This is my last meat posting for a while. We don't normally eat that much meat in our house, so this week was surely the exception.  As I will soon be going away for a while, I wanted to make sure I had tried out all of the meat products sent to me by Westin Gourmet before I go.  I still have some steaks to try out, but I'm going to be taking a bread from meat this weekend and my next post should have some tasty Easter Goodies for you to eyeball and maybe even bake this weekend!

 

One of the things I was sent was Veal Meatballs.   I avoided veal for many years, having seen film on the telly of  veal calves being force fed, etc.  and spending the whole of their short lives tied up in a very small space . . . it just wasn't something I wanted a part of or to support in any way.

From the Westin Gourmet page:

Our High Welfare British grain fed veal has a subtle yet sublime flavour and a healthy pale pink colour which is indicative of high welfare veal. High in protein, low in calories and very low in fat, veal is an extremely healthy choice. 
All of our veal products come from Brookfield Farm in Tarrant Valley in Dorset One of the UK's leading ethical veal producers, they recently won the Sourcing Honours Award for their High Welfare English Veal at the Health & Vitality Honours.
Proud owners of a Good Calf Commendation from Compassion in World Farming Brookfield's are committed to sustainable farming and animal welfare so you can be confident that the animal led a happy, healthy life.
The RSPCA are also actively supporting High Welfare British Rose veal production awarding all of our veal products the prestigious Freedom Food Certification.

 

It all sounds pretty good and ethical to me.  I thought about what I was going to do with them for a few days and a few thoughts went through my mind . . . meatball subs, kept coming up to the forefront of my thinking and then I remembered a Meatball Sub Casserole I had made once when my children were growing up and how much they enjoyed it, and then I thought . . . Meatball Sub Pizza!  Why not!  I love pizza!

 

The veal meatballs were tender and delicious.  Not dry, but very moist, and yet, not in the least bit greasy.  In short I felt they would be perfect for what I had in mind.



I used the basic pizza crust that I always make from scratch.  It makes the type of crust that we like, not too thick, not too thin . . . but with a nice crisp edge.



I rolled it out and then baked it for a few minutes before doing anything else to it so that it would not get soggy when I spread it with my special meatball casserole cheese/mayo spread/topping.   I spice it with Italian Seasoning, which can be hard to find over here in the UK, but if you look over in my right hand side bar, about halfway down the page you'll find a great recipe to make your own.

 

After the mayo/cheese spread, I topped the pizza with two kind of cheese and the meatballs evenly spaced on top of the cheese.  I then drizzled each meatball with some of my special pizza sauce and sprinkled the whole thing with some nicely grated Parmesan cheese, and then I popped it into the oven.



The end result was a pizza that was deliciously different and that we both enjoyed a lot!  I am beginning to think that the Toddster actually really does like pizza . . . or maybe I am just wearing him down and he's decided if you can't beat them you just might as well join them!  I do hope you will give this a try, and if you can't get veal meatballs I am sure any meatball would work just fine.  I'm just saying that these Veal Meatballs were spectacularly delicious!

Some of the meat which was sent to me recently by the Westin Gourmet people was some of  their Steak Mince. You would have to have been living under a rock in recent months not to know about the great debacle here in the UK which was the horse-meat scandal.  Hundreds and thousands of minced beef products, ready meals, etc. was contaminated . . . some as much as 100% with horse-meat.  It was not a very proud moment for the processed food industry here in the UK.  Some was also found to be contaminated with pork, which would be very upsetting to someone whose religion forbids them from eating pork.  Facts aside . . . we, as consumers, have every right to know exactly what we are buying.

If we want to eat horse meat, that's fine, but again . . . it should be our choice.  All the more reason for us to be buying our meat from butchers that are able to good meat at an excellent value, fairly priced, responsibly sourced and completely traceable, with checks in place so that this type of thing doesn't happen.

A lot of the contamination was in ready meals . . . frozen lasagne's, beef burgers etc.   The type of food that a lot of families purchase because it is inexpensive, quick and easy to prepare for the working mom or latch key kid, and normally the type of thing which the grocery shops will have on offer. 

I don't think you have to buy this kind of thing for your family though.  With a bit of preparation and planning, you can make your own ready meals for in the freezer, at a fair price and 100% assurance that what you are putting on the dinner table is exactly what you want to put down in front of your family.

The Westin Gourmet Guarantee:
We are so confident that our gourmet meats are the lowest priced (per KG) in the industry that we will guarantee to refund you the difference should you find our meaty cuts available anywhere else at a cheaper price!

Sounds pretty good to me!

Westin Gourmet Steak mince comes from free grazed and grass fed British Cattle.  Lean and delivered to your door fresh, so that you can cook it or freeze it as you choose.  It's lean and healthy too.   I did not have to drain any fat from mine today when I cooked up several meals from it.  It was pretty good stuff and depending on how much you buy, it can cost you as little as 85p per serving.  The last time I looked at steak mince in our local grocery shop, they wanted £4 on special for about a 4 serving size packet, and that was on special, for the lean.  You can get the regular for less, but you end up pouring half of it away in fat and where is the saving in that??? 

 

I think it's very easy to make your own ready meals at home on your day off with not a lot of effort and fairly economically . . . and you'll know that you are feeding your family properly.



*Basic Lasagne*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe

You can easily prepare this in two separate casseroles, cooking one for now and freezing one for later.  It's also very easy to divide it into 8 single serving metal tins so that you have 8 lasagne ready meals ready and in the freezer for when you need them.

1 lb lean minced steak
3 cups tomato and basil pasta sauce
1 package of no bake fresh lasagne noodles
1 container  of no fat cottage cheese (about 1 cup)
1 TBS parsley flakes
salt and black pepper
1 large free range egg, beaten
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed and divided
260g of grated Mozzarella Cheese (2 cups)
120g of grated cheddar cheese (1 cup)
90g of finely grated Parmesan Cheese (1/2 cup)
1 jar of white lasagne sauce (bechamel, about 2 cups)



Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Crumble in the beef and scramble fry until it is no longer pink.  Stir in some seasoning, 1 of the cloves of garlic and the tomato and basil pasta sauce.   Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.  Set aside.

Stir together the cottage cheese, parsley flakes, beaten egg, the remaining clove of garlic, 1/4 of the Parmesan cheese and some seasoning.  Set aside.

Mix the remainder of the cheeses together.  Set aside.

Pre-heat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.   Spray one 9 by 13 inch baking dish, or two 8 inch square dishes, or 8 small deep tinfoil pans with some nonstick cooking spray.

Spoon a portion of meat sauce (1/3) into the bottom of each to cover lightly.  Cover with lasagne noodles.  Cover with another portion of sauce (1/3) and half of the grated cheeses.   Cover with another layer of lasagne noodles.   Spoon the cottage cheese mixture over top of the noodles.  Cover with the remainder of the meat sauce and most of the remaining cheese mixture, reserving a handful for the end.   Add a final layer of noodles.  Spoon the bechamel over top to cover.  Sprinkle with the remainder of the cheese and the remaining Parmesan cheese.

Cover and bake for about 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.  Let stand for about 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.

If freezing, do not bake.  Simply place into the dish (s) as required, wrap tightly and freeze for up to six months.   To cook, thaw out over night and pop into the oven , cooking as above.  If you are doing single servings it will not take as long.

You can also cook your mince up into sauces and chili to freeze, ready to be thawed and cooked up for your family.

This is an unusual version of Spaghetti Bolognaise that we like here in this house.  You can multiply the amounts and freeze in family size containers ready for use when you need them.   If you remember to take it out in the morning, by the time you return to the house in the evening in the time it takes you to cook the spaghetti and heat the sauce, dinners ready!



 *Not Your Mama's Spag Bol*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

This is a different sort of a twist that I put on good old Spaghetti Bolognaise. In truth, I love this even more than regular Spag Bol! I just can't get enough of it!

1 TBS olive oil
16 ounces extra lean beef mince
1 small onion, peeled and grated
1 fat clove of garlic, peened and crushed
2 green chilies, seeded and finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 envelope of Taco seasoning mix
(I use Discovery)
1 (420g) tin of chopped tomatoes
14 ounces of beef stock
6 ounces tomato puree
1 (420g) tin of black beans, drained and rinsed
12 ounces of uncooked spaghetti
Toppings:
Sour cream, Shredded cheddar cheese, chopped or finely sliced red onion

Place the olive oil into a large saucepan and heat. Once it is hot add the beef mince. Cook and stir until it is completely browned. Add the onion, garlic, chilies, salt, cumin and taco seasoning mix and continue to cook and stir until the onion, garlic and peppers are soft. Add the chopped tomatoes, beef stock, and tomato puree. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Gently stir in the beans and cook for a further 5 minutes.

In the meantime bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain well and divide amongst hot serving plates. Top each with a portion of the sauce and pass the toppings!!

This chili recipe below calls for chopped steak, but you can use steak mince if that's what you have.  Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!



  

*The Best Chili Ever*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe

You can't beat a big tasty bowl of red. This is rich and flavourful and rib stickin' good!

1 TBS oil
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
3 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
4 green chilies, trimmed, seeded and chopped (or to taste)
1 pound of extra lean beef mince
1 pound of beef sirloin, trimmed and cut into small cubes
1 (400g) tin of chopped tomatoes in juice
1 tomato tin measure of dark ale
1 tomato tin measure of beef broth
250ml (1 cup) dark strong coffee
2 heaped dessertspoons of tomato puree
3 1/2 TBS tomato ketchup
2 ounces soft light brown sugar
1 TBS ground cumin
1 TBS cocoa powder
(not hot chocolate drink mix)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp mild chili powder, or to taste
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp fine seasalt
4 (400g) tins of kidney beans, drained and rinsed

To serve:
Chopped onion
grated strong cheddar cheese

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and chilies. Cook and stir until soft. Add the meats. Cook, stirring, til browned. Stir in the cumin, cocoa powder, oregano, chili powder, coriander and sea salt. Mix in well. Stir in the tomatoes, ale, beef broth, coffee, tomato puree and brown sugar. Add the beans. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally over low heat for about 2 hours, til nice and thick and rich. Serve hot with some chopped onion and cheddar cheese sprinkled over the top. Delicious!

You can freeze it in little single serving tubs, then thaw out and eat when you feel like chili!

Many thanks once again to Westin Gourmet for sending me their delicious steak mince.  I hope that I have been able to show you all here today that you can have some really tasty good meals ready to use in the freezer with very little effort and not a lot of time, and not a lot of money.  You can't put a price on the satisfaction and assurance that comes from knowing you are feeding your family wisely and decently.

 We've eaten so much meat over these past few days, I thought I would take a break from it for a day or so!  We don't normally eat much meat, but I am not complaining, as it has been fabulous meat and I am very grateful for the opportunity to try it out!

Today I baked us a delicious vegetable casserole, using potatoes, onions and cauliflower.   It's like a version of cauliflower cheese without the creamy sauce.  Don't get me wrong, I do love me some cheese sauce now and again, but I thought this would be just a tad bit lighter after all the rich food we've been eating lately.

I can't take credit for the idea.  I adapted  it from the Martha Stewart site.  It looked really good and I thought it would be something we would both really enjoy.  I added the onion, because cheese and onion go very well together and I thought it would be delicious.

I was right.  It was.   It's so simple to make too . . . boiled potato, cauliflower and onion, layered with cheese and thyme, with a bit of stock added.  You could use vegetable stock and vegan cheese if you wanted to keep it totally vegetarian.

We both really enjoyed it and the leftovers tasted even better.  But then again . . . that's usually the case.  Leftovers always taste even better than the main meal . . . 

In any case this went down a real treat served as a main course for two along with slices of buttered brown bread, some pickled beets,  and some salad on the side.

*Cheese and Onion, Potato and Cauliflower Bake*
Serves 4 as a side, or 2 as a main
Printable Recipe

Deliciously different than the usually creamy sauced potato bake.  This is fabulous and very easy to make.

2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/2 of a small cauliflower, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 medium onion, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
8 ounces of grated strong cheddar cheese (2 cups)
2 tsp dried thyme
freshly ground black pepper
salt
80ml of chicken stock (about 1/3 cup)
butter to dot the top


Place the potatoes into a pot of cold lightly salted water, with plenty to cover.  Bring to the boil.  Add the sliced onion and cauliflower, and cook at a fast simmer for 8 to 10  minutes, just until the potatoes are tender.  Drain carefully and set aside for about 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 6.  Butter a shallow casserole dish.   Layer half of the potatoes in the bottom, all of the onion and half of the cauliflower.   Season with a good grinding of black pepper and half of the thyme.   Top with half of the cheese.  Top with the remaining potatoes and cauliflower.   Grind some more pepper over top and the remainder of the thyme.  (Salt only if you think you will need it.  I never do.)  Pour the chicken stock over top, cover with the remaining cheese and dot with butter.

Bake in the heated oven for 20 to 25  minutes until golden brown and bubbling.  Serve hot.

Do yourself a favour and make this as soon as!  You will NOT regret!  Bon appetit! 

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 Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again! 

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As you all know I am awfully fond of cookbooks.   My motto is you can never have too many of them. Todd would disagree . . . but what does he know?   His idea of cooking is holding a tin in one hand and a pot in the other.    I have noticed that whilst he might balk at the amount of cookery books I have . . . he never complains about the recipes I cook from them.   He's always more than happy to chow down!

I was recently sent this beautiful cookery book Sicily published by Phaidon.   It's a pretty hefty book, containing more than 50simple  recipes from the Silver Spoon restaurant in Sicily, this book is much more than a mere cookery book.  Personally I found it completely fascinating and I learned a lot about Sicily that I hadn't known before.

I always thought of Sicily as being not much more than an Island at the tip of Italy's boot, but I didn't know a lot about it.  I just always thought of it as being Italian, but it turns out it is so much more than that.

It is a unique cuisine which can boast influences from Neolithic migrants from Africa and the Arab Peninsula, Greeks and the Romans.

 

This book is divided into the different areas of Sicily, with a variety of recipes representing each area . . . some 9 different spots and chapters in all . . .



As you can see from the map, each area has their own individual variety of cuisines, depending on the cultures of the people which have settled there and the raw ingredients which are in abundance.  Sicily has a unique and varied landscape, comprised of lush and fertile mountains and valleys, arid desert-like plains and a wonderful coastline filled richly with a variety of sea life.  Altogether this makes for a delicious mosaic of cultures and cuisines.



The book is filled with beautiful photographs which read like a travelogue of this beautiful Island . . . representing each area wonderfully.   I really enjoyed seeing them and reading about the cuisine of each area.



It truly is a beautiful spot.  Earlier this year Todd and I had planned on doing a Mediterranean Cruise and Sicily was going to be one of the spots we stopped at.  Unfortunately we had to cancel it and so this book has truly allowed me to see this beautiful Island in a unique and interesting way.  It is a wealth of information about the climate, the people, the landscape and the food.

 

Beautiful fresh produce such as these lovely peppers . . . and lemons



Beautiful olives, fresh sardines, pasta, pizzas, tomatoes, aubergines, chocolate, anchovies, capers, cheeses, shrimps, swordfish, garlic, fennel, oranges, pistachio nuts . . . there is no end to the variety and quantity of ingredients which make Sicilian food so beautifully tasty, and this book so fabulous.



One of the recipes in this book is called Pasta Con I Mascolini, or Pasta with anchovies.   It looks delicious, absolutely delicious . . . of course as you know the Toddster doesn't like pasta, but he does love pies . . .



I was able to bake him this delicious Chicken Pie, Pasticcio Di Pollo. which he really enjoyed.   It was a fabulous mix of chicken, pistachios, almonds, capers, lemon and Parsley and a beautiful crust which was quite unique in that it used eggs, butter, lard and Marsala wine.  Totally delicious. 



Beautiful sauces such as this Salmoriglio sauce, or Salsa Salmoriglio, consisting of simple ingredients . . . olive oil, lemons, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper.  Said to go very well with fish, especially sword fish.





Pomodori Ripieni Fritti, Fried stuffed tomatoes.  These look gorgeous and I can hardly wait for tomato season so I can get stuck into some of them.  Have I ever told you how much I love tomatoes??  Well, I adore tomatoes and these look fabulously delish!

But there is not just savory things in this book . . . there is also plenty of sweetness to be found with recipes for these beautiful sounding sweet fritters called Sfinci, served with a citrus syrup,  Panzerotti di ricotta (sweet ricotta pastries), an assortment of ices, granitas, a sweet coffee jelly and sweet biscuits like these  lovely  Convent Biscuits, or Biscotti Del Convento.  (Did you know I love Biscotti?  You do now!)



Altogether this is a beautifully presented hard covered book, with gorgeous pictures, a wealth of information about Sicily and delicious sounding recipes.

 

There are also two great bookmarks included which come in very handy for making note of what you want to make.  I hate picking a recipe to make and then having to search to find it because I have lost my place.  These bookmarks get rid of that problem.  If I had any criticism at all about the book it would be that some of the ingredients are not readily available here where I live at my local grocery stores, although I am sure I would be able to procure them at specialty shops, or with my knowledge of cookery and flavours . . . I could probably quite easily substitute them with something else.

If you are looking for a nice book, with some beautiful recipes, fabulous pictures and which is a feast for the eyes as well as the palate, you could not go far wrong in getting this book.  Many thanks to the people at Phaidon for sending it to me.



There's all you need to know in that picture there.   Available now.

 

A part of the order of meat which arrived last Thursday from  the Westin Gourmet people was a delicious looking Mini  Beef Roasting Joint.  Weighing in at just over a pound, it is calculated to serve two people generously, with leftovers.  

Westin Gourmet meat is sourced from the best suppliers.  Their beef is grass fed and butchered responsibly and traceable right from the cow in the field and on to your plate.  You cannot ask for much better than that.



I used the recipe which I normally use to roast my beef, cutting back the cooking time considerably as it was a much smaller roast.  In all it took 1 hour from putting it into the oven to resting time.

 

As you can see it was perfectly cooked just the way that we like it, medium rare in the centre.   Of course if you like your meat more well done than that you can cook it for longer, but it has been my experience that over cooking beef toughens it . . . cooked this way it is juicy and tender.

It made for a delicious Sunday Roast dinner and yielded plenty of meat for the two of us and some very generous leftovers.



*Perfect Roast Beef*
Printable Recipe

This is more of a technique than it is a recipe. There is a lot more to cooking a roast than just banging into an oven. Whilst it is also very simple to cook, there is a proper way to do it and helps and tips that can produce the perfect roast every time. (if you follow them!) First of all, allow approximately 350g or 12 ounces of meat per portion.

8 to 10 pound wing, rib or strip loin roast of beef
2 TBS prepared English Mustard
1 TBS maple syrup
4 TBS water
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 TBS of beef dripping

I think it's best to cook meat always from room temperature so plan ahead and take your meat out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you plan on cooking it. Pre-heat your oven to 250*C/480*F.

Mix together the water, mustard and maple syrup. Massage this mixture into the meat on all sides. This concoction will help to flavour and colour your meat. (Trust me here.) After you have massaged most of it in, or as much as you can, season your meat liberally all over with the salt and pepper. The fat will largely wash off a large portion of it so more is better. Always season just prior to cooking it as well, to prevent the salt from drawing out the blood and juices.

Heat a heavy based roasting tray over high heat with the dripping inside. (If you have no dripping a knob of butter will do.) Once the fat is hot, lower the beef into it to commence the browning process, lightly browning it on all sides.

Lower the oven temperature to 220*C/425*F. Roast the beef in it for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and baste with the pan juices. Lower the temperature to 180*C/350*F. Return the beef to the oven and roast for a further 15 minutes per pound of beef, plys an extra 15 minutes. The end result will be a perfectly cooked joint, pink in the middle without being overdone.

Once the meat is cooked allow a further 30 minutes resting time in a turned off oven or a warm place.

This resting time is very important. This helps the juices and the temperature of your meat to stabilize and relax, which helps to make the meat much more succulent and easier to carve. When you cut into hot meat alot of the delicious juices escape, and we really don't want that.

I often roast my meat on a bed of root vegetables . . . chunky carrots, parsnips, onions. This helps to raise the meat above the fat in the roasting tin and prevents it from frying instead of roasting, not to mention it gives a lovely flaour to the juices and the gravy!

To make a delicious gravy, add some liquid to the pan, once the meat has been removed and set aside to warm. (leave the vegetables in the pan) Your liquid can be some beef stock, or even a bit of red wine. It's your choice. Cook and stir, scraping up from the bottom to get all your brown bits etc. Strain this into a saucepan, removing all the solids. Skim any fat off of the top. I then shake some flour together with some water in a jar until it's smooth and I strain this back into the pan juices in the saucepan. I then cook it over medium heat, stirring constantly until it thickens. Leave to cook over low heat for at least five minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place in a gravy boat and pass with the meat

With the leftovers I was able to make a delicious cottage type of pie for our supper on Monday, and with all of the vegetables and topping, it was ample enough to feed four people, which makes it very thrifty.



*Monday Night Meat Pie*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

A delicious casserole cottage pie made from your Sunday leftovers.

For the mash topping:
4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
a small quantity of warm milk
a knob of butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
60g of grated strong cheddar (1/2 cup)
3 spring onions, trimmed and chopped

For the filling:
olive oil
1 1/2 cups of finely chopped leftover cooked roast beef
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium carrot peeled and finely chopped
1 lump of swede, peeled and finely chopped
(alternately you can use leftover cooked carrot and swede, chopped)
a handful of frozen peas or leftover cooked peas
1 generous cup of leftover gravy
1 dessert spoon of tomato ketchup
1 dessert spoon of barbeque sauce
a splash of Worcestershire sauce
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp dried thyme or summer savory
a splash of balsamic vinegar



Put the potatoes into a pot of lightly salted water.  Bring to the boil and cook until fork tender.  Drain well and then shake the pot over the residual heat of the burner to dry them out.  Mash well along with some warm milk and a knob of butter.   Stir in the cheese and spring onions.  Season to taste.  Set aside.

Heat a bit of olive oil in a large skillet.  Add the chopped onion, shallot and garlic.  Cook, stirring frequently until they have softened.  Add the chopped beef, carrot, swede and peas.  Season to taste with some salt and pepper and the thyme or summer savory.  Add the tomato ketchup, barbeque sauce, gravy, Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar.  Bring to the boil, then reduce to a quick simmer, cover and cook until the vegetables are tender and you have a thick mixture.  Spread this mixture into the bottom of a casserole dish.  Dollop the cheese and spring onion mash over top of the hot meat mixture.

Bake in a preheated 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5 oven until the filling is bubbling and the mash is golden brown.  Serve hot.

 

And I also got two hot roasted beef sandwiches for a hearty lunch . . . I simply heated leftover thinly sliced roast beef in some strong beef boullion and then layered it onto toasted buns which I had spread with horseradish sauce and topped it with some strong cheddar.  And I can tell you . . . it was twice as delicious as it looks!  Nom! Nom!

So far I have been more than pleased with the products I have received from Westin Gourmet.   Everything has been of fantastic quality and what makes me happiest is I know where it came from and I can trust what it is.

All of their steaks and cuts of beef come from specially selected grass and grain fed cattle who wear their happy badges with lots of pride.  You can't beat that.

Up next . . .



Veal Meatballs . . . now whatever do you think I will  do with them??  Hmmm . . . the wheels are turning . . . 

I confess that in the past I have been known to buy ready made burger patties at the shops.  I always bought the best most expensive ones, telling myself that they were sure to be better than the el cheapo ones.  In light of the recent debacle here in the UK with horsemeat having been mixed into minced beef products it makes me cringe just to think about it now . . .

Not that there is anything wrong with eating horsemeat if that is what you choose to do . . . but the important word here is "choose."  I don't choose to eat horsemeat and I think it is pretty disgusting that as consumers we have been subjected to the possibility of eating it without any choice and under the guise of it being "beef," when really it isn't . . . and all in the name of producing larger profits for these big grocery chains.   And as they would have you believe they were also duped . . . and I will give them the benefit of the doubt here, but really . . .  somebody was not doing their job properly because it is something which just SHOULD NOT happen!  It's hust plain wrong, no matter how you cut it.  I think a huge lesson has been learned by everyone involved . . .

I, for one, will never buy any meat from the supermarket again unless I can be 100% sure that it is what it is said to be.  One of our local Butcher's went out of business just prior to Christmas because he said he just couldn't compete with the grocery chains . . . methinks he should have stuck with it just a tad bit longer, because I think he'd be doing very well now.

 

Anyways, I was recently contacted by Westin Gourmet online butchers and asked if I would like to sample some of their products.  Of course I said yes.  I'm not stupid!  And from their site everything looked pretty good from here.

Westin Gourmet have gained awards from The Observer, Consumer Taste Awards and The Guardian. The company started life providing top quality meat for restaurants. Westin Gourmet now offer this wholesale selling to the general public through their website. By selling in trade quantities Westin say they are able to provide high quality meat at reasonable prices.

From their page:

"Each of our specialist cuts are chosen to give you the juiciest, most flavoursome meat available. Our gourmet meat is unrivalled and so are our prices. You can buy your gourmet meat from us at prices that are lower than the standard meat you get from your local supermarket...

We know from experience that grass fed animals which enjoy a happy life produce the juiciest, tastiest cuts. 

That is why we strive to source our meats from only the best suppliers in the industry - farmers who genuinely care about the welfare of their animals – to give you the diversity, the flavour and more importantly the quality you deserve."




A box arrived from them on my doorstep last Thursday afternoon.  Everything was packed properly and perfectly chilled when it arrived.  Another plus was the use by dates on each package, which were of a reasonable time length.  Too often things like this arrive and you feel like beating your head against the wall because all of the use by dates are within a few days and there is no way on earth you are going to be able eat all that meat in just a few days and really . . . you want to be able to cook it fresh from fresh . . . not frozen.  So this was a big plus with me.

My package contained quite a variety of things so look for my review of these products over the next week as I don't want to do it all at once.   That would be overkill.



Today I'm going to tell you about their burgers as that was the first thing we decided to try.    They were pretty decently sized burgers as you can tell.

 
 

It was very obvious from the packaging that  Westin Gourmet take their sourcing very responsably.   They can tell you via their labeling where the meat was slaughtered, which batch it came from, where it was minced, cut, etc.  I cannot recall seeing that kind of information on any supermarket packet.  I do know that when I go to the Butcher there is a sign on the wall saying which farm has supplied his meat for that week.

The burgers looked like a good mix of fat to lean.  A juicy burger should always have a fair quantity of fat in it in order for it to be moist and succulent.   Note . . . that doesn't mean gristle . . .   these burgers were a nice mix, and nicely sized and cooked up beautifully.



I decided to make a special mushroom and onion topping for them . . . which I layered on both the buns and the burgers themselves along with some fine strong British cheddar . . .



Some of this went on the bottom toasted bun half . . . and then was topped with my own special burger sauce and some shredded lettuce . . .

 

Before being topped with the burgers, which I had also topped with some of the mushroom and onion mixture and some  more cheddar . . . then grilled just so that the cheese melted down the burger . . .



in the most delicious way as  you can see . . . doesn't that look good???

But would they live up to what they looked like???

 

I have to say, no word of a lie . . . these were the tastiest burgers I have ever eaten.  There was no gristle at all . . . they were just moist and delicious . . . no fillers, nothing in there that shouldn't have been in there.  We both gave them 10 our of 10 for being the tastiest burgers we have ever had the pleasure to eat.  Now that's a tasty mouthful!



 *Special Sauced Mushroom Cheese Burgers*
Makes 4 servings
Printable Recipe

The best burgers you could ever want to eat.  Lovely sauce.  Flavourful toppings.   Delicious altogether!

Special Sauce:
4 TBS no fat mayonnaise
2 TBS Heinz tomato ketchup with roasted garlic, thyme and honey
(alternately you can use 2 TBS regular ketchup and 1 tsp sweet chili sauce)

For the mushroom onion topping:
1 TBS butter
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 pound of white button mushrooms, trimmed and finely chopped
125 ml white wine (1/2 cup)
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

4 quality beef burgers
salt, pepper and garlic powder if desired
strong white cheddar cut into 8 (1/4-inch thick) slices large enough to cover a bun
and a burger
4 burger buns, split and toasted
shredded lettuce (optional)

First make the mushroom and onion topping.  Melt the butter over medium heat in a large skillet.  Add the onions.  Cook, stirring frequently, for about five minutes or until they soften.  Tip in the mushrooms.  Cook for a few minutes, then add the white wine and Worcestershire sauce.  Bring to the boil, then cook until all of the liquid has evaporated, stirring often.  Remove from the heat and scrape into a bowl.  Set aside while you cook the burgers.

Wipe the pan out and spray lightly with a low fat cooking spray.  Add the beef burgers and cook for about 4 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through, seasoning with some salt and pepper and garlic powder if desired.  Set aside and keep warm.  Heat the grill to high.

Place the toasted bun bottoms on a baking tray.  Divide the mushroom mixture in half and spread the bun bottoms with half of the mixture, dividing it equally amongst the four bottoms.   Top each with a slice of cheddar.   Take the remainder of the mushroom mixture and divide it equally over the top of each cooked burger,  mounding it in the middle.  Top them with a slice of cheese as well.  Slice the  baking tray and the pan with the burgers in it under the grill.  Grill until the cheese is bubbling and melted.

Remove each bun bottom to four heated plates.  Top each with some shredded lettuce if using, then a portion of the special sauce.  Place a cheese and mushroom topped burger on top of each and then place the toasted bun tops over all.  Serve immediately.

Westin Gourmet Steak Burgers are made from highest qualith, grass fed 100% British Beef and can be purchased in 4, 6 and 8 ounce sized burgers, in packs ranging from four in a pack for the  4 ounce ones to 10 in a pack for the others, and ranging in price from £2.27 per serving to £3.37 per serving.   That's not bad for an award winning burger.  You really do get what you pay for people, and I love knowing that what I am eating is what I think it is . . . you cannot put a price on honesty, integrity and full disclosure.   It is what it is, and I like that.

Their Ethos is that the whole Westin Team works super hard to ensure their produce is bred responsibly and tastes great.  You can't get much better than that.

Up next . . . a tasty roast beef.