Nedging Lamb with Suffolk Vegetables

This month Transition Ipswich have launched the 30-Mile-Food-Challenge, an initiative to get Suffolk consumers eating the best produce the county has to offer. I'm really proud of the work Dad has put in to now be selling so much meat bred in Suffolk, so I thought I would offer up four recipes over the coming weeks using as much local produce as possible.

One of the difficulties of selling local meat has always been that out of a small herd, as is often the case, naturally only a small percentage will be of the high specification that produces quality meat. However, we have been really lucky to meet some great suppliers this last year who help us source meat from a selection of high-welfare Suffolk farms. Such is the case with all of our lamb; in the spring and summer months we are able to offer the flavourful and tender Nedging Lamb, whilst looking to other local farms as the lamb gets older into the autumn. 

 I popped into the shop this afternoon to get a leg of lamb, garlic and rosemary from the garden in hand, for Dad to prepare this delicious roast for me. First he deboned and rolled the leg, making it easier to carve later. He then placed the sprigs of rosemary underneath the string like so: 

He then made some mini pockets in the meat with the tip of his knife and placed in chunks of peeled garlic.

We already debone and roll lamb leg joints for customers but we were discussing this afternoon whether we could sell them prepared with herbs and garlic. What do you think, is it something you would buy? Once home I roasted in the oven for approx 1 hour 40 minutes at 190C in a fan oven. I used a whole leg of lamb which would normally serve 6-8 people, but we have kept what we didn't eat for lunches during the rest of the week. 

 I served the lamb with a medley of Suffolk vegetables; in particular Suffolk Maris Piper potatoes  from Waitrose, which make the best roasties, and delicious fresh Runner Beans from Hollowtrees Farmshop, Semer. 

If you have any questions about how to recreate this meal at home please leave a comment below! 

L x

Mediterranean Stuffed Chicken Breasts

First created to use up feta and olives in the fridge, this is one of my favourite things to cook all year round even if it does sound particularly summery.  Easy to cook when entertaining, as it can all be prepared before hand, you can adapt this recipe for individual tastes and budgets. We do a lovely range of olives at Andrew's and for this recipe I use the Mix Italia - a lovely blend of black and green olives as well as capers and peppers. The sweet flavours balance out the Greek feta we sell perfectly, but if you prefer say plain black olives, I would use some chopped cherry tomatoes in with the stuffing. I use Serrano ham to wrap the chicken breasts because of its robust flavour that is slightly stronger than Parma ham, but cheaper alternatives such as streaky bacon can also be used.

Ingredients for 6 people
6 chicken breasts, as large as possible.
6-12 slices of Serrano ham 
1 pack of Greek Feta finely diced
150 -200 grams of Mix Italia Olives finely chopped 
Dried mixed herbs 
Fresh basil finely chopped
Extra Virgin Olive oil, black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 190°C. Then mix the chopped feta, chopped olives, and herbs in a bowl. Drizzle with plenty of olive oil and sprinkle with pepper for seasoning. 
Slice open your chicken breasts lengthways to butterfly them, being careful not to cut all the way through. 
The Serrano ham may be small slices it all depends in which case you may want to use two slices per chicken breast, this is up to you. 
Lay out your ham on a chopping board, place your open chicken breasts on top, and divide the mixture between as shown. This then makes it easier to close your chicken breast and wrap the Serrano ham around the breast to keeping the mix within. Secure with a cocktail stick if necessary. Place on baking tray and put into pre-heated oven for 30 minutes. Presenting the chicken breasts cut in half allows you to check they are completely cooked inside before plating up. Serve on a bed of salad for a light meal,  or with rice, vegetables and gravy for something a little heartier. 

Gammon in Suffolk Cider

Besides prosciutto I'm not a big ham fan, but I absolutely loved the tender gammon mum home-cooked last Christmas and have since cooked it whenever I fancy a change from other roasts! Our Suffolk gammon joints make a tasty and economical alternative dinner, and with some leftover makes tasty sandwiches too. What else to cook it in than Aspall’s cider also produced in Suffolk.

Ingredients 

One of Andrew's Suffolk gammon joints, 2kg will serve 6 people in itself or 4 people with more to eat cold. Ask us if unsure!

A bottle of Aspall’s Suffolk Cider (original or flavour of your choice)

2 bay leaves and a sprig of fresh thyme 

For the glaze, honey or golden syrup and course sea salt crystals or cloves. 

Place your gammon joint in a large saucepan and pour over the cider and enough water to just cover the meat. Add your bay leaves and herbs. 

Bring to the boil and then cook at a simmer for 20 minutes per 500g (1h20m for 2kg)

At this stage the gammon will be cooked and deliciously tender, however it is lovely to crisp up the outside layer of fat in the oven with a tasty glaze. This needn’t be complicated. Simply score the fat with a sharp knife in either traditional diamonds or parallel lines. Then look to your store cupboard for with honey or golden syrup and brush over. Press in crushed sea salt crystals for extra crunch or cloves for decoration. Bake in a hot oven (190-200°C) for 30 minutes or until golden and crispy. Serve with traditional roast accompaniments in winter time and enjoy!

Parma Ham, Mozzarella and Peach Salad

Parma ham is a variety of prosciutto (dry cured ham) that can only be called so if it is produced in Parma, Italy. In my opinion it is the best- the smell that hits me when slicing it for customers in the butchers is heavenly and it tastes so deliciously sweet! 

I recently had to think up a starter for my mum's 50th birthday dinner and chose this dish because of how easy yet impressive-looking it is to make for a large number. The recipe is my summer adaptation of Jamie Oliver’s “Fifteen Christmas Salad” in Cook With Jamie. The dish can be prepared up to an hour before served, and is easily adaptable to the number you want to cook for. 

Ingredients

Small block of parmesan cheese.

Half a ball of mozzarella cheese per person. (As the cheese isn't being cooked, it really makes the dish if you can get hold of a good quality mozzarella such as the authentic buffalo mozzarella we sell at Andrews.) 

A mixture of rocket and red lettuce leaves, enough for one handful per person.

Bunch of mint leaves (optional).

Fresh peaches (not too firm not too soft!) 3 segments per person (half a peach), so multiply this by how many people you’re serving and add one peach to replace any messy slices. Jamie uses clementines for a winter alternative. 

Parma ham, 1 large slice per person. 

3 tablespoons of olive oil to 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. 

Zest of one lemon.

Salt and pepper. 

Tear up the mozzarella into chunks roughly of the same size and into a bowl and drizzle with a touch of extra lemon juice to preserve. Cover bowl with cling-film and place in the fridge for later. 

Your salad is going to be wrapped in parma ham so chop your red lettuce leaves in thinnish vertical slices and mix with the rocket and finely chopped mint leaves in a bowl. 

Prepare your peaches. Carefully slice peach into 6-8 segments, pulling away gently from the stone. Again drizzle with a touch of lemon juice if preparing in advance and put in the fridge. Make your dressing. mix 1 part lemon juice to 3 parts olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 

Dress your salad then lay out your parma ham. Wrap each slice of ham around a small compacted handful of salad. To plate up, lay out your torn up mozzarella in the centre of each plate. Sprinkle with a touch of lemon zest and again season with a touch of pepper. Balance your parma ham salad parcels across the top of each, and arrange 3-4 peach segments around the mozzarella. Garnish the plate with either a few loose rocket or mint leaves and drizzle a touch of the lemon dressing around the edge of each plate. Grate some parmesan cheese on the top of each parma ham parcel.