A simple sausage supper

Back to the haul of sausages, which we brought back from our trip to Finnebrogue, the wonderful establishment for the creation of delicious gluten free meat products, situated in a fabulous setting just outside Belfast.

We have had some splendid sausage butties, topped off with chunky tomato chutney or some Tewkesbury mustard, with the lovely piggy pieces tucked between some home made bread.  Bliss.

This is the elevation of a British classic beyond its humble origins.

Our toad in the hole has been given a lift too, with the addition of some chopped apple, as I have already recorded. Link

And there have been numerous variations on the sausage casserole theme..... One of my favourites included red onion, sundried tomatoes, fennel seed, orange peel and red wine.

Picture

Christmas saw pigs in blankets two ways, as they would say on Masterchef. The first blanket being bacon wrappers for the Christmas lunch and the second made from crispy pastry for a party buffet.  For the latter I used "puppies" and some homemade chutney to create picked puppies, much to the amusement of the younger party goers. 

The recipe described below started off as a frantic fridge forage, when the evening's plans went totally awry, knocked off course by the giddy roundabout of a teenager's social life.  Food was called for, and speed was the major ingredient!!

In such circumstances, sausages are always a useful standby, quick, simple and tasty and this made a nice addition to the repertoire.

6 good quality pork sausages, I used Asda Extra special pork and leek, made by Finnebrogue

2 apples

250ml dry cider

2 tsp wholegrain mustard

200 ml double cream

Skin the sausages, core and quarter the apples, then cut each quarter into 4 chunks

Break up the sausage meat. Heat 1tblsp rapeseed oil in a prospector pan.

Add the sausage meat and cook until browned all over.

Add the apples and continue to cook until they take on a little colour.

Add the cider and simmer for 20 minutes.

Mix the mustard with the cream and stir into the sausage mix. Simmer for a further 20 minutes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Scatter a handful of pumpkin seeds on top and serve with linguine.

© Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2017

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Guest posts

We hope you all enjoyed looking at other people's photos of Netherton pots and pans on our Facebook page over the Christmas holidays. 
NOW do you fancy getting one of your recipes and some photos featured on here? Well, we would really like to see some of your ideas too - we are happy to include your biog if you want us too, or we can post anonymously. It's up to you.

And it will give me a rest for a week or so - I'm sure you'd like to see someone else's contribution, so even if YOU don't want to write in, you may know someone who does.

E-mail your recipes/stories/anecdotes and photos to sales@netherton-foundry.co.uk and we will select some of our favourites.

© Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2017

Coffee

This is not a scholarly thesis on the history of coffee houses.
Nor is it (much of) a diatribe about the omnipresence and apparent omnipotence, of multinational coffee chains.

This is more of a personal history and perspective of coffee and a preamble to a new recipe.
From the instant powder and my grandmother's bottle of Camp of my earliest memories, through Nescafé granules and the apparent superiority of freeze drying came the dawning realisation that this is not what coffee is all about.
And this is balanced  against the strongly held belief that "Christmas pudding" is, to use common parlance, a "thing", ie a traditional amalgam of dried fruits, steamed into a seasonal pudding, to be served with brandy sauce, and not, definitely not, a flavour for coffee......more of that later.

In my youth, a long time ago, boys and girls, coffee was mostly drunk, in our household, in the evening, made from instant coffee powder and a 50:50 mix of boiled full fat milk and water. This was drunk from mugs, a nod to informality, in front of the telly, accompanied by a custard cream or Bourbon biscuit.  A far cry from an espresso and a biscotti.
Roughly twice a year, on special occasions, the electric percolator made an appearance, the gentle blipping sound signalling a dream of sophistication, rudely shattered by a dessert of over gelatinous lemon jelly cheesecake topped with gloopy fruit pie filling.

The alternative of the time was offered in Di Palma's Italian coffee bar, an oasis of continental influence in the rural and deeply unhip town of my adolescence, where the hiss and drama of a milk steamer bestowed an after school romanticism to a cup of frothy coffee served in a white Pyrex cup and saucer, which could not be dampened by the disappointments of unrequited teenage love.

It was only when I left home that I discovered that my coffee of choice was freshly ground, strong and black and thus it has remained.
I can only drink my coffee black, but do not deny the legitimacy of a cappuccino or a latte; it wouldn't do for us all to be alike.
But enough with the syrups and flavours - coffee is coffee.
And whilst I am on the soapbox, I also believe that there are times and places for coffee and on foot is not one of them.  A belief strengthened by the baptism by flat white that I underwent at the hands of a total stranger on the underground.....if you must drink coffee on the move, please hang on to it.  That's £2.55 you threw at me, next time I'll take it in change ☺️
When did we become so suggestible that we feel the need to imbibe coffee between leaving the house and arriving at work - unless we have a 2 hour train commute. Coffee on a train journey is acceptable.
Why do we succumb to the suggestion that carrying a disposable cup, complete with baby sipper lid, of universally branded hot liquid imbues us with an image and stature that will be admired by our peers.
This strikes me as a posture, much like the craving for acceptance among my teenage peers with the lighting of that first cigarette.  It's still only so much of an insubstantial smoke screen.

There is a line in Blood, Bones and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton, a rollicking good read by the way, where she decries the woman asking for a "double skim, half decaf, vanilla latte" which had me grinning like a fool and which pretty much sums up how I feel about the adulteration and often, infantilisation of coffee on sale in the coffee shop chains.  If you don't want caffeine, don't drink coffee, if you don't want calories, don't add milk or sugar. A gazillion calories in a warm cup of thick, oversweetened gloop with the coffee flavour subsumed by hazelnuts is the alcopop of the caffeine world.  
These options pander to the twin monsters of so called clean eating and a growing sugar dependency with its attendant problems.

For me there are only 3 things that go with coffee and the last of these does not belong in a coffee cup.
These are milk, booze and chocolate.  Ok, drink white coffee, I won't make it a crime when I rule the world, yes, add a slug of brandy, why not? And I will certainly not deline a slice of coffee and chocolate cake.

All of which brings me back to the original inspiration for this piece.  A Christmas gift of licorice flavoured coffee beans.  May the saints preserve us!!!!!

Not wanting to
a) feel Grinchily ungrateful and
b) wasteful
I tried to come up with a use for these and in all fairness, the resulting cake was pretty good and will probably work for any other flavoured bean you have stashed at the back of the cupboard.

You will need
1 tablespoon flavoured (or not) coffee beans, very finely ground
120g butter
120g soft brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tblsp Greek yogurt
120g rye flour

Pre-heat your oven to 160ºC

Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the yogurt and eggs and beat again.
Stir in the flour and ground coffee.

Spoon into a cake tin and bake for about 30 minutes - or until a skewer comes clean.

Turn out and leave to cool before decorating with a coffee flavoured glacé icing - or, if you prefer whipped, ideally squirty, cream, marshmallows, chocolate sprinkles, a flake and caramel sauce.

This contains gluten, sugar, full fat dairy, caffeine.
To those with genuine allergies or intolerances, no offence intended.  To everyone else - just get stuck in.

© Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2017

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

A brief look back

2016 was a tumultuous year, with a series of personal highs and lows, punctuated with world events of stunning impact and far too many deaths.  There was an unprecedented number of celebrity departures, many of which shocked us by their premature and often unexpected nature and others which touched our personal lives.

Wars, civil strife and terrorism have been recurrent themes, with the shocking and heart rending stories of those caught up in them and the gamut of public and political responses to their plight.  The faint glow of common humanity is still alight, but struggles to be seen under the blanket of cynicism and xenophobia that is rife.

We have been taken aback by political outcomes that were not predicted and face a new year uncertain of what will unfold.  But the times, as they say, are changing and we must respond positively and make what we can of new circumstances, creating challenges to be met rather than obstacles to batter ourselves against.

We have experienced much to rejoice in on a personal basis and the last year has provided us with joy amidst the sadness.  We have had our "reasons to be be cheerful".

Meanwhile, the view from Netherton HQ continues to be positive and whilst we are still not the household name I aspire to, we are gaining recognition and growing as a business, locally, nationally and internationally.

In the manner of an award winner, I'd like to thank the many people who have helped us along the way.  If this sounds like a name droppers' shopping list, then so be it.  We might have raised our profile without the help and support of these well known names, but not as high.

We have met some of our heroes; had a cup of tea with Nigella Lawson, met Diana Henry and Sheila Dillon in Bristol, shared a stage at Grand Designs with Steve Lamb, who introduced us to Kevin McCloud, chatted on the phone with and supplied pans to Esquire's  "social influencer" Jackson Boxer and posted a pan or two to Ed Smith. Seeing Ping Coombes wield a Netherton wok, with supreme skill was a highlight of the Ludlow Food Festival. I am looking forward to meeting the charming Mark Diacono in a few weeks, when I head to Otter Farm for a course run by Diana Henry - the best Christmas present I have ever had.

On top of this, the pans themselves have starred in newspapers and magazines, with a fleeting appearance on George Clarke's Old House New Home.

The sheer love and support of our friends in Shropshire continues to overwhelm us and make us grateful to be where we are. You all know who you are, chefs, reporters, festival organisers and fellow Salopians, who simply lend their voice to the cry to "make Netherton famous".

We work hard to keep you all included in our story via social media and it is the thousands  of you who follow and engage with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram who see us through the darker days, when manufacturing in Britain in the current financial, economic and political climate sometimes feels more like insanity than an act of faith.  Thank you all.

From the outset, we set ourselves up to be the kind of business that we would want to deal with and to find ways to support our own philosophies.

So, we continue to do our best to provide a good, personal service.  This is not always easy. The majority of customers fall into the categories of those listed above, but every now and then we encounter negativity and malice.  We are fully aware that our cookware does not suit everyone and if you want a pan that you can shove through the dishwasher and replace every 12 months, then we are not the brand for you.  Don't buy a sports car if you want to transport a family and 3 dogs on a camping holiday - buy what suits you. We will understand.

We also provide advice and spare parts, down to the last screw, so please get in touch if you think we can help.  Just don't threaten us with "death by social media" if we are not the ones for you.  We subscribe wholeheartedly to the "waste not want not" ethos and want people to add to their pan collections, not just keep buying new ones.  Repair and restore, when necessary, with our spare parts, rather than replace.

The independence and variety of the High Street remains dear to our hearts and we do not wish to see individuality, retailer knowledge and customer service usurped by homogenisation and impersonal retail experiences. So we will carry on looking for and supporting the independent retailers whom we would choose to buy from.  It is sad to see some of our retailers disappear, but gratifying to see our stockists list grow overall and it is always a delight when new shops seek us out rather than vice versa.

It always strikes me as strange that no matter how hard we try, there are still people close to home who have not heard of us.  This is particularly true of shopkeepers, who I naively expected would seek out new ideas.  Then, out of the blue, we will get requests from Shops as far afield as San Francisco and Shanghai, and website orders from Australia, Hong Kong and Malaysia.  It's a funny old world.

All in all, 2016 was not an easy year, but on balance it was a positive one and we hope that 2017 will bring us and you, if not an easier ride, then one with fewer bumps in the road, a lot to of fun along the way and the outcomes you wish for.

© Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2017

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Apricot and cardamom buns

Hygge is everywhere: the Danish concept of cosiness.  Whilst I love the thought of it, I have been trying to avoid jumping on any fashionable bandwagons.  I have yet to attempt to make the cinnamon buns that fill the pages of every magazine at the moment, although I will admit to a scented candle or two - but there again, these have long been a feature in our house.

However, these fragrant, tasty buns, which are ideal for a relaxed Sunday breakfast on a wintry morning seem to fit the bill.  The aroma of them baking fills the kitchen with the most appetising of smells.

But, hands up, I admit I did not make these wearing beige cashmere and fluffy slippers and I don't expect you to do so either.  Just let me know if you try them and what you think of them.
You will see that one of the ingredients is orange infused sugar - this is one of my #wastenot tips.
If you are only going to use the juice of an orange, or simply eat it, grate the zest first and add it to a jar of sugar.  The sugar will absorb the orange oil and take on a beautiful flavour.  This has a myriad uses and you can even blitz it in a food processor to make flavoured icing sugar, ideal for glazing or sprinkling on these buns.
And whilst we are on the subject of #wastenot, always grate the zest from your lemons, even when you only need the juice.  The zest can be stored in the freezer until needed.

10oz bread flour

12 fl oz milk
Juice of 1 lemon 

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried yeast

2 dessertspoon orange infused sugar (or plain sugar and the grated zest 1 orange)

6 green cardamom pods

2 oz soft butter

4 oz dried apricots

Egg white

Sugar

Heat the milk to blood temperature in a saucepan and add the lemon juice.
Remove from the heat.

Split open the cardamom pods and take out the seeds.  Grind to a powder with a pestle and mortar.
Chop the apricots.

Put all the ingredients, except the egg white and extra sugar into a food mixer or food processor (with dough blade fitted) and mix thoroughly for around 30 seconds.
Alternatively, place all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and beat well with a wooden spoon.
Ensure the dough is covered, use cling film or a damp cloth and leave to rise for at least 2 hours. (You can leave it overnight and bake them in the morning if you are more organised in the morning than I am.)

Place a griddle plate in the oven and pre-heat to 200ºC

Shape the dough into 8 equal sized rolls and place on the hot griddle plate.
Paint the tops with egg white or milk and sprinkle with sugar.  You can omit this stage and glaze them with a thin drizzle of orange icing whilst still warm if you prefer.

Bake for around 15 - 20 minutes until they sound hollow when tapped on the base.

Serve warm with butter and plenty of coffee.

© Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2016

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

A jar full of teaspoons

I have no doubt that many of you will have heard of Maslows hierarchy, which I first encountered at university, a lifetime ago.

This describes how we can only start to ski around the snowy pinnacle of ego validation - self worth, self esteem, the longing to be loved and valued, when we have met the basic needs for survival at the bottom.  These include protection from extremes of climate and temperature, from physical danger. The days of living in caves at risk from sabre tooth tigers are long gone, but consider the plight of the homeless, who are prey to the cold, wet, prejudice, discrimination and mindless violence.

Of course, one of the absolute essentials is nourishment.

In other words, before we can grow as individuals, we need a roof over our heads, protection from physical harm and a full belly.

So we are back on my favourite subject, food.

Not enough of it and we become malnourished.  The issues of body image in the media, anorexia websites, child poverty, climate and natural disaster induced famine and the politics of dictatorial and corrupt regimes are all serious topics better suited to cleverer writers than me.

The wrong type of food and we become sick, of course there are poisonous mushrooms etc, but there's also the potential for diet related diabetes, heart disease, cancers etc.

Too much and we get fat, with all the health issues, both physical and psychological, that being overweight brings.

So clearly food is fundamental to our existence and well being , but it's about so much more.

There are those who simply eat to live and who would happily take a nourishment pill, like the writers of the sci fi films of the 1950s and 1960s imagined we would be doing.

But I believe the vast majority of us, who have a choice, take pleasure in our food, whatever it is.

This could be a bar of chocolate, icecream, a piece of cake, an Indian takeaway or steak and chips and ,as long as these are part of a more varied diet and are consumed in moderation, there is no reason to demonise them.

In my opinion, food provides the opportunity for more than keeping our bodies ticking over; mealtimes offer company and conversation, there's  the pleasure of discovering new tastes, the comfort of familiar favourites and the satisfaction and fulfilment from cooking and sharing with others.  As you may already have worked out, I am what is colloquially known as a "feeder".

Our son is now fending for himself in his first term of university and our daughter is in 6th form college, so it's not really that long ago that they were taking part  firstly in primary school and then in secondary school food technology classes.

This is a term no more appealing than the "domestic science" of my school days. Nor is it any more useful or appetising than it was then.

You cannot equip a child for life by teaching then how to make cupcakes.

The teaching of cookery seems to have removed so much of the pleasurable aspects of food and reduced it to formulaic following of instructions, much like a self assembly, flat pack wardrobe.

But if we can encourage a feel for cooking, the constant tasting and adjusting, then cooking become less of a chore and eating all the more rewarding.

I believe that we should teach the basics and then encourage experimentation. Explain how different flavours can enhance (or ruin) a dish...... I will never forget being served fried onions with poached salmon - so wrong - but a salad of marinaded shallots, with tomato and cucumber would have taken the basic onion and oil combination and created something to complement the salmon.

One of the most valuable lessons that chefs can give is always to have a spoon next to the pot and to keep using it.

Learn how to spice up and tone down your sauces, why a rare steak tastes different for a slow braised piece of shin, how a touch of heat can transform an underripe piece of fruit into something sublime.

Savour your meals, put the phone down, switch off the telly, concentrate on what you are eating and, if possible, share the experience with friends or family.

Stop and think for a moment how many dishes revolve around a humble tin of tomatoes, an ingredient that can be bought for so little and transformed into something truly special.
Things like pizza, soup, chilli, bolognese, baked beans, goulash, chicken cacciatore.

Here are some suggestions about what to do with a tin of tomatoes and what to serve with them:

1. With orange, fennel, prawns and pasta.
2. With peppers and onions, chicken and a simple risotto

3. Paprika, sour cream, chorizo and boiled potatoes

4. Garlic, onions, oregano, mince and spaghetti

5. Chilli, garlic, capers, anchovies, olives and linguine

6. Lemon, cumin, parsley, garlic, onions and green beans with rice or pitta bread

7. Paprika, caraway, onions, pork and rice

8. Or simply reduce a tin of chopped tomatoes with a pinch of oregano and a splash of olive oil for the perfect pizza sauce.

Go ahead, experiment

© Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2016

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Sticky fig cake

For reasons that are too tedious to go into, I have been faced with the challenge of creating a vegan menu recently - not something that comes easily in this household, with its love of all things dairy and a passion for fresh eggs.
But I have never been shy of meeting a challenge, be it rock climbing or motorbike riding, so vegan cooking was simply going to go on the list.

Vegan main courses were fairly straightforward, admittedly I haven't come up with a decent cauliflower cheese, but we have had a number of vegan dishes which didn't even register as being of "special dietary interest".
It was puddings that proved the hardest...... you will already have seen a number of puddings on this blog and without checking, I can be pretty sure that every single one contains at least one prohibited ingredient.
It has to be admitted that some experiments are best glossed over, suffice to say that it's lucky some of our garden birds aren't fussy.
However, we did enjoy a treacle tart, with a pastry made from vegetable suet and filo tarts filled with cashew and pistachio cream and topped with poached apricots and, for the purists, maple syrup and the less pure, honey.

That said, the weather is getting colder and we were craving a proper autumnal pud, so the big challenge was to come up with a variation of sticky toffee pudding and this is the result. And for those of you who are not following a vegan diet, I have included the non-vegan alternative ingredients too.
I didn't tell all my testers that this was vegan, just to gauge the response and I am pleased to report that it got an all round thumbs up and surprise when it was revealed to have no animal products in it.

CAKE
4oz vegan margarine (or butter if you don't want a vegan version)

4 oz sugar

1 banana

2 oz soft dried figs
4 tblsp soaked chia seed jelly (or 2 eggs if you don't want a vegan version)

4 oz self rising flour

1 tsp baking powder

6 dried figs for decoration

Preheat the oven to 170ºC
Put the margarine/butter, sugar, banana and figs into a food processor and mix until smooth and fluffy.
Add the chia/eggs and beat again.
Fold in the flour, mixed with the baking powder.

Spoon into a greased 10" Prospector pan or 8½" cake tin
Split open the reserved figs and put them on top of the cake batter
Place into the oven and bake for approx 30 minutes, until the top springs back when pressed with your finger.
Set aside while you make the sauce.

SAUCE

4 oz sugar

Juice of 1 orange

2oz dried figs soaked for 30 min in 6 fl oz hot water. 

Put the sugar into a saucepan over a medium heat.
Cook gently until the sugar has melted and turned a rich brown.
CAREFULLY pour in the orange juice and continue to cook until the caramel has completely dissolved in the juice.
Add the fig purée and simmer for 5 - 10 minutes until it is a consistency to your liking.
Slice the cake and pour over the sauce.  This can served as it is or with cream, (vegan) yogurt or cashew cream.

© Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2016

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk