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WHAT'S IN SEASON when ...

Published 20th January 2018

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Welcome to my first blog of 2018! 

If you ever wondered what foods are in season when, then here's a link to Love British Food's website where you can find their handy and very useful poster which you can reference  throughout  the year www.lovebritishfood.co.uk/british-food-and-drinks/whats-in-season-when

As promised, I'm sharing one of my recipes with you made with seasonal British ingredients, but inspired by 
faraway places.  They're both simple and quick to make and my family just love them!

Roast Pheasant Asian Style

serves 2-4

2 prepared & oven ready pheasants
a 2 inch piece of fresh ginger (sliced)
3 cloves of garlic (sliced)
2 tablespoons of lemongrass paste
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
6 tablespoons Ownsworth's Rapeseed Oil
4 tablespoons water

Method

1.   Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F/Gas Mark 4
2.   Take 2 pieces of tin foil and lay one on top of the other in the shape of a cross then place into an oven 
      proof dish large enough for the 2 pheasants to be placed side by side in.
3.   Pour the rapeseed oil over the pheasants and sprinkle over the ginger, garlic, lemongrass paste and
      chilli flakes before gently massaging the oil and flavourings all over the top and bottom of the pheasants.
4.   Finally pour 4 tablespoons of water at the base of the birds.
5.   Now wrap opposite ends of the cross over the pheasant and scrunch together to form a parcel (this is
      so that when the meat is cooking the steam created will stay inside the tin foil parcel.
6.   Place your roasting dish in the fridge for at least half an hour for the Asian style marinade can develop.
      (longer if you want a more developed flavour).
7.   When you are ready, place the roasting dish in the oven and cook for around 1 hour 15 minutes 
      depending on how big your pheasants are.
8.   Finally, carefully unwrap the tin foil to expose the birds and cook for a further 5-10 minutes to add a
      lovely golden colour to the skins.

Serve immediately with either seasonal winter vegetables or why not take the meat of the birds and use to 
homemade pitta breads?  Simply slice the pitta breads open, fill with finely shredded white cabbage and 
thinly sliced red onion and a dollop of lemon mayonnaise before piling up with my roast pheasant Asian style 
meat.

Cooked this way pheasant is more tender and full of flavour!  Now to a dessert using British apples!

Toffee Apple Cake

Ingredients:               175g self-raising flour

                                125g dried apple rings (cut into little pieces)

                                125g medjool dates (stoned and chopped into small pieces)

                                2 teaspoons good quality vanilla extract

                                180ml boiling water

                                1 teaspoon bicarb of soda

                                85ml/3 large tablespoons Ownsworth’s Rapeseed Oil

                                 40g dark brown sugar

                                100g granulated sugar

                                2 tablespoons golden syrup

                                2 medium eggs

                                100ml milk (or dairy free alternative such as rice/almond/koko/soya milk) 

Method: 

Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F/Gas Mark 4 and place a loaf cake tin liner in a 1lb loaf tin whilst you make the cake mixture.

Chop the dried apple rings into small pieces and de-stone the medjool dates, chopping them into small pieces also.  Put both dried fruit into a bowl and pour over the boiling water.  Stir the ingredients together and leave for 30 minutes to soften the fruit.

Next put the flour and bicarb of soda into a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, pour the rapeseed oil, golden syrup, vanilla extract and both sugars in and gently heat to dissolve the sugar ingredients so that it is not "grainy” but golden and smooth.  (You don’t want to turn the sugars into caramel, but gently heat until you have a golden smooth consistency). 

Allow the sugar mixture to cool slightly before pouring it into the flour mix, along with the chopped apple and dates.  Gently stir to combine. 

Finally, beat the eggs in a small bowl and measure the milk in a measuring jug.  Combine the eggs and the milk (or dairy alternative) and pour the egg/milk mixture into the other ingredients bowl.  Stir gently until all the ingredients are mixed thoroughly and form a batter. 

Spoon your cake mixture into the lined tin and pop in the oven for approximately 25 minutes until well risen and golden.  To test if the cake is cooked thorough – insert  a cake skewer or wooden BBQ skewer into the centre of the cake and if it comes out clean – your cake is cooked! 

Remove the cake from the tin, and allow to cool on a wire tray.  This cake is lovely and moist but improves its flavour even more over the next couple of days – if there’s any left!!