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!

I popped into the local Tesco store the other day for a loaf of bread and a quart of milk and ended up walking out with a bag filled with berries and clotted cream.



You know those recipe cards that grocery shops have scattered here and there throughout the store??? Well, this one in particular caught my eye, and there was nothing for it but to pick up the ingredients and make it when I got home!



Of course theirs looked a lot better than mine did when it was done. (That's their picture up at the very top) It tasted fabulous though!



Every mouthful was rich and buttery and very fruity!



Of course Todd had extra cream on top of his . . . he is so lucky. He can eat whatever he wants and never gains an ounce . . . me . . . well this spoonful you see here below . . . that was all I had of it. I didn't dare have anymore than this. It was soooooo good!




*Berry Slump with Clotted Cream*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe

Scrummy fruit dessert topped with clotted cream and a tasty batter.

1 (250g) punnet of blueberries ( 1/2 pound)
1 (250g) punnet of blackberries (1/2 pound)
2 (150g) punnets of raspberries (1/2 pound plus 1/8 pound)
2 TBS sugar

For the topping:
3 1/2 ounces butter (1/4 cup plus 3 TBS)
5 ounces self raising flour (1 generous cup)
3 1/2 ounces sugar (1/2 cup)
few drops vanilla
150ml of milk (3 fluid ounces)
1 (227g) tub of clotted cream (1 cup)
1 TBS demerara sugar

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Tip all the berries into a 2 1/2 pint baking dish. Sprinkle with the 2 TBS of sugar. Place into the oven while you make the topping.

Put the butter, flour and sugar into a food processor, along with the vanilla and enough milk to make a soft spoonable consistency, without making it too runny.

Take the dish of fruit out of the oven and spoon dollops of clotted cream on top of the berries. Spoon the batter over top of the clotted cream. Sprinkle with the demerara sugar. Bake for 25 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the berries are bubbling.

I just love the Malteaser adverts, but then . . . I love Malteasers and I am a bit naughty! But in a nice way, or at least I think I am!



I think there's only about 11 calories in a Malteaser . . . the candies, not the brownies. I don't dare hazard a guess as to how many are in one of these brownies, but it's ok to indulge yourself once in a while, as long as it's not every day.



I have one son who swears he is allergic to Malteasers . . . I don't really think he is. He got a tummy bug one time after eating a whole carton full, and swears it was the Malteasers that made him sick. I never bothered to correct him . . . more Malteasers for me. ☺



These are really delicious golden malt flavoured brownies, filled with toasted walnuts and scrummy little bits of melted malteasers, at once milk chocolatey and chewy crunchy. Topped with your favourite chocolate buttercream frosting and more malteasers and some chocolate sprinkles, they go down a real treat with the teens and younguns.



Ok . . . confess . . . us olduns love em too!



*Malteaser Brownies*
makes 16 naughty bars
Printable Recipe

Only one word for these tasty babies. Scrummy!

75g chopped walnuts (3/4 cup), toasted
175g plain flour (1 12 cups)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 generous TBS of malted milk powder
pinch of salt
175g of softened butter (3/4 cup)
225g of soft light brown sugar (1 cup)
3 large free range eggs, beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
75g malteasers (2 1/2 ounces milk chocolate coated malted milk balls)
halved

To finish:
Your favourite chocolate buttercream icing
milk and white chocolate malteasers
assorted chocolate sprinkles

Preheat the oven to 170*C/325*F, gas mark 3. Butter a 9 inch square baking tin. Line with parchment paper. Butter the paper. Set aside.

Put the butter and sugar into a bowl. Cream together until light and fluffy. Beat in the beaten eggs a little at a time, making sure each addition is well mixed in. Stir in the vanilla.

Whisk together the flour, soda, baking powder, malted milk powder and salt. Fold into the creamed mixture until well incorporated. Stir in the halved malted milk balls and walnuts. Spoon into the prepared baking tin, smoothing over the top.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until well risen and golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Allow to cool completely in the pan.

Once completely cold, spread the top with the chocolate buttercream. Cut into 16 squares and decorate as you wish with malteasers and chocolate sprinkles.

I recently received a gift certificate for Amazon.uk from the Fairy Hobmother so that I could buy anything I wanted to treat myself with. It was no surpise that I got myself several cookbooks. I know . . . I didn't really need them, but I do love my cookbooks and I am of the opinion that you can never really have too many! (Shhh Todd!)



Anyways, this was one of the ones I got and I fell completely in love with it. I have long been a fan of Bonne Maman conserves and compotes and so I was intrigued with the idea of a whole cookery book devoted to using them in a variety of ways!



This tasty book is a very appealing collection of 88 delicious looking "Seasonal" recipes for sweet and savoury dishes. The pictures are mouth watering, and I can tell you I have quite a few ear marked for trying out . . . recipes like Herby Lamb with Woodland Dressing, Lemon and Wild Blueberry Swirl Cake, Roasted Potato Salad with Apricot Chilli Mayonnaise, and this tasty one here for Crispy Crumbed Romano Peppers!




There are extra tips and suggestions included with many of the recipes; and there’s a special section with clever ideas for using the very last teaspoon from the jar.



There are also lots of inspirational ideas, beautifully illustrated, on how to use the iconic jars creatively. Things like attractive storage for cooking spices, seed packets, buttons and cotton reels, novel Christmas candle holders or chic summer cordial glasses . . . included are many wonderful and imaginative suggestions on how to use the timeless jars and make a stunning style statement.



I guess you can tell that I am well pleased with this book. The peppers turned out fabulous. It seems quite an unusual combination . . . beautiful romano peppers stuffed with a mixture of golden onions, chopped capers, and blueberry jam . . . then topped with a goats cheese and egg topping, rolled into crispy bread crumbs and then roasted until the peppers are meltingly soft and delicious. As odd as the ingredients may sound, they really do work together wonderfully!!



*Crispy Crumbed Romano Peppers*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Beautifully roasted romano peppers, stuffed with a delicious mixture of onions, capers, blueberry jam and goats cheese, and then rolled in panko crumbs and baked. Scrummy yummy!

2 large spanish onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 TBS butter
4 TBS wild blueberry conserve
2 TBS capers, drained and coarsely chopped
4 TBS tomato puree (tomato paste)
2 X 200g packs of Romano peppers (4 peppers)
2 large free range eggs, beaten
4 ounces soft goats cheese
8 TBS dried white bread crumbs or panko

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line a baking sheet with some baking parchment. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a large skillet until foaming. Add the onions and reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 15 minutes. Stir in the blueberry conserve and tomato puree. Set aside to cool.

Slit the peppers along one side of each. Open out just a little, remove any seeds and discard. Divide the onion mixture between each pepper. Beat half of the egg mixture into the goats cheese. Spread this mixture over top of the onion filling in the peppers.

Put the breadcrumbs into a shallow dish. Brush the outside of the peppers with the remaining egg, then roll in the bread crumbs, patting lightly to help them adhere.
Place onto the prepared baking sheet.

Roast in the heated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the peppers are tender and the cheese is golden brown.

 




This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com 

Not sure why I did it . . . I really should have known better, but . . . the other day when I was in the grocery store, I succumbed to temptation and purchased two punnets of red plums, simply because they were on offer for £1.



Todd and I love red plums . . . so sweet and juicy. These were not, of course, and even a few days of sitting in a paper bag on the counter top didn't help. Destined never to fully ripen . . . as so often happens when you cave in and buy fruit out of season.

There was nothing else to do but to use them for cooking.



I decided to make a delicious Plum Crumble Tart with them. I like this particular recipe because I am rather lazy at times and it didn't involve rolling out pastry or chilling pastry.



The crust for this particular tart is rather like a lovely hazelnut cookie that kind of cradles the cooked plums . . . which, after baking, become all sweet and sticky, and then of course there is the added pleasure of more of the hazelnut crust scattered and crumbled over the top.



Moreishly delicious and the pefect way to use up a couple punnets of plums that were never going to be any good for eating out of hand. All was not lost and I redeemed myself, I think . . .

Todd just loves his Banger's and Mash. If I want to make him happy, that's all I have to cook up. He could eat them more than once every week!



I do think they have lovely sausages over here in the UK. . . well the best quality ones at any rate. The el cheapo ones are just plain nasty . . . but you could say the same thing about cheap sausages anywhere in the world. Full of fat and fillers, they are just horrible. There's no denying it.



But there is nothing tastier or more beautiful than a really good Butcher's sausage. I've said it before and I'll say it again . . . you can tell a good Butcher by the quality of his sausages!! We've got the best here in town, I think. R & J Dodd . . . there, I said it!



I picked up a pound of his lovely Pork and Chive sausages yesterday and I wanted to do something special with them, without destroying Todd's fancy . . . you know the old Banger's and Mash thing.



Anyhoo . . . I took the premise and I ran with it, glazing the sausages in a deliciously sticky sweet, fruity and spicy glaze and pimped the mash up with some chives and buttermilk. I love taking the boundaries of the traditional and stretching them!



Todd thoroughly enjoyed. Mission accomplished. He didn't even miss the Bisto.



*Sticky Bangers with Buttermilk and Chive Mash*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This ain't yo mama's bangers and mash!

1 pound good quality butcher's sausages
2 dessert spoons of mango chutney
2 dessert spoons of apricot preserves
2 dessert spoons of grainy Dijon mustard

For the mash:
2 pounds floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
( a maris piper, or a russet type of potato)
2 ounces milk (1/4 cup)
2 ounces butter (1/4 cup)
4 to 6 ounces of buttermilk (1/2 to 3/4 cup)
1 bunch of chives, finely chopped
salt and black pepper

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add about a TBS of oil or less, just enough to coat the pan and allow it to heat up. Add the sausages in one layer, reduce the heat to medium and cook, turning frequently, until nicely browned all over and cooked through, about 20 minutes.

In the meantime place the potatoes into a pot of lightly salted water and bring to the boil. Cook until fork tender and then drain well. Place back into the saucepan and shake over the residual heat of the burner to dry out. Mash well with a potato masher. Beat in the milk, butter and buttermilk until ight and fluffy. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the chives. Keep warm.

Stir together the mango chutney, preserves and mustard. Turn up the heat under the pan of sausages. Pour the mango mixture over top. Heat to a boil and cook for about 5 to 10 minutes, until the sausages are lightly glazed and sticky, but not burnt. Remove from the heat.

Divide the sausages and the mash amongst 4 heated plates and serve immediately along with your favourite vegetable. (Todd likes peas and carrots. He's so predictable!)