I always find it a little difficult to get back into ‘routine’ after the freedom of the summer months but this year it’s been particularly challenging. It’s all well and good enjoying ourselves but eventually we do have to face reality and I fear this is my problem – facing up to reality! Since April I’ve enjoyed quite a few trips and even managed to avoid a lot of the wet, dreary weather that the UK endured this summer. Travelling is, of course, inspiring so I returned with a few new ideas to try out in my kitchen – I’ve shared not one but two ‘Tuesday Treats’ which I found along the way (check them out here!). However, I won’t lie, getting back to the daily task of cooking our dinner has proven difficult. Searching for new recipe inspiration is always a good incentive, and so yes, that meant yet another trip to Hatchards bookshop on Piccadilly to add a couple of cookbooks to my collection. I can never buy just one, but I did manage to stop myself at two! One of those cookbooks was ‘Tom Kerridge Cooks Britain’ – I’d like to take this opportunity to thank ‘Tom’ for helping me face reality and motivating me back to my beloved kitchen!..

Naturally, this month one of the recipes that I’m sharing is from Kerridge’s aforementioned book; Menu One is ‘Lamb Loin Chops with Burnt Shallots & Peas’. It’s a deliciously simple, satisfying dish. The gravy is particularly tasty with the mint and peas and is wonderful served with a pile of creamy mashed potato – a perfect October supper! Menu Two is ‘Sweet Duck Legs, Plums & Star Anise’. I rediscovered this recipe when flicking through a couple of old cookbooks searching for that elusive ‘motivation’. It’s a fantastic recipe from Jamie Oliver’s ‘Jamie’s Dinners’. It’s one of those recipes which the whole family will love, young and old; with its subtly sweet, spiced flavours it’s the perfect recipe for October when you need some ‘zing’ to get your head around the coming winter!..

Menu One

Menu One

Lamb Loin Chops with Burnt Shallots & Peas (Serves 2-3…4?!)

This is a recipe from the cookbook ‘Tom Kerridge Cooks Britain’. It’s a deliciously simple, satisfying dish. The gravy is particularly tasty with the mint and peas and is wonderful served on a pile of creamy mashed potato. Kerridge suggests using fresh peas which when in season would be fantastic, however, I cook this with frozen peas and it’s still delicious! It seems that Kerridge likes his portions large as he states it’s a recipe that serves 2-3 people, but it would be a seriously large portion for two as I think two chops per person are enough. If you want to serve four, I would simply add two extra chops, another handful of peas and ensure that the gravy doesn’t reduce too much.

6 lamb loin chops (or 8 – see note above)

6-8 shallots, peeled and halved

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

200ml white wine

400ml lamb stock

120g peas, fresh or defrosted if frozen (see note above)

2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons mint leaves, roughly chopped

30g butter, diced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Season the lamb chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Place a large non-stick sauté pan over a medium-high heat. When hot, add the lamb chops, fat side down first to render the fat, for 2-3 minutes. Now lay down the chops and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until browned. Remove the chops from the pan and set aside on a plate.
2. Add the shallot halves to the pan, cut side down and cook for 4-5 minutes until well charred on that side. Remove from the pan and set aside with the chops.
3. Toss the garlic into the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Pour in the wine and simmer until reduced by half. Now pour in the stock and cook until the liquor is reduced by half again (see note above for serving four people).
4. Return the lamb chops and the shallots to the pan and add the peas and rosemary. Simmer for a couple of minutes until the peas are cooked and the chops warmed through. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the wine vinegar and mint and season with salt and pepper to taste. Finally, stir through the butter to enrich the sauce.
5. Transfer the chops, shallots, peas and sauce to warmed plates and serve at once, with creamy mashed potato (recipe below!).

Staple Side Dish – ‘Favourite’ Mashed Potato (Serves 4)

There are numerous recipes for mashed potato, and yes, I have tried many, but this one is probably my favourite. It actually doesn’t contain any butter, which makes me feel that it could be healthy, although admittedly it does contain double cream! Don’t be put off by the garlic, you really can’t taste it, it just enhances the flavour of the potato. I must admit I ‘cheat’ when it comes to mashing, I am fortunate to have an amazing kitchen appliance, a Thermomix, this is a serious piece of kitchen kit; I can actually steam my potatoes in it and then mash them in seconds. If you don’t have a Thermomix you can either mash by hand, however,  for an easier option I would recommend doing as Delia Smith suggests in her ‘Winter Cookbook’ – whisk them with an electric hand whisk. When whisking them you do have to be careful – make sure that the potatoes are absolutely cooked, otherwise they will go gluey. Start off with the speed slow to break up the potatoes and then increase to a high speed to quickly whip them until smooth – don’t do it for too long, as again, they will go gluey, which is not good!

1kg potatoes (floury, such as Maris Piper)

100ml full-fat milk

100ml double cream

2 cloves garlic, sliced

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Peel the potatoes and cut into even sized chunks. Steam until completely cooked through.
2. Put the milk, cream and garlic in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat.
3. Mash the potatoes (see note above) adding the milk mixture a little at a time. Season well with salt and pepper.

Menu Two

Sweet Duck Legs, Plums & Star Anise (Serves 4)

This is one of those recipes which the whole family will love, young and old. There is very little preparation but you do need to do it well in advance to allow the duck take on the flavours of the marinade – overnight would be good! The dish is then slow-cooked; the duck meat will melt in your mouth!

4 fat legs of duck

4 tablespoons soy sauce

3 teaspoons five-spice

A handful of star anise

½ stick of cinnamon

1 tablespoon olive oil

1-2 fresh chillies, deseeded and sliced

14-16 plums, halved and destoned

2 tablespoons demerara sugar

1. Place the duck legs in a large sandwich bag with the soy sauce, five-spice, star anise, cinnamon stick and olive oil. Give it a good mix and allow to marinate for a minimum of 2 hours but to really get the flavours going you could keep it in you fridge for up to 2 days (*see note above).
2. When you are ready to cook, place the chillies, plums and sugar in the bottom of a high sided roasting dish or casserole pan, then pour over the marinade mixture from the bag. Mix it all together with your hands, then place the duck legs on top.
3. Place the tray in a preheated oven, 170’c fan, for 2 to 2½ hours.
4. Remove the star anise and cinnamon stick, then taste the sauce to see if it needs seasoning with a little more soy sauce. Serve with roast potatoes or rice; you could even shred the duck and serve with Chinese pancakes!