Behind The Scenes

Growing up I was always shocked when people asked what my Dad actually did all day as if cuts of meat magically find their way on to the counter; but its understandable when they hadn't seen him walk through the front door every night exhausted and ready for bed like I had. And if ever is a good example of how hard butchers work, it is Christmas. While my eight day week was a shock to the system, I had the glamorous job of serving our lovely customers. Working in the freezing cold for up to 14 hours they're consistently juggling the preparation of an inconceivable amount of meat for 800+ orders and for the counter, with serving the shop full of customers we're so pleased to see. Here's a lovely picture of them all working in the early hours of the morning while most of us were still tucked up.

Pigs in Blankets

Last night I caught up with  friends and had a lovely Christmas roast with chicken, all the trimmings, plenty of wine and an amazing chocolate cheesecake for dessert. My friend made a delicious stuffing with sausage meat that I hope to nab the recipe for and post soon! My favourite part had to be the pigs and blankets, a Christmas Roast wouldn't be the same without them. Just buy enough for two Andrew's Original Pork Chipolatas per person and enough streaky bacon to wrap round, one rasher per chipolata. It can be a fun task for kids to prepare while you're doing the cooking and will be sure to disappear as soon as they're placed on the table. At Andrew's we sell large chickens to order at Christmas that are full of flavour and a great alternative to the traditional turkey.

Joyeuses Fêtes

I'm absolutely in love with the packaging on the Le Rustique Camembert this Christmas. We're selling this delicious Camembert in mini or large whole cheeses, or alternatively by the slice on demand. They would make for the perfect present in a Christmas hamper or look great brought out whole to slice at a dinner party with wine, crackers and grapes. Alternatively why not try out this festive whole baked camembert recipe, from Jamie Oliver one of my favourite chefs, it looks deliciously easy but would certainly impress at Christmas parties.

Chinese Roast Duck

I am a big fan of Chinese food, but when it comes to cooking it myself I don't get much further than a decent stir-fry... The dishes we eat in the restaurant just seem inaccessible back in my own kitchen. I have bad memories of stringing a duck up in the dining room desperately trying to dry it out- needless to say that one did not work out! So I absolutely loved watching Gok Wan Cooks Chinese recently that aims to make Chinese cooking easy. Of course I was keen to revisit the classic Peking Duck with pancakes, however, as one of my family has to stick to a gluten free diet, pancakes were out of the question. Instead I roasted the duck in Gok's style and cooked it with my own fried rice recipe and pak choi. The key to the recipe is the lovely combination of typically Chinese ingredients that are placed inside the duck before roasting- no complicated cooking techniques needed at all. For the full original recipe click here.