comfort food recipes

These are recipes for those rainy or dull days, or just times when you need a bit of a hug from the inside!

“I love a roast dinner, with beef or chicken. Only now it's mostly chicken because beef is too expensive”

– Event attendee

Ian and Guinivere's Toad in the Hole

Ingredients:

Sausages, flour, milk, eggs, salt, plus mash and veggies to eat with it.

Method:

*Turn oven on to gas mark 7 / 220 C / 200 fan.

*Put sausages in a pyrex dish and put in oven till sausages about half cooked (approx. 15 mins).

*Next make the batter; put 140g (5oz) of flour and a pinch of salt in a bowl, crack two eggs into the middle of the bowl and use a fork to beat them together.

*Gradually combine the flour and 175ml (6 fluid oz) of milk.

*Then leave to stand for 10 minutes or so.

*Take pyrex dish out of oven and carefully pour in batter.

*Put back into oven till risen and brown.

Notes: Warming and filling, everyone loves this! You could reduce the number of sausages and add stuffing balls to make it cheaper and a bit different.

Paula’s Pork Belly Dish

Ingredients:

Pork belly, onions, mushrooms, gravy, stock, honey or golden syrup. Serve with pasta or rice.

Method:

*Fry chopped up bits of pork belly in a saucepan.

*Add onions and mushrooms. Keep frying.

* Add gravy and stock slowly.

*Boil.

*Add a little bit of honey or golden syrup.

*Serve with pasta or rice.

Notes: This makes a really tasty meal.

If you're making this, take some notes to share!

Gill's Cornish Pasties

Ingredients:

8oz (225g) of Trex

1 lb (450g) of plain flour

Water, swede, onion, potato, beef skirt, salt and pepper, egg (to add a glaze if you like).

Method:

*Turn on oven to gas mark 5/ 190 C / 180 fan.

*Put flour and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Add Trex and rub it into the flour with your fingertips. Add a small amount of water till it combines into a ball. Put in fridge.

*Chop swede, onion, potato, and beef skirt into small chunks. Add salt (and pepper if you like it). Get roasting tin out ready.

*Roll out pastry and put filling inside. Wet edges of pastry and seal using a fork or crimp. If you want small pasties you can cut smaller circles of pastry.

*Beat egg and brush on as a glaze (optional; if you want to)

*Cook in oven for an hour.

Notes: Make nice big pasties so they hang off each side of the plate. If you have any pastry spare, put it in the gaps around the pasties and then give it to the birds or to your little helpers if you have them (maybe add a bit of jam for them).

Tip: If you are making for children, put their initial in pastry on the top. For a cheaper version, you can use corned beef instead of skirt.