Ben's Barbecue Spatchcocked Chicken

For me cooking is all about sharing good food and having fun with friends and family. As the sun was shining today, and my brother is king when it comes to barbecues, I managed to persuade him to let me record him preparing a spatchcocked chicken for the barbecue.

For those who haven't heard of it before, this is simply a chicken that is cut down the breast bone and opened out so that it lays flat, and cooks evenly on the barbecue. As the weather is often temperamental at this time of year it is a great choice as it can still be roasted in the oven if all goes wrong!

When the forecast is good, we sell spatchcocked chickens in the shop, but it is also very easy to do yourself (if I can do it with my weak wrists anyone can.) We can always advise you on this in the shop if you would like to give it a go!

We had a real giggle making the video as it wasn't something we had done before, and hopefully it gives you some inspiration for barbecue meats that are good value for money and adaptable to the British weather!

Parisian Inspiration

I wasn't able to cook this weekend as I was in my favourite city, Paris, visiting a friend who currently lives there. Despite all good intentions to find meat and cheese recipes my diet consisted mostly of chocolate crepes and brioche- my weakness! Yet strolling the Parisian streets I was in awe of the beautiful presentation and design the Parisians bring to their food and shops.

At Les Deux Magots, famous for the writers and artists that used to go there, where I sat and watched the world go by. You know when food looks this good it is going to taste delicious! 

Nearly every bakery I came across had the most beautiful shop fronts and were filled with items that looked so delicious you wanted to buy one of everything- nothing like the Greggs stores we have dotted over the country in their place. When I am in the shop, Dad is constantly telling us to check the display and how everything looks to the customer and I think this makes for a much nicer shopping experience.

With projects and plans in the pipe line that may involve packaging, it was interesting to see how these herbs are bottled and how the simplicity of the design makes them look so much nicer than standard herbs and spices we find in the supermarkets. In fact I found these herbs in a local corner shop; it was inspiring to find such good design across the spectrum.

While this wasn't the most beautiful butchers shop in the world it was great to see the shop was completely open to the street for everyone to see what they had on offer. While the British weather permits us from opening up the shop, we definitely want to work on shop visibility from the street. I was also inspired to see samples on the top of the counter, something I definitely want to introduce! 

Chorizo Tortilla, Serrano Ham and Melon, Manchego Cheese

With this horrible weather I wanted to create some sunshine in the kitchen and make an inexpensive lunch that reminded me of Spanish holidays. I used three basic ingredients from Andrew's: 100g each of chorizo, Serrano ham, and Manchego cheese, all sourced from Spain. As the ingredients are quite rich, a small amount goes a long way; I was able to make a wholesome lunch for the four of us for around £10-£15 (salad and potatoes included).

The only cooking is in the Spanish tortilla: a thick omelette made with eggs, sliced new potatoes, and onions. The recipe I used is Delia's which can be found by clicking here. The only adaptation I made was to add the chorizo, which I diced and added to the pan with the potatoes and onion, and some fresh herbs added with the egg. I used a much bigger frying pan which meant the omelette was a lot thinner and took less time to cook, so think about that when considering your timings.

 I then just added the slices of Serrano ham to a board with sliced melon and the Manchego, and served alongside a salad; I really love these sorts of meals where everyone can dig in and help themselves.

Customer Collaborations: Gill's Beef Wellington

This week one of our good customers, Gill, sent me pictures of this delicious Beef Wellington she made for a dinner party using Andrew's beef fillet and prosciutto ham. All Andrew's beef comes from local farms in Suffolk and Norfolk that adhere to high welfare practices to produce the best quality beef; once it is at the shop, our team hangs it for a minimum of 21 todays until it is deliciously tender. So while buying fillet beef is expensive, buying it from a good butcher assures you won't be let down on the night and makes the meal just as special as if you were in a high class restaurant...

This meal seems simple and easy to cook but looks incredible; it is definitely one I want to try! The original recipe, shown below, comes from Gordon Ramsay for BBC GoodFood.

Beef Wellington
Ready in 1hr50min-2hrs. (inc. aprx. 50 mins chilling)
Serves 6

3 tbsp olive oil

250 g chestnut mushrooms

50 g butter

1 large sprig of fresh thyme

100 ml dry white wine

12 slices prosciutto

500g pack puff pastry, thawed if frozen

a little flour for dusting

2 egg yolks beaten with 1 tsp water 

1. Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Sit the 1kg beef fillet on a roasting tray, brush with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with pepper, then roast for 15 mins for medium-rare or 20 mins for medium. When the beef is cooked to your liking, remove from the oven to cool, then chill in the fridge for about 20 mins.
2. While the beef is cooling, chop 250g chestnut (and wild, if you like) mushrooms as finely as possible so they have the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. You can use a food processor to do this, but make sure you pulse-chop the mushrooms so they don't become a slurry.
3. Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil and 50g butter in a large pan and fry the mushrooms on a medium heat, with 1 large sprig fresh thyme, for about 10 mins stirring often, until you have a softened mixture. Season the mushroom mixture, pour over 100ml dry white wineand cook for about 10 mins until all the wine has been absorbed. The mixture should hold its shape when stirred. Remove the mushroom duxelle from the pan to cool and discard the thyme.
4. Overlap two pieces of cling film over a large chopping board. Lay 12 slices prosciutto on the cling film, slightly overlapping, in a double row. Spread half the duxelles over the prosciutto, then sit the fillet on it and spread the remaining duxelles over. Use the cling film's edges to draw the prosciutto around the fillet, then roll it into a sausage shape, twisting the ends of cling film to tighten it as you go. Chill the fillet while you roll out the pastry.
5. Dust your work surface with a little flour. Roll out a third of the 500g pack of puff pastry to a 18 x 30cm strip and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Roll out the remainder of the 500g pack of puff pastry to about 28 x 36cm. Unravel the fillet from the cling film and sit it in the centre of the smaller strip of pastry. Beat the 2 egg yolks with 1 tsp water and brush the pastry's edges, and the top and sides of the wrapped fillet. Using a rolling pin, carefully lift and drape the larger piece of pastry over the fillet, pressing well into the sides. Trim the joins to about a 4cm rim. Seal the rim with the edge of a fork or spoon handle. Glaze all over with more egg yolk and, using the back of a knife, mark the beef Wellington with long diagonal lines taking care not to cut into the pastry. Chill for at least 30 mins and up to 24 hrs.
6. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Brush the Wellington with a little more egg yolk and cook until golden and crisp - 20-25 mins for medium-rare beef, 30 mins for medium. Allow to stand for 10 mins before serving in thick slices.

It is fantastic to see the delicious meals our customers are cooking with the meat we sell. If you have a recipe that you think other customers would like to cook (no matter how simple or extravagant), send it to me along with some photos at lauren_rose1992@hotmail.co.uk and I'll do my best to share it in another post!