awful lot and I like to spoil him whenever I can. He is really a very easy person to please and doesn't ask much of me. He truly is my sweetie pie.
You will find "Cream Teas" on offer throughout the UK, but they are truly a speciality of the SouthWest . . . Devon and Cornwall areas. I have seen Welsh Cream Teas as well as Cream Teas being offered in many other areas of the UK. In general nowadays, they are offered in Tearooms across the UK wherever someone wants to give an impression of British influence.
A traditional cream tea is comprised of two fresh scones, strawberry jam, clotted cream and a cup of hot tea. I like to use Sultana Scones. You can find my recipe for those HERE. I promise you, they are delicious!
If you don't have homemade strawberry jam or preserves (the best), then you should use a really good quality store bought variety. I like to use Bon Maman or TipTree preserves, because they have lots of lovely chunks of berries in them.
What is clotted Cream:
Rich, thick and indulgent, clotted cream is a delicious cream with the consistency of soft butter. Produced on many Dairy Farms in SouthWest England, it is made by placing un-pastuerized milk in shallow pans over indirect heat. Once warmed it is then left to cool slowly, without disturbing. The cream then rises to the surface and forms 'clots' or 'clouts. It has a nutty, cooked milk flavour, with at least 55 per cent butter fat, giving it a pale yellow colour that is often topped with a deeper yellow crust. It is an essential ingredient in a true "Cream Tea," and makes a fabulously tasty and rich filling for a sponge cake, especially when layered with fresh fruit. It also makes wonderful ice cream!
It's impossible for us to send true clotted cream over to North America because of regulations and such, but it is possible for you to make your own, if you wish. There is a long way . . . and an easy way, (which isn't really clotted cream at all, but tastes pretty good just the same)!
The long way:
Take two cups of heavy cream and heat it in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until reduced by half. It should be thick and creamy and have a golden crust on top.
The easy way:
Beat 8 ounces of cream cheese until fluffy, then whisk in 4 ounces of sour cream and 2 TBS of icing sugar. Put into a serving bowl and chill until ready to use.
We always have herbal tea with ours, because we are Mormons and don't drink regular tea, but having worked as a Chef in a Manor House for many years, I do know how to make a proper cup of tea . . .
One of the biggest complaints of English people visiting the United States is that Americans don’t know how to make "proper" tea. Here’s the proper way to do it, and it doesn't involve dipping a tea bag into a cup and covering it with boiling water . . .
You must first fill a kettle and bring it to the boil. Just before your kettle has reached boiling point, pour a little hot water into the teapot and allow it to stand for about a minute so that the pot is warm. Empty out the hot water from the nicely warmed pot and put in loose tea or tea bags, whichever you prefer.
Serve with milk, sugar and lemon wedges and let people add as they please. It is a matter of debate as to whether you add the milk to the cup before the tea, or the tea before the milk.
How to assemble your Cream Tea:
Cover your table with a pretty cloth. Set a nice tea plate and warm cup and saucer out for each person, along with a knive and a teaspoon for each. Pretty napkins are a must as well.
Put your clotted cream in a decorative bowl and your preserves in another bowl. Place a tiny spoon in each for serving. Set these out on the table, along with a china plate of fresh sultana scones and warm tea cups. Place the teapot filled with hot tea on the table as well, and then let people help themself to the scones, preserves and clotted cream. (The scones are always served at room temperature and never warm)
Each person splits their own scones in half, then covers one half with a thick dollop of clotted cream and then the other haf with a nice layer of strawberry jam. I like my cream on the bottom, but there are others that like their cream on the top! It's all a matter of personal preference and upbringing!
Pour out your hot cup of tea . . . sit back . . . and enjoy!
Ahhhh . . . Cream Teas . . . they are my only weakness . . . sigh . . .
I was recently contacted by Neil, representing The Saucy Fish Co, wanting to know if I would be interested in trying out some of their products. I'm always up for trying out new things, and we always try to eat fish a couple of times a week in our house, so I said yes, quite happily.
The Saucy Fish Co is all about serving healthy and delicious fish, but also fish that is inspired and a bit above the norm. They produce four different ranges of products:
- Foil bake bags: A range of 5 different fish and sauce combinations, in a foil packet that you can bake in your oven.
- Fish and sauce packs: Salmon, Sea Bass or Smoked Haddock, fresh fish fillets with a variety of sauces (Sun Blush Tomato, Watercress and Creme Fraiche, Chili, Lime and Ginger for the Salmon, Mustard and Dill Vinaigrette for the Smoked Haddock, and Beurre Blanc and Dil for the Sea Bass. Fresh fish fillets that you can cook in your preferred way and a tasty sauce perfectly matched to accompany them.
- Sauce Sachets: Five fresh sauces ranging from a tasty Teriaki to a Marie Rose sauce, all prepared and ready to serve with your fish.
- Saucy Centre Fishcakes: Two different tasty varieties of fish cakes, in their words - fantastic fish with a smashing sauce, the lovely, oozy, melty bit in the middle and the crumbly golden coat that'll grab your tastebuds every time. (These look fabulous!)
I was given several vouchers that I could use at Tesco's to pick up some of their products to try. After seeing the fish cakes I was really keen to try them out, but I was sorely disappointed by Tesco's. Our local store, which is really quite large, had only one product for me to try, The Salmon Fillets with a Watercress and Creme Fraiche sauce. I really would have loved to try the fish cakes, but had to make do with what was available.
This was delicious. The fish was fresh and very tasty and the sauce was gorgeous. I could taste the pepperiness of the watercress, and a light tang of the creme fraiche and an underlying richness of cream and butter. In short it was deliciously rich and went fantastically with the salmon, which I had panfried in my grill pan according to the directions below.
All that was needed was a few side dishes to make a beautifully complete meal which felt and tasted special. Todd was really impressed. On the side I made my Colcannon which went wonderfully well with the fish and sauce and a tasty mixture of peas and beans, which also went quite well.
Many thanks to Neil and The Saucy Fish Co for a beautiful meal!
Here's my tips for cooking fresh fish perfectly everytime:
*How to Cook Fish Perfectly Every Time*
Printable Recipe
Fish literally only takes a few minutes per side (depending on the thickness) of your fish filets to cook.
GRILLED:
Sturdy and fatty fish, including grouper, salmon, tuna, swordfish and shark all grill beautifully. Make sure you have a very clean grill. Oil it lightly before adding the fish, then leave the fish alone. If the grill is properly heated and prepared, the fish will develop a nice crust and release when cooked. For more delicate types of fish, such as sole, Cod or haddock, using a fish basket makes the job easier. Just be sure to remove the cooked fish from the basket as quickly as possible so that it doesn't stick, or do like Nigella and cook it on a sheet of foil on the grill. The fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork.
STEAMED:
To steam fish, place water or stock in a large saucepan and add seasoning ingredients (lemons, ginger etc.) Bring the liquid to a simmer, place the fish in a steaming basket and place over the simmering liquid. Don't let the liquid boil as this will cook the fish too quickly and it could overcook in seconds. Again the fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork.
BROILED:
Broiled fish is really tasty, especially if you season the fish well before cooking. Preheat the broiler ahead of time and then place the seasoned fish in a broiler pan, 4 to 6 inches away from the heat source. Watch carefully. Thin fillets should broil without having to be turned over, but thicker filets shoud be carefully turned halfway through the cooking time.
PAN FRIED:
Using just a light coating of oil and making sure to heat your skillet or grill pan are the surest tips for a perfectly sauteed piece of fish. Also remember to let the fish cook, without disturbing it for 2 to 3 minutes to help develop a nice crust, before turning it over. Also cook it in batches rather than overcrowding the pan. Thin fillets will cook in 2 to 3 minutes on one side and then flipped and cooked for another minute or two. Turn off the heat and allow the residual heat of the pan to finish cooking the fish. Thicker fillets will take 5 to 6 minutes on the first side and then only 4 to 5 more on the second side.
POACHED:
The fish is poached in a flavoured liquid which is called court bouillon. You can use any aromatic herb or vegetable in the poaching liquid. I like to use a mixture of vermouth, water, peppercorns and parsley stems. Do not let the poaching liquid boil. It should be barely simmering.
I wish I had a pound for every time I have made these tasty cookies. I think I'd be a millionaire! A happy millionaire too, filled up with scrummy cookies!
They are so uncomplicated and easy to make. Most simple cookies are quite easy to make actually, usually following the same pattern . . . cream the sugar and fats, beat in the eggs, and any flavourings, and then stir in the flour and leavenings. Then you either roll them out and cut with cutters, or drop them onto baking sheets and bake.
These only vary slightly in that you shape them into logs, wrap and then chill. Then you simply slice and bake as many as you want to serve up fresh. The recipe does make a lot, but then again . . . the logs freeze really well too, so you will always have a log of fresh cookies ready to bake at a moment's notice. (Simply take out about an hour before you want to slice and bake them!)
This delicious recipe has all the nutritional homey goodness of regular oats, combined with your choice of flavours.
You can cater to your own family's particular tastes and whims. Here today I have chosen to use chopped walnuts, coconut, chopped apricots and dried cranberries. But feel free to use whatever strikes your fancy.
Dried cherries and white chocolate chips are awfully good as well!
Buttery and crisp . . . and moreishly scrummy. In short . . . the perfect Oatmeal Cookie!
*Slice and Bake Oatmeal Cookies*
Makes 4 dozen
Printable Recipe
Delicious and easy to make. Buttery and scrummy. You don't have to bake them all at once. Make up the logs, wrap well, and then freeze them. All you have to do then is just pull out one log at a time when you want a dozen fresh cookies!
8 ounces butter (1 cup)
8 ounces soft light brown sugar (1 cup packed)
7 ounces white sugar (1 cup)
2 large free range eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
7 ounces regular oats (3 cups)
7.6 ounces plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
1 tsp baking soda
Optional:
1 cup of any of the following: flaked coconut, sultanas, chopped nuts,
chopped apricots, currants, dried cranberries, chocolate chips
Cream together the butter and sugars until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs, a bit at a time, along with the vanilla. Whisk together the flour and soda. Stir into the creamed mixture. Stir in the oats and any extras you wish to use. Shape into 4 logs, about 2 inches in diameter and 6 inches long. Wrap well and chill in the refrigerator until quite solid. (You may freeze at this point as well. I pop the well wrapped rolls into a plastic freezer container with a lid, cover and then freeze.)
When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Lightly grease several baking sheets. Cut the chilled rolls into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown. They will be softer at 10 minutes, and crisper at 12. It all depends on how you like them. We like them crisp.
Let sit on the baking sheets for several minutes before scooping off and onto wire racks to cool completely. Store in a tightly covered container.
I wanted to make something really special for Todd and some of our friends to help celebrate Valentines Day. I thought about chocolates, but then I decided that I would make some delicious cupcakes instead.
I was probably more than influenced by this lovely little cupcake stand I found at Lakeland . . . and the cute little pink gingham cupcake liners didn't hurt either . . . and then . . .
I saw these really pretty little pink sugar flowers . . . they were just the ticket to help decorate the tops of the cakes . . . along with some edible glitter and pink sprinkles. I just could not resist. I know . . . I'm incorrigible!
This is my favourite cupcake recipe. They always turn out moist and delicious, and are perfect for people who are not all that fond of chocolate cakes . . . people like my Todd.
Myself, I'll eat any cake . . . chocolate . . . vanilla . . . fruit . . . big, small . . . if it's cake I am there.
I'm such a glutton, albeit a loveable one. Lucky for my friends, I'm also a generous one!
*Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes with a Framboise Glaze*
Makes one dozen
Printable Recipe
Moist, buttery and delicious! I like to use a combination of vanilla and lemon extracts here to really bring out the vanilla flavour. The glaze is really a nice touch.
5.7 ounces of plain flour (1 1/3 cups)
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
7 ounces granulated sugar (1 cup)
2 ounces butter, room temperature (1/4 cup)
1 large free range egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ tsp lemon extract
4 fluid ounces buttermilk (1/2 cup)
For the glaze:
8 ounces icing sugar (2 cups)
2 TBS Framboise
sprinkles and flowers to decorate, edible glitter, etc.
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with decorative paper liners.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy and light. Beat in the egg and the vanilla and lemon extracts until mixture is smooth.
Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until almost combined. Add buttermilk and stir, again, until almost combined. Add the remainder of the flour and stir until all ingredients are well combined.
Divide batter evenly anongst the muffin cups.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean
.
Let cupcakes cool for 10 minutes and then remove from the muffin pan to a wire rack to finish cooling. Cool completely before frosting.
Whisk together the icing sugar and framboise and enough water (if needed) to make a thin spoonable glaze. Spoon over the tops of the cooled cakes. Sprinkle with edible glitter or sprinkles and decorate with flowers as desired. Store in an airtight container.
Chelsea Buns are Britain's answer to the North American cinnamon rolls. Made in a similar manner . . . but filled with butter, currants, chopped peel and mixed spice, (a mixture of sweet baking spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg,ginger, coriander and allspice.)
I have seen them with candied cherries added as well, but we prefer ours without. I've also seen them glazed with an icing sugar glaze, but . . . once again, we prefer ours much more simple than that.
These tasty buns were first created in a bakery in the Chelsea area of London, known as the Bun House back in the 18th century. Known to have been favoured by the Hanoverian Royalty (The German branch of the Royal family which preceeded the Windsors which sit on the throne today.) the Bun House has long since been torn down . . . pity that . . .
I have always shied away from making my own yeast breads. I just don't have the oomph or patience for all that kneading, but with the luxury of having a bread machine, that is not a problem these days!
While I would not place these in the same category of deliciousness as a homemade cinnamon bun . . . they are definitely not to be sneered at, and they did go down rather exceedingly well warm from the oven and smeared with some butter, along with a nice fresh cup of hot chocolate.
Next time I will add more fruit and butter in the middles though. . . coz I like lots of fruit in my buns . . . oh, umm . . . and lots of butter too. I was rather fond of the sugar nibs though, so they're staying put . . .
*Bread Machine Chelsea Buns*
Makes 18
Printable Recipe
Sometimes topped with an icing sugar glaze, we prefer ours with a plain sugar glaze. Made easy by using the bread machine for the dough part of the process.
1 tsp easybake yeast
16 ounces strong white bread flour (3 7/8 cup)
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 ounce butter, cut into small bits (1/8 cup)
2 eggs, beaten
200ml of milk (7 fluid ounces)
3 ounces currants (about 3/4 cup)
2 TBS finely chopped mixed peel
1 3/4 ounce soft light brown sugar (scant 1/4 cup)
1 tsp ground mixed spice (see recipe in right hand column)
melted butter
Glaze:
1 TBS caster sugar
1 TBS milk
crushed sugar cubes
Put the first six ingredients into the pan in your bread maker according to the instructions for your particular machine. Select the white dough setting, Press start.
When the program has finished, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surgace. Knead lightly, knocking out the air, until smooth. Keeping the countertop lightly floured, roll ou tthe dough to a roughly 22 inch by 9 inch rectangle. Mix the peel with the currants, sugar and spice. Brush the dough with melted butter and then sprinkle with the currant mixture. Roll up from the long side into a swiss roll shape. Cut into 18 equal pieces with a very sharp knife. Arrange, cut side down in two lightly buttered 7 inch square pans. Cover with buttered cling film and leave to rise until the rolls are touching and the dough feels springy.
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Remove the cling film from the rolls. Bake in the heated oven for 15 to 20 mimutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
Make the glaze by heating the milk and sugar together until the sugar dissolves. Brush the tops of the cooked rolls with this mixture and sprinkle with crushed sugar cubes. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Gently tear the buns apart to serve. We like them warm.
Whenever we take a long journey in the car, I always make sandwiches for us to take. We always make several stops at rest stops along the way . . . and the food they have on offer in these places is always expensive and not very tasty . . .
The sandwiches are usually not very well filled, bread dry, and not very interesting or tasty. It's the same thing, time and time again . . . tuna with cucumber, lacking in flavour . . . tuna or chicken with sweetcorn, same thing . . . skimpy slices of ham with a few bits of stale salad . . . chicken and stuffing, heavy on the stuffing and light on the chicken . . . etc. it goes on and on . . .
It doesn't really take much time to make your own sandwiches and they are always alot tastier than anything you can buy on the road, and a lot cheaper too!
There are a few rules I like to follow though:
- Spread any sandwich which is going to have a wet filling generously with butter, and right to the edges, so as to prevent any sogginess.
- Use a sturdy bread which will hold up to the journey and standing for several hours.
- Spread the filling generously and to the edge. Helps to prevent dry corners from being discarded in the trash later on.
- Cut in half so that you have rectangles. This shape is a lot easier to pack and a lot easier to eat out of hand.
- Wrap well in greaseproof paper (wax paper) or cling film to help keep them fresh and store in a sturdy container to help keep them from becoming crushed.
- Don't forget the napkins. If you have followed my advice and generously filled them, you will quite happily need them!
Here's two of our favourite on-the-road sandwich fillings. We both enjoy these, although I do add shredded lettuce to my tuna, placing it onto the buttered bread just before I add the filling. Todd deplores salad in his sandwiches and so . . .
You guessed it. I don't put any on his. It goes without saying that if you are taking these in the car or on a picnic, they are best eaten on the day. Don't save any overnight that you haven't eaten on the day for the next day. Bad, bad idea, unless you have been brilliant enough to store them in a well chilled cooler.
*Ham Salad Filling*
Makes 2 or 3, depending on how generous you are with your filling
Printable Recipe
Savoury chopped ham, combined with some crunch, and tasty bits.
1 (200g) tin of cooked ham
(or 200g of cooked ham, chopped finely)
1 TBS good quality mayonnaise (I use Hellman's)
1 heaped tsp of Dijon mustard
(if you like extra texture, use a grainy one)
1 TBS sweet pickle relish
1 TBS chopped gerkhins
1 spring onion, trimmed and chopped
freshly ground black pepper
Bread (choose a sturdy one)
softened butter
Mix together all of the sandwich ingredients. (Ham, mayo, mustard, pickle relish, gerkhins and onion.) Taste and add pepper as required. Butter your slices of bread to the edges with softened butter. Spread half of the slices with the filling and top with the rest. Cut in half to serve.
If taking out, wrap well and then store in a sturdy container.
*Tuna Salad Filling*
Makes 2 or 3 depending on how generous you are with your filling.
Printable Recipe
Tasty tuna with some crunch and savoury bits.
1 (200g tin) of albacore tuna in spring water, drained and flaked
1 TBS of lemon pepper salad cream
1 TBS of good quality mayonnaise (I use Hellman's)
1 TBS sweet pickle relish
1 stick of celery, finely chopped
1 heaped TBS of finely chopped red onion
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Bread (choose a sturdy one)
softened butter
Mix together all of the sandwich ingredients. (drained tuna, salad cream, mayonnaise, pickle relish, celery, and red onion) Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Butter your slices of bread to the edges with softened butter. Spread half of the slices with the filling and top with the rest. Cut in half to serve
If taking out, wrap well and then store in a sturdy container.
Don't forget the napkins!
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