Creamy Celery Soup With Stilton Cheese

Serves 6 as a starter

  • 1oz butter or margarine
  • 1 small or ½ medium celeriac, chopped
  • 1 large leek, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 whole head of fresh celery with leaves, chopped (reserve some leaf for garnishing)
  • 850ml vegetable or chicken stock
  • 150ml milk
  • 75g Stilton cheese
  • Salt and pepper

For the croutons:

  • 1 small white loaf (1day old), cut into small cubes
  • 2tbsp olive oil 50g Cheddar, grated

1. Melt the butter or margarine and add the celeriac. Stir and then sweat for 3-4 minutes. Add the leek and garlic and cook for a further 3-4 minutes and then add the chopped celery and stock. Gently simmer with the lid on for 15 minutes or until the celery is just soft. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

2. Liquidize and then sieve if a smoother texture is desired. Stir in the milk and cheese and reheat until the cheese has dissolved, taking care not to let it boil.

3. Garnish with croutons and ½ tsp finely chopped celery leaf.

If preferred the cheese can be omitted from the soup and garnished instead with the cheesy croutons for a less intense flavour.

4. Cheesy croutons: Mix the bread cubes, olive oil and grated cheese in a bowl.

Scatter onto a baking tray and cook for 20 minutes at 180C/350F/Gas 5. Cook for another 10 minutes if not golden brown. Cool and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Recipe credit: lovethecrunch.com

Slow Cooked Shoulder Of Lamb With Rosemary Scented Shallots

Serves: 6

  • 1 boneless shoulder of lamb
  • 1 head of garlic
  • ½ bunch of rosemary
  • 2 peeled carrots
  • 50ml olive oil
  • Salt & pepper
  • 400g whole round peeled shallots
  • 20g tomato puree
  • Pinch of flour
  • 1 litre of chicken stock

Ask your butcher to take out the bone of the shoulder but give it to you to use in the pan when roasting the shoulder to help make the gravy.

1. Go over the joint and remove any large fat deposits or unsightly skin.

2. Stab the joint several times over with the tip of a small sharp knife and insert one ½ clove of garlic per incision. Also stick in a little sprig of rosemary per incision to enhance the flavour.

3. Place the shoulder on the lamb bones with the 2 carrots cut just in half, drizzle over the olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper.

4. Place in the oven at 160c for 4-5 hours, covering with a sheet of foil for the first 3 hours. With one hour to go, throw in the peeled shallots and remove the foil.

5. When the lamb is cooked and the shallots are also cooked, remove everything from the tray and allow to rest somewhere warm.

6. Add the tomato puree and flour to the cooking tray and place back on the stove to cook slightly. Then add the stock and bring to the boil. Strain through a very fine sieve into a clean pan and bring back to the boil, season if required.

7. Carve the lamb onto a warm serving dish, place the shallots around and put the gravy in to a sauce boat.

8. Serve with green vegetables and some potatoes.

Recipe credit: ukshallot.com

Strawberry and blackberry crumble 

  • 50g muscovado sugar
  • 65g ground almonds
  • 50g plain flour
  • 50g cold butter
  • 200g strawberries
  • 200g fresh blackberries
  • 12g caster sugar
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2tbsp rosewater
  • 2tbsp elderflower water
  • Fresh cream for serving

1. To make the crumble, pour the muscovado sugar, ground almonds and flour into a roomy bowl and mix well. Rub in the butter until a lumpy, crumbly dough starts forming.

2. Place the crumble mixture on a baking tray that has been lined with baking parchment. Bake for 20 minutes, then set the crumble aside to cool.

3. Slice strawberries into small pieces and then place in a saucepan with the blackberries, caster sugar, and lemon juice.

4. Place on a medium heat and keep mixing, so as to form a soft compote syrup, mashing the berries with a wooden spoon. This should take around 8 minutes. Take off the heat to cool slightly and mix in the rosewater and elderflower cordial.

5. To serve, place the strawberry compote syrup at the bottom of a serving cup or plate and sprinkle the crumble on top. Serve with fresh cream. Recipe credit: berryworld.com