Thanks to all of you who sent in your cookery questions. Here are my answers to some that were sent in, check to see if yours is included. Sorry I couldn’t answer them all, but keep them coming in.
Liam from Cranfield asked:
Do you make the Sourdough bread in the H&F, it was delicious. Do you have the recipe?
I agree it is ? but I’m afraid we don’t make the sourdough bread.
We have sourced, what we consider to be the best sourdough bread in the UK, from a baker in Manchester called Pollen.
We would love to make it, but for consistency and space reasons we have had to outsource this product, I hope that helps.
Tim from Chinnor asked:
Hi Tom. Our local village butcher has some really nice looking goat. Any suggestions for a way to cook it.
Hi Tim, I would always cook the shoulder and cook slowly for a very long time, the meat will be lovely and tender. Then you can flake it up to make goat tacos or wraps.
Peter from Eversley asked:
How best do I cook a brace of pheasants?
I would suggest pot roasting them, I have a recipe on BBC good food for such an occasion. Check it out here.
Charlotte From Newbury asked:
Please can you give me a roast veg dish that is a bit more adventurous than just using oil.
Check out my roasted veg and rocket pesto recipe from my Fresh Start book, Using rocket to make pesto is a nice alternative to the usual basil, adding an extra
peppery flavour and taking it to another level.
For the rocket pesto
- 90g rocket leaves
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 25g pine nuts, toasted
- 25g basil leaves
- 40g Parmesan, finely grated
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 120ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp light olive oil
To finish
- 25g pine nuts, toasted
- A handful of rocket leaves
Method
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas 7. Line two roasting trays with baking parchment.
- Peel the beetroot, carrots and parsnips, and cutaway the skin from the butternut squash. You want the veg to be in similar-sized pieces to ensure they cook evenly, so cut any larger root veg in half lengthways and then cut the squash into similar-sized wedges.
- Place in a single layer in the roasting trays. Drizzle with the extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and the fennel seeds. Roast for 20 minutes.
- Take the trays out, add the cauliflower and cabbage and turn to coat in the oil. Swap the oven shelf position of the trays and cook for a further 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the rocket pesto. Have a large bowl filled with water and ice to hand. Bring a pan of water to the boil, add a pinch of salt, then plunge the rocket into the pan and blanch very briefly. As soon as it’s wilted, scoop it out with tongs or a slotted spoon and drop it into the iced water to cool quickly.
- Drain the rocket and squeeze out all water. Place in a small food processor and add the garlic, pine nuts, basil, Parmesan, lemon juice and both olive oils. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Once the vegetables are cooked, share them between warmed plates and drizzle with the rocket pesto. Scatter over the toasted pine nuts and fresh rocket leaves. Serve straight away.
Sean from Layhill asked:
What’s the difference in flavour between chicken eggs and ducks’ eggs and what should you use duck eggs for?
Ducks eggs are very rich and have lovely flavour to them. They are obviously bigger that a hens egg and take a little more cooking. Cook them the same way as hens eggs, fried, poached or scrambled, just be sure to cook them a little longer.
Selina from Tunbridge Wells asked:
Whenever I cook sweet potato fries or wedges they are soggy, how do I make them crispy on the outside?
Sweet potatoes are super sugary and real challenge to get crispy. Adding starch to them will help for crispier sweet potatoes. Toss them in a potato starch or flour before you fry or tray bake.
Keep sending your questions in.
