Name: Shin of beef Chilli
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 3 h
Yield: 8 People
Ingredients: 2-3 tbsp rapeseed oil; 1 kg shin of beef preferably with the bone in (I like to keep the meat in the thick round slices as with slow cooking it will fall apart. Trim the outer sinew from the meat although it usually falls off during cooking); 1 large onion, chopped; 4 large cloves of garlic cloves - crushed; 4 tbsp medium to hot chilli powder or (1 small tin of La prefirada whole chipotle chillies in abobo sauce); 2 tsp ground cumin; 2 tsp Oregano; 4 tbsp tomato purée; 750 ml beef stock (or use 500ml beef stock and 250ml red wine); 2 peppers, chopped into bite size chunks (I like to use a mix of red and yellow peppers); 1 400g red kidney beans; 1 400g can of black beans (Use kidney beans if preferred.); 2 Squares Dark chocolate (You can add more chocolate to suit your own taste. )

Slow cooked shin of beef chilli

December 16, 2014 By Rachel Leave a Comment

Comfort in a box. Quality Meat Scotland sent me this lovely box of comfort goodies when they launched the new ‘Winter Comfort Food Campaign’. As a family who love Scotch beef and lamb we needed no encouragement to get behind the campaign and cook up some great wholesome and healthy dishes.

It’s definitely the weather for comfort food and I’m supporting Quality Meat Scotland‘s winter campaign to encourage people to eat healthy and wholesome dishes made with top quality Scotch beef and lamb. What’s not to like about a healthy winter comfort food casserole. My favourites usually involve dishes that can be made in one pot, slow cooked in the oven or overnight in the slow cooker.

A magical one pot wonder. Slow cooked shin of beef chilli.

Shin of beef is such a wonderful and often overlooked cut of beef but it’s perfect for this slow cooked beef chilli. I prefer to cook shin with the bone in as I think it adds that extra special bit of flavour to the dish. You might find that your butcher needs a days notice for beef shin on the bone as it’s not always a cut they have on the counter. If I can only get the meat off the bone, I ask the butcher for the bones and roast them for about 20 minutes before adding to the casserole.

Top quality Scotch beef.The bones give added flavour

Whether the meat is cooked on or off the bones, once the beef is cooked, I scrape the marrow from the bones and stir through the casserole. This just add to the rich and silky gelatinous gravy that shin of beef produces.

Shin of beef Chilli

This shin of beef chilli is a real one pot wonder. Leave it to slow cook and magically transform in the oven for at least 3 hours or overnight in a slow cooker.

CourseMain Dish

Servings	Prep Time
8 People	15 minutes

Cook Time

3 hours

Servings	Prep Time
8 People	15 minutes

Cook Time

3 hours

Shin of beef Chilli

This shin of beef chilli is a real one pot wonder. Leave it to slow cook and magically transform in the oven for at least 3 hours or overnight in a slow cooker.

CourseMain Dish

Servings	Prep Time
8 People	15 minutes

Cook Time

3 hours

Servings	Prep Time
8 People	15 minutes

Cook Time

3 hours

Ingredients

2-3 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 kg shin of beef preferably with the bone in I like to keep the meat in the thick round slices as with slow cooking it will fall apart. Trim the outer sinew from the meat although it usually falls off during cooking
1 large onion, chopped
4 large cloves of garlic cloves - crushed
4 tbsp medium to hot chilli powder or 1 small tin of La prefirada whole chipotle chillies in abobo sauce
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp Oregano
4 tbsp tomato purée
750 ml beef stock or use 500ml beef stock and 250ml red wine
2 peppers, chopped into bite size chunks I like to use a mix of red and yellow peppers
1 400g red kidney beans
1 400g can of black beans Use kidney beans if preferred.
2 Squares Dark chocolate You can add more chocolate to suit your own taste.

Servings: People

Instructions

In a large ovenproof casserole, heat half of the oil over a medium heat. I use rapeseed for this recipe as it has a higher flash point. Add the meat, one to two slices at a time and brown on both sides. remove from the pan and set aside.
Reduce the heat slightly, add the onions and cook for 2 mins, scraping any residue from browned meat off the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and peppers and cook for a further minute.
Add the spices and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato puree, stir to mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add the tinned tomatoes, beans, beef stock and red wine (if using). Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and slowly bring to a simmer. Cover, transfer the oven and cook for 3 hours.
After 3 hours, remove from the oven and check that the meat is cooked and meltingly tender. Stir in the chocolate and mix well.
TIP- I prefer to saute the peppers nearer the end of cooking time and add to the casserole.
Serve with rice. This can be turned into a real feast by also serving with guacamole, tomato salsa, sour cream and cheese.

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Scotch beef and Scotch lamb is among the best in the world and has been awarded PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) and only farms, cattle and sheep that meet the stringent standards laid down by Quality Meat Scotland are eligible be called Scotch beef and lamb. To be confident when buying meat, look for the blue Scotch beef and Lamb label and PGI logo. That way you can be assured that what you’re buying is quality lamb, born and bred in Scotland to the the QMS standard.

Loving Scotch beef and lamb.

I was sent the comfort box along with a £20 Scotch Butchers Club voucher by QMS. I was not expected to provide a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own

Salmon and broccoli with ginger and carrot rice

December 11, 2014 By Rachel Leave a Comment

A quick and healthy midweek meal for all the family

Since I started my subscription for a fortnightly fish box delivery from Inverness company, Coast and Glen, I’ve been trying to be a bit more creative with the fish dishes I cook. Complicated cheffy cooking is not really my thing, but I still like to cook healthy food that everyone will eat and importantly, is on the table quickly.

A regular feature in my fishbox is Scottish Salmon fillets from Wester Ross Fisheries, and with salmon being a great versatile fish, I like to cook it with a variety of flavours and cuisines.

Salmon works so well with spices and this dish is the perfect example of a quick and easy, healthy dish that all the family will enjoy. I’ve used broccoli with the salmon but you can ring the changes with other seasonal vegetables.

The chilli jam used in the recipe is from Galloway Chillies, an artisan company who produce an outsanding range of chilli products

Salmon and broccoli with ginger and carrot rice

This quick and easy salmon dish makes a healthy mid week meal for all the family to enjoy. With all the vegetables included in the dish, it's a good way of ensuring that everyone gets a few of their 5 a day.

Servings	Prep Time
4 people	10 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Servings	Prep Time
4 people	10 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Salmon and broccoli with ginger and carrot rice

Servings	Prep Time
4 people	10 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Servings	Prep Time
4 people	10 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Ingredients

Rice

Salmon

1 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 head Broccoli, broken into florets
3 cloves garlic, crushed
4 boneless skinless salmon fillet, cut into bit size cubes
1 generous tbsp chilli jam I used Galloway Chillies, chilli citrus
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce Optional. Use extra soy sauce instead.
freshly ground black pepper
3 spring onions finely

Servings: people

Instructions

Rice

Cook the rice according to the instructions on the packet. Once cooked, stir in the carrot and ginger, set aside and keep warm.

Salmon

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the broccoli and stir fry for 2 minutes. TIP - Add a splash of water, cover with a lid to help speed up cooking.
Reduce the heat slightly, add the garlic and salmon and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the chilli jam, soy sauce and fish sauce (if using), season with black pepper and cook for a further 2 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked.
Sprinkle with the spring onions and serve with the rice.

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Shepherds pie made with Scotch Lamb

November 30, 2014 By Rachel Leave a Comment

Comfort in a box from Scotch Beef and Lamb

Autumn is well under way and with winter fast approaching, comfort food is the order of the day especially for family dinners. There’s nothing quite like a hearty roast, a warming casserole or a family favourite of ours, shepherds pie on a cold blustery day. These dishes fit the bill so well for Quality Meat Scotland’s (QMS) new winter campaign to promote Scotch Beef PGI and Scotch Lamb PGI as the perfect wholesome comfort food. I needed no encouragement to get cooking as we’re a family who loves our Scotch beef and lamb and to help, QMS sent me this lovely comfort box full of cosy goodies.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be cooking a range of healthy and nutritious comfort food meals that are guaranteed to provide satisfying dinners that all the family will love.

Shepherds pie, made with leftover Scotch lamb. Comfort food at it’s best.

The first dish, shepherds Pie was traditionally made with the leftover meat from Sundays roast and would be served up for dinner on Monday. The meat would be minced and my mother talks of also using leftover vegetables by mincing them with the meat to make the base for the pie. If I’m lucky enough to have leftover meat it’s how I like to make shepherds pie but in the absence cooked meat I use minced lamb.

Mincing leftover cooked lamb makes the best shepherds pie.

This is real tasty comfort food and I’ve been making this recipe for 30 years and to be honest it’s never really changed much. When the boys were small they loved it with baked beans but as they’ve got older I serve it with whatever seasonal vegetables are available.

Potato, parsnip and leek mash makes a delicious topping

Shepherds pie

Shepherds pie made from leftover cooked minced lamb is a delicious comfort food dinner.

CourseMain Dish

Servings	Prep Time
4	20 Mins

Cook Time

30mins

Servings	Prep Time
4	20 Mins

Cook Time

30mins

Shepherds pie

Shepherds pie made from leftover cooked minced lamb is a delicious comfort food dinner.

CourseMain Dish

Servings	Prep Time
4	20 Mins

Cook Time

30mins

Servings	Prep Time
4	20 Mins

Cook Time

30mins

Ingredients

1 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, diced
6 large mushrooms, sliced
500g cooked leftover miced lamb Substitute with uncooked lamb mince if you don't have cooked lamb.
approx 1 tbsp plain flour I use a flour shaker to add the flour to the pan.
250 ml stock beef, vegetable or chicken.
2 generous tbsp tomato ketchup
1-2 tbsp worcester sauce
1 sprig fresh thyme use half tsp dried if no fresh

topping

500g potatoes , peeled and roughly chopped
2 large large parsnips, peeled and chopped into a small dice
1 medium leek, chopped.
butter and milk for mashing

Servings:

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large saute pan, add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the carrots and mushrooms and continue cooking for 5 minutes until the vegetables start to colour.
Meanwhile prepare the potato and parsnip topping. Place the potatoes and parsnips in a large pan of salted water, bring to the boil and simmer for approximately 15 minutes until tender. Drain and mash with the butter and milk. Beat in the leek if using.
If using cooked minced lamb - add the stock, ketchup, Worcester sauce and thyme to the pan and mix together. Gently fold the cooked lamb through the mixture and gently heat through. Season with black pepper and salt if required.
If using uncooked lamb mince - add the lamb to the saute pan with the vegetables and brown, stirring to break up any lumps. Sprinkle on the flour and mix through. Cook for 1-2 mins, stirring to make sure the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Add the stock, tomato ketchup, Worcester sauce, black pepper and cook over a low heat, simmering for approx 45 minutes. Check seasoning and adjust if required.
Add the meat to a medium sized ovenproof dish and top with the potato mixture, using a fork to spread and make ridges on top.
place in the oven and bake for about 25 - 30 minutes until piping hot and the potato is golden.

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A healthy and nutritious meal

More information about cooking with variety of cuts videos, recipes and recipe booklets can be found at Scotch Beef and Lamb and at Scotch Butchers Club where you’ll also find a list of Scotch Butchers Club members in your area. Scotch beef and Scotch lamb is among the best in the world and has been awarded PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) and only farms, cattle and sheep that meet the stringent standards laid down by Quality Meat Scotland are eligible be called Scotch beef and lamb. To be confident when buying meat, look for the blue Scotch beef and Lamb label and PGI logo. That way you can be assured that what you’re buying is quality lamb, born and bred in Scotland to the the QMS standard.

Loving my Scotch Lamb apron. Look for the blue Scotch lamb and Scotch Beef logo when buying meat

I was sent the comfort box along with a £20 Scotch Butchers Club voucher by QMS. I was not expected to provide a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own

A feast for St Andrews day – smoked salmon bake

November 29, 2014 By Rachel Leave a Comment

Smoked salmon bake

Can you think of a better way to celebrate St Andrew’s day than feasting on Scottish Salmon, after all St Andrew himself was a fisherman. We live in a country blessed with an incredible natural larder of outstanding food, produced by some very outstanding farmers and producers, so why not cook your St Andrew’s day meal with some of the finest ingredients available. Throughout the country and indeed the world, people will be gathering to celebrate the day and many menu’s will feature top quality Scottish Salmon, beef and lamb.

If you’ve been reading my recent posts, you’ll see that I teamed up with Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation and Marine Harvest to learn more about how we produce the wonderful quality salmon that is one of Scotland’s top exports.

Salmon can make a great centre piece for a special meal, but it’s also ideal for casual dining and easy midweek meals. I’ve chosen this Smoked salmon bake as the family’s St Andrew’s Day meal, mainly as I want to encourage you to include more salmon in their weekly meals. You’ll find that both salmon and smoked salmon are very reasonably priced and it can be cooked in a variety of ways with lots of different flavours.

This dish is very quick and easy to make and will make a great family meal.

Smoked salmon bake, a quick and easy family meal for any day of the week.

Smoked salmon bake

This all in one salmon bake is quick and easy and a great way of getting the family to eat more fish and vegetables.

CourseMain Dish

Servings	Prep Time
4	15 minutes

Cook Time

20 mins

Servings	Prep Time
4	15 minutes

Cook Time

20 mins

Smoked salmon bake

This all in one salmon bake is quick and easy and a great way of getting the family to eat more fish and vegetables.

CourseMain Dish

Servings	Prep Time
4	15 minutes

Cook Time

20 mins

Servings	Prep Time
4	15 minutes

Cook Time

20 mins

Ingredients

2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into a small dice
375g smoked salmon, chopped into bite size pieces Use salmon fillets or hot smoked salmon if you prefer.
4 spring onions finely sliced
50g fresh or frozen peas
200 g low fat creme fraiche
2 tbsp milk
1-2 tbsp chopped parsley or dill
30 g breadcrumbs
30 g grated Scottish cheddar Isle of Mull works well
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Servings:

Instructions

Pre heat the oven to 190C/ 170 fan Gas 5. Par boil the diced potato in salted water until it is soft but not completely cooked. Drain and leave to cool.
In a large bowl, gently mix together the salmon, cooked potatoes, spring onions, peas, parsley or dill, creme fraiche and milk.
Season with salt and pepper and pour into a medium sized oven proof dish. Mix the breadcrumbs and cheese together and sprinkle across the top to cover the fish mixture.
Cook in the pre heated oven for 20 minutes until piping hot and the topping is golden brown.
If you want to serve some extra vegetables, broccoli works well as a side.

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For further information about the St Andrew’s day and Scotland’s winter festivals, have a look at ‘What’s on Scotland’ on the scotland.org website

Let the Christmas cooking begin. Christmas Pudding

November 23, 2014 By Rachel Leave a Comment

If there’s one part of the Christmas preparations I love, it’s all the cooking in the run up to the big day and of course the dinner on Christmas Day. Already the supermarket shelves are groaning with with puddings, cakes and mince pies, regardless of whether you buy the luxury, the finest, or even the value, nothing tastes quite as good as the homemade versions.

The cooking always starts with the Christmas pudding and stir up Sunday, the Sunday before the start of advent, when traditionally everyone in the household gave the mixture a stir and made a wish. Our family Christmas Eve and day is always a traditional celebration and as I always make several puddings, stirring up the pudding signals the start of getting ready for Christmas.

The recipe I use has changed over the years, sometimes even on stir up Sunday when I’ve realised that I’ve got rum and no brandy or too many raisins and not enough currants. This year, as well as making my own recipe, I’m trying this new recipe from Chef Neil Forbes from Edinburgh’s Cafe St Honore. I tasted the pudding last year when I attended one of Neil’s Slow Food master classes so I know it is a recipe worth using.

Neil has kindly shared the recipe for us all to have go, so get stirring up and make your Christmas pudding now.

Chef Neil Forbes delicious homemade Christmas pudding.

Recipe. Serves 4 (1 pudding)

Ingredients

125g sultanas
125g currants
125g raisins
20g glacé cherries, chopped
20g mixed peel
½ bramley apple, grated
20g carrot, grated
2 tsp finely grated orange zest
40g prunes, stoned and chopped
50g plain flour
20g ground almonds
60g bread crumbs
1tbsp milk
50g soft dark brown sugar
75g proper beef suet
1 tbsp golden syrup
1 egg
Pinch each of salt, mixed spice and cinnamon
Glug each of brandy, sherry and rum
4 tbsp stout

Method
· Place the sultanas, currants and raisins in a large bowl. Add the alcohol and leave to soak overnight.
· Line a 2 pint pudding basin with muslin, leaving enough spare to tie at the top.
· Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl of soaked fruit and mix well.
· Fill the lined pudding basin with the mix and tie up the muslin with a piece of string.
· Gently steam the pudding for 2 hours in a lidded pot (water covering half the pudding basin). Don’t allow to boil dry.
· Before serving, check that the centre of the pudding is piping hot.
· Serve with brandy sauce or pouring cream.

The pudding maker, Chef Neil Forbes.

And a final word from Neil, “Nothing gives me greater pleasure at this time of year than making our Christmas puddings. They are simply stunning, stuffed with plump brandy soaked Californian raisins and organic ingredients. We make them all by hand at Cafe St Honore“.

If making your own Christmas pudding doesn’t appeal then Neil’s puddings are available from Cafe St Honore, Edinburgh, priced £12.50 including the lovely ceramic bowl they come in. You can pick one up from the restaurant or email eat@cafesthonore.com or call 0131 226 2211.

Images: Paul Johnston, Copper Mango

Scotch Lamb Street Festival

November 15, 2014 By Rachel Leave a Comment

If you thought Scotch lamb was just for Sunday dinner then think again. A recently held Scotch Lamb Street Festival in Glasgow showed just how easily different cuts of lamb can be cooked and how well it works with different cuisines. With an invitation from Scotch Lamb I was keen to find out just what the city’s street food chefs would be cooking and headed along with the hungry food loving Gillon boys in tow. These boys love their food and when it comes to good street food hot and spicy is what they look for.

The food was organised by Glasgow’s popular and successful Street Food Cartel and like all their events this was top notch street food with a difference. First thoughts on the combination of lamb and street food might conjure up thoughts of the ubiquitous donner kebab, but, I’m glad to tell you that these guys did so much more with Scotch lamb and produced some outstanding food. With influences from around the world, Moroccan, Mexican, Italian and Thai, the boys were happy to eat their way around the festival.

Some of the delicious street food served up at the Scotch Lamb Street Festival. Pics by Food and Drink Glasgow

Scoop in their well known Silver Bullet served up a favourite of mine (pic top left), braised neck fillet of lamb, ras el hanout with pomegranate and sultana couscous. I love these Moroccan flavours and having visited the country recently this was a really well flavoured authentic dish. I also liked the use of neck fillet in this dish as it’s a cut that’s very often overlooked by shoppers. Maybe one to try next time you’re buying Scotch lamb.

Pad BKK served a lamb massaman curry with jasmin rice, prawn crackers, crispy shallots, peanuts and herbs (botton left) and this was another crowd pleaser. The lamb worked really well with the Thai flavours and overall it was super tasty sweet and spicy dish.

So La Ti Dough, the sister company of Scoop treated us to lamb shoulder, slow roasted in the wood fired oven, with vine tomatoes, rosemary and garlic (pic bottom right). This was such a delicately flavoured dish and didn’t overpower the sweetness of the lamb. The thick slices of lamb were served on focaccia, making this a really hearty and filling dish.

The final dish was Mexican inspired and was served up by Antojito Cantina. Being lovers of chillies and Mexican food the boys made straight for this and were not disappointed. The Barbacoa lamb served in soft taco’s with sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo ticked the spicy box for them. I cook Mexican food regularly and this was another great example of being creative with lamb, breaking away from the usual chicken, fish and beef as the main ingredient.

2014 Scotland Food and Drink Ambassador and chef patron of The Sisters Restaurant, Glasgow, Jacqueline O’Donnell, was in charge of the food demonstrations and as usual Jacqueline’s very relaxed style made it easy to see how the food she was cooking was something you could do at home. If you’ve seen Jacqueline in action before, you’ll agree that she’s one of the best when it comes to cooking with Scottish produce, and her Scotch lamb dishes were no exception. Her demos are always more than just cooking up a recipe; she always gives lots of tips on cooking meat, how to get the best flavour and what cuts to ask your butcher for. Jacqueline’s three dishes used different cuts of lamb, loin, shoulder and mince, and each one showed how incredibly quick and easy it is to to produce great family meals with Scotch lamb. I loved all three and I’ve included her ideal street food food recipe, sizzling lamb kofta for you try at home. I’ll add Jacqueline’s other Scotch Lamb recipes in the near future.

Chef Jacqueline O’Donnell

Sizzling Scotch lamb kofta

These sizzling lamb koftas are a joy - as soon as they come off the grill they are rolled in smashed nuts and spices, before being wrapped up with pickles and crunchy veg in a soft tortilla. They're super simple to make, filling, and in various ways have been the ultimate street food for hundreds of years.

CourseMain Dish

Servings

4 People

Servings

4 People

Sizzling Scotch lamb kofta

CourseMain Dish

Servings

4 People

Servings

4 People

Ingredients

Servings: People

Instructions

Add the very finely sliced cabbage to a bowl along with the vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt and pepper. Gently scrunch with your hands and set aside.
Blitz the pistachios and fennel seeds in a food processor until fairly fine, sprinkle over a chopping board and set aside.
In a food processor, blitz the bread into breadcrumbs and add to a bowl with the minced lamb. Season well and mix together. Divide the mixture into 4 pieces and mould each into a sausage shape. If cooking on a BBQ, mould each kofta around a wooden skewer that's been soaked in water.
Heat a griddle pan on a high heat and when hot add the koftas and cook to your liking, ensuring that they are cooked all the way through. Remove from the heat, brush with chilli sauce, then simply roll in the nuts and spices until well coated.
Briefly warm each tortilla on the griddle (give it a quick wipe first), then add the lettuce, a kofta, radishes and a dollop of yoghurt. Squeeze the excess salty liquid from the pickled cabbage and add a small handful of cabbage to each tortilla and serve.

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With so many different cuts of lamb, it’s good to have some knowledge of what to ask your butcher for and to know what works well with a particular recipe. The Scotch Lamb Club Butcher on hand was the very person to ask and along with his demonstrations there helpful advice on what to look for and how to choose different cuts. A butchery lesson also gave some of my fellow bloggers the opportunity to get hands and learn how to butcher and bone a leg of lamb.

Butchery demo

Even watching the lesson was helpful and I’m sure with a sharp knife I’ll feel more confident if I ever have to trim and bone a leg of lamb.

Many thanks to Scotch Lamb for inviting us to the street food festival and the Street Food Cartel for such great food. If you would like to find out more about cooking with Scotch Lamb, check out Quality Meat Scotland’s Scotch Beef and Lamb, Scotch Kitchen where you’ll find videos, recipes and free recipe booklets to help you cook with different cuts of lamb.

Scotch Lamb is among the best in the world and has been awarded PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) and only farms and sheep that meet the stringent standards laid down by Quality Meat Scotland are eligible be called Scotch lamb. To be confident when buying lamb, look for the blue Scotch Lamb label and PGI logo. That way you can be assured that what you’re buying is quality lamb, born and bred in Scotland to the the QMS standard.

Look for the blue Scotch Lamb label and the PGI Logo

The Scotch Lamb Street Food Festival was also a great opportunity to meet up with some of my fellow blogging chums, Mark from Glasgow Food & Drink and Janice from Farmers Girl Cooks. You’ll find further posts about the event on their sites. Also thanks to Mark for saving the day when I lost some of my pics.

I was invited as a guest to the Scotch Lamb Street Festival, I was not paid and all opinions expressed are my own

Cooking with Tinned Fish

November 4, 2014 By Rachel Leave a Comment

Tinned fish, admittedly mainly salmon and sardines are always in my store cupboard. Salmon is ideal for sandwiches and I just adore sardines on toast for my lunch or as quick healthy and filling snack. One of my speedy standby meals is pasta with sardines in tomato sauce, healthy, quick and on the table in 10-15 minutes. So, when John West asked me if I was interested in cooking some meals with a selection of their products, I wanted to find out more about tinned fish.

John West has a great selection of healthy tinned fish.

Fish Facts.

Quality – The fish used in canned seafood is not inferior. The quality is as good as fresh fish.

Economical – Canned seafood is an economical way to buy seafood.

Healthy and full of flavour – Canned seafood is great for making quick and healthy meals. There’s a great selection to chose from including, tuna, salmon, sardines and mackerel and you’ll also find these with with added sauces including tomato, lemon, mustard or BBQ. Tinned fish is packed full of health giving nutrients, especially omega 3 (except tuna as the omega 3 is lost in the canning process), which has been shown to have so many health benefits. These healthy fats are good for our brain, our heart and can also have a role in maintaining a normal blood pressure. Health experts currently recommend we eat two serving of fish a week, one of which should be an oily rich fish. So, given that a tin of sardines with soft bones provides around half of an adults daily calcium requirements, it’s definitely worth considering tinned fish as part of your weekly diet.

I decided it was time to think outside the tin and try some new recipes. The John West website has a wide range of recipes and I used some as a basis for the recipes in this post.

We love fishcakes in our house and the tinned red salmon was perfect for this recipe. It worked well and made a really tasty family meal. When my boys were small I used to make fishcakes as it was a good way to get them eating a variety of fish and to make sure they were getting their omega 3s. This recipe will work with any tinned fish and as well as making an easy family meal, it will also be excellent for making some canape size fish cakes.

Salmon fishcakes – a healthy family meal from tinned salmon.

Ingredients: 170g John West pink salmon skinless & boneless drained. 150g mashed potato chilled. 1-2 tbsp chopped parsley. Zest of half a lemon. 1 egg beaten. 50g breadcrumbs. (I used breadcrumbs from sundried tomato bread) 2-3 tbsp rapeseed oil. Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

To prepare the Salmon Fishcakes recipe preheat the oven to 190c or gas mark 5. In a large mixing bowl add the mash potato, tinned salmon, parsley and lemon zest. Season with a little salt and milled pepper and mix together. Divide into 4 balls and shape into fishcakes. Leave to chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. Meanwhile place the flour, egg and breadcrumbs into 3 separate bowl.

Roll into ball and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes

Dust the fishcakes in flour until completely coated,dip then dip into the egg and roll in breadcrumbs.

Ready to cook

In a large frying pan, heat the rapeseed oil and gently cook the fishcakes until golden on both sides. Place onto an oven tray and pop into the oven to warm through, for about 10 minutes. Serve with tartare sauce and vegetables.

Tinned Mackerel – Mackerel, Bacon and Rosemary Gnocchi

The second recipe is made with tinned mackerel and this was one fish product I had never used before, preferring to stick with either fresh or smoked mackerel. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it tasted and what surprised me more was that the entire family gave it the thumbs up. The addition of the gnocchi made it a nice filling dish and like tinned salmon it is packed full of nutrition and is great for famly meals.

Delicious, healthy and colourful.

Ingredients : 100g diced pancetta. 1 red pepper chopped. 1 tbsp rapeseed oil (optional, see cooking instructions) 1 small tub of half fat creme fraiche. 2 110g cans of John West steam cooked mackerel – natural with no added brine. 400g gnocchi. Half a bunch of chives snipped or rosemary chopped. 5 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan.

Cook the gnochhi according to the instructions on the packet and drain. Cook the pancetta and red pepper for 5 mins. If using a non stick pan, no oil will be needed but otherwise add 1tbsp of rapeseed oil. Mix the natural with no added brine. 400g gnochhi. Half a bunch of chives snipped or rosemary chopped. 5 tbsp freshly grated creme faiche, herbs and half of the Parmesan together with the mackerel fillets and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Stir in the gnocchi, pancetta and red pepper and pour into large oven proof dish. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until bubbling hot and golden brown. Serve with vegetables.

Mackrel, bacon and rosemary gnochhi is a filling and healthy meal.

Mackerel, bacon and rosemary gnochhi is a filling and healthy meal

This post is the first of a two part series on cooking with tinned fish. Find up more inspiration for cooking with the John West product range and other fishy tales on the John West website

I was provided with a box with a range of John West Products. I was not paid and all opinions are my own.

More of my favourites at BBC Good Food Show Scotland.

October 18, 2014 By Rachel Leave a Comment

SECC Glasgow 17 -19 October 2014

The BBC Good Food Show Scotland opened yesterday and as an official show blogger I was was there, talking to producers and finding out more about their great products. If you’re visiting the show, there’s so much to enjoy. The Supertheatre sponsored by Kenwood features a host of well know celebrity chefs cooking up some amazing dishes. Today, you’ll find Paul Hollywood, Mary Berry and John Torode on stage and tomorrow James Martin and Tom Kitchin take over the reigns for the final day.

After watching the lovely Paul Hollywood on stage I was lucky enough to catch up with him backstage for a quick chat and photograph. He had just finished a demo in the Supertheatre where he cooked up the most delicious strawberry & pistachio shortcakes. You’ll find the recipe for these and so many other great recipes in the show guide.

Backstage with the lovely Paul Hollywood

This year’s show has over 100 stands with a great variety of products to choose from; you’ll find cheeses, confectionery, meat & game, fish & seafood, cookware, oils & vinegars, preserves & chutneys to liquers & spirits and regional specialty’s. Definitely spoilt for choice.

Here’s some more of my favourite products and producers at the show.

Flying the flag for Scottish Salmon – Dunkeld Smoked Salmon

Flying the flag for Scottish salmon with some fantastic smoked salmon, gravadlax and smoked salmon pate is Dunkeld Smoked Salmom Dunkeld are a small producer and have over 30 years experience in smoking some of Scotland’s finest salmon at their Springwells smokehouse on the banks of Perthshire’s River Tay. Visit them on stand B92 to sample some of their great smoked salmon products.

A great selection of oils from Supernature Oils

Lynn Mann of Supernature oils is on stand B50 with a super collection of Scottish rapeseed oils. Produced on the family farm in the beautiful Midlothian countryside, Supernature now produce and sell a range of original and infused oils. The flavoured oils are exceptionally good and can be used in different ways when cooking. Visit Lynn at the stand for more information and to sample some of delicious flavours including, orange, lime, coriander or basil infused oils or the original Supernature rapeseed oil.

Chris from Waulkmill Cider with his super apple cider products

Waulkmill Cider on stand G21 with Scottish Fruit Trees is my favourite apple cider vinegar producer. Owner Chris has a range of cider products on the stand including his Spiced Apple Punch and mixed cider gift boxes. He’s also about to market a new gift box of flavoured cider vinegars and they are available on stand for sampling.

The young Mr Tunnock with the great family favourite, Tunnock’s caramel wafers

No food show would be complete with good biscuits and there are several companies at this years show. One of Scotland’s oldest is Tunnocks and I had a great chat with the young Mr Tunnock, grandson of the founder Thomas Tunnock. Very few people need an introduction to Tunnocks as they are one of the nations great favourites. They’re on stand G20 You’ll find all your favourites, teacakes, caramel logs, caramel wafers and the great favourite, Tunnock’s snowballs.

The Gift of Oil have some outstanding olive oils and balsamic vinegars.

The Gift of Oil on stand C22 are they’re always on my shopping list at BBC Good Food Shows. I love their first class range of olive oils and vinegars and it’s great to see that they’ve added new additions to the range. There’s a new rosemary & garlic infused olive oil and a new zingy grapefruit infused balsamic vinegar. My top favourite in the infused balsamics is the pomegranate & fig and I also picked up a bottle of the deliciously sweet raspberry infused. You’ll find this seasons Puglian, Alentejan and Sicilian olive oils along with some outstanding maturevinegars and the full range of infused balsamics. Definitely worth a visit.

This is just a few of the outstanding producers you’ll find at this years show. I’ll be back at the show tomorrow to bring you some more of my favourite food & drink and also to keep you posted on twitter & facebook with live show updates.

My BBC GOOD FOOD SHOW FAVOURITES

October 16, 2014 By Rachel Leave a Comment

SECC Glasgow 17 -19 October 2014

When food lovers converge on the BBC Good Food Show Scotland at Glasgow’s SECC this weekend they will not be disappointed.Well over one hundred of the countries top food producers will be showcasing their products and I’ve put together a list of my favourites to help get your shopping list organised.

I’ve been visiting the show for many years now and find it a great opportunity to stock up on ingredients and get organised with some great food gifts for Christmas.

Here’s the first of my top five from this years show.

Summer Harvest with their great range of rapeseed oils, dressings, vinegars and mayonnaise

Summer Harvest are regulars at BBC Good Food Show with their ever popular range of Scottish rapeseed oils, salad dressings and vinegars. At their Perthshire farm, owners, Mark and Maggie Bush grow all their own crops and press and bottle all their own oil. I’ve been using Summer Harvest oils for a number of years now and their rapeseed oil, mayonnaise and vinegars are firm favourites in my kitchen. Making it’s show debut this year, is their outstanding ‘White Trufle Oil’. I’ve been using it for some time now and it makes a wonderful addition to risottos and soups. Perfect drizzled over the finished dish. The truffle oil will also be available in gift packs along with rapeseed oil and the delicious oak smoked oil. Another pack with Chilli & Red Pepper Dressing, Lemon & Honey Dressing and the wonderful Raspberry dressing will also be available. Visit Summer Harvest on stand C22

. Sweet and Savoury temptaions from Perthshire Preserves with their delicious range of jams, marmalades and chutneys.

Good Food Champions, Iain MacKenzie and Kate Thornhill from Perthshire Preserves are back at this years show with their full range of handmade jams, marmalade and chutneys. Having made jam with Kate and Iain at their Perthshire Kitchen, I can say that their preserves are truly handmade artisan products. There is a large selection to choose from but my favourites are their Hot Banana Chutney, fantastic to serve with spicy food and also delicious on a bacon roll. The Double Expresso Marmalade is a firm favourite at breakfast in our house and I love the Lemon curd on oatcakes with my 3 o’clock. For the show there is a special Orange and Lemon Curd and the full Christmas range of chutney’s relishes and luxury mincemeat. Visit Perthshire Preserves on stand A110

‘Thinking out of the biscuit’, Borders Biscuits, so ‘deliciously different.

Also returning to this years show and spreading tasty crumbs of deliciousness is Border Biscuits. As a ‘Border Biscuit Taste Tester’, I can tell you without any hesitation that every one of their biscuits is fantastic. There’s such a wide range of biscuits in the Borders selection and in our house everyone has their own favourites. In the ‘Deliciously Different’ range there’s flavours such as Raspeberry & White Chocolate Bliss, Strawberry & Cream Melts and Danishly Caramel Apple. There will be samples to taste on the Borders stand, so no excuse for not stocking up on your favourites. The larger boxes and tins of Border Biscuits make ideal gift and with Christmas approaching, you might want to sample the biscuits in the ‘Classic Range’ and stock up on some ‘Classic Gift Packs’. Visit Border Biscuits on stand D52

Three top quality sea salts from Hebridean Sea Salt

An essential in my kitchen is good sea salt and a firm favourite is Hebridean Sea Salt from the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. Owner Natalie Clayton founded the business in 2011 with the ethos of creating a sustainable product whilst making the most of what the areas surrounding area had to offer. The award winning sea salt is harvested from the unspoilt, crystal clear waters of Loch Erisfort on the East coast of Lewis, using the simplest of recipes; Hebridean sea water, heat and time. This creates pure white crunchy sea salt flakes that just melt in the mouth. There are three salts in the Hebridean Sea Salt Range – Pure Original, Peat Smoked and Seaweed Infused. I use all three as the flavours are very different and can be used to enhance a wide range of dishes, I love the Peat Smoked Sea Salt for it’s real deep peaty flavour and the Seaweed is ideal with a range of dishes although I like using it with seafood. Visit Hebridean Sea Salt on stand C47

Visit the Ramsay of Carluke stand where you’ll find a mouthwatering range of of products.

One stand you should not miss is Ramsay of Carluke . Andrew Ramsay and family will be proudly showcasing the company’s delicious and award winning bacon, haggis , black pudding and sausage products. The Ramsay family have been producing bacon for over 150 years in Scotland’s Clyde Valley and they are veterans of the BBC Good Food Show. Choose from the fantastic Ayrshire Cured Bacon, the 3 star Gold Great Taste Award Black Pudding and an outstanding range of sausages. In addition to Ramsay’s classic sausages, you’ll find some great flavours; ‘Pork & Caramalised Onion’ Pork & Really Garlicky and ‘Apple & Black Pudding’. Visit Ramsay of Carluke on stand B52

Look out for the next post where I’ll be telling you more about this years BBC Good Food Show Scotland’s Bursary Winners, Helens Herbs, Plan Bee, Hebridean Food Company and more about Scotia Spice’s ‘True Guide to Punjabi Cooking’.

BBC GOOD FOOD SHOW SCOTLAND

October 16, 2014 By Rachel Leave a Comment

SECC Glasgow 17 -19 October 2014

The BBC Good Food Show returns to Scotland this Friday and once again the show promises to be a spectacular event for food lovers. Doors open at 10am and Great British Bake off Fans will be delighted to see the very popular Paul Holywood and the lovely Mary Berry declare the show open.

Throughout the weekend several renowned chefs including, James Martin, Scotland’s Tom Kitchin, Masterchef’s JohnTorode, Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood will entertain visitors in the 900 seat Supertheatre, which, this year has been sponsored by Kenwood. New to the Scottish show is the Bakes and Cakes Village and with the the country’s interest in baking at an all time high, it’s sure to be a favourite with visitors.

There’s also a brand new Eat Well Pavillion, dedicated to wholefoods, superfoods, wheat free, dairy free, gluten free and natural ingredients. Nutritional experts will be on hand with advice and there will be opportunities to learn healthy cooking techniques and to sample a selection of delicious and nutritious food and drink.

The ever popular producers village has over 100 food and drink producers, showcasing a range of speciality food and artisan produce. Whether you’re looking for new ingredients to inspire you in the kitchen or a foodie gift for a friend, you’ll find everything you need here. Within the village you’ll find area’s dedicated to Scottish regional producers including this year’s outstanding BBC Good Food Show Bursary Award Winners.

To enable visitors to relax and enjoy a hands free visit to the show there’s a fast and convenient designated Shop and Drop area supported by Guide Dogs. There’s also opportunities to meet the dogs and navigate your way through their sensory tunnel.

With so much to see at this year’s show and with so many good food products available it’s worthwhile planning your visit in advance. I’m part of the official BBC Good Food Show Blogging team and between now and Friday I’ll be telling you about my favourite must have products and who’s who at this years show.

There are four very impressive BBC Good Food Show Bursary Award Winners and each will be bringing a very different range of great products and services to the show. All four companies were successful in the show teams search to find the most outstanding artisan food and drink producers and will be proudly showcasing their businesses for the first time at the show. They include

Scotia Spice with their True Guide to Punjabi Cooking.

Helen’s Herbs with a beautiful range of herbs to fragrance the garden or enhance your cooking.

Plan Bee, the fastest, most natural way to make a positive local impact & support social responsibility through adoption of a beehive.

The Hebridean Food Co, bringing wildly delicious seafood, lamb, beef, game and other delights direct to your door.

My first favourite and a must if you’re looking for an unusual food gift is Bursary Winner Scotia Spice . I predict their True Guide to Punjabi Cooking will be extremely popular with visitors to the show. The beautifully designed box contains all the spices and recipes needed to make 6 dishes, along with ‘Yasmin’s Guide to Tasting Spices’ and ‘Your Guide to True Punjabi Cooking’.

The ideal food lovers gift. The True Guide to Punjabi Cooking

The ideal food lovers gift. Your Guide toTrue Punjabi Cooking

This is a great alternative to a cookery book and ideal for someone learning or starting to experiment with spicy food as the only additional ingredients required as the the meat and vegetables.

Scotia Spice owner,Yasmin McDonagh commented “The True Guide to Punjabi Cooking offers enthusiastic cooks the chance to learn the art of authentic Punjabi cooking. With know-how that’s been passed down the generations, we help people discover how to get the most out of exotic spices and delicious ingredients. One taste of a curry cooked from scratch and you’ll never want a takeaway again”.

One taste of a curry cooked from scratch and you’ll never want a takeaway again

There are three boxes to chose from, lamb, chicken and vegetarian. Normally priced at £20, but as a special BBC Good Food Show offer you can buy two for £36. Visit Scotia Spice on stand PB1

I’ll be following up this post with my top picks among the food producers and you can keep up to date with show news by following my twitter feeds, @RachelGillon and @WeePinchofSugar.