RECIPES & WINE From Christmas

Preparation time: 10 minutes. Cooking time: 20 minutes. Serves: Four. Ingredients: 280g Rutland Water trout fillets • 400g mashed potato • 5 salad onions, finely chopped 2 tbsp capers, rinsed and roughly chopped • 35g cornichons, finely chopped • ½ x 20g pack dill, snipped 2 lemons, 1 zested and juiced, the other in wedges • 1 tbsp olive oil 220g runner beans • 150g broad beans, steamed, to serve

Preheat the grill to medium-high. Place the trout on a foil-lined baking tray and grill for eight minutes. Set aside to cool, then thickly flake, discarding the skin. In a large bowl, mix the mashed potato with the salad onions, capers, cornichons, dill, lemon zest and two tbsp juice. Fold through the trout, shape into eight cakes and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan or saute pan over a medium heat. Gently cook the fishcakes in two batches for 4–5 minutes on each side until golden brown and warmed through. Serve the fishcakes with the steamed vegetables and lemon wedges.

Sunday, 28th November is ‘Stir-up Sunday,’ the day when families would gather around the kitchen table and prepare their Christmas pudding. Here’s our luxurious but traditional take on a festive favourite...

Preparation Time: One hour. Cooking Time: Six hours. 75g semi-dried cherries • 2 x 75g dried cranberries • 150g raisins • 150g sultanas • Finely grated zest and juice of one orange ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg • 1 tsp ground cinnamon • 1 tsp ground mixed spice • 200ml stout • 2 tbsp brandy, rum or Madeira, plus 75-100ml for serving • ½ x 250g pack Vegetable Suet • 50g self-raising flour • 100g fresh breadcrumbs 1 medium Bramley apple, peeled, cored and grated •225g dark brown soft sugar • 2 large eggs, beaten

Place the dried fruit, orange zest and juice, spices, stout and brandy, rum or Madeira in a large bowl. Mix well, then cover with a clean tea towel and leave to stand in a cool place for at least six hours, or preferably overnight. Once the fruit has plumped up, stir in the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Transfer to a lightly greased 1.2-litre pudding basin or heatproof bowl, packing it down well to ensure it all fits and there are no gaps. Cut two squares of baking parchment, about 20cm wider than the basin, then cut a piece of foil about the same size. Place the parchment squares on top of the foil, then fold the three layers in half. Fold one side back, making a crease about 2cm from the first fold, to make a pleat. This allows room for the pudding to expand during cooking. Place on top of the basin, foil side up. Take a long length of string, fold it in half and wrap it around the basin to secure the parchment and foil. Thread the ends of the string through the loop, then pull tight and knot to secure. Use the excess string to make a handle across the centre of the bowl for lifting. Place a trivet or heatproof plate in the bottom of a large pan. Place the pudding on top, then carefully pour boiling water into the pan to reach about halfway up the side of the basin. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and bring the water to the boil. Reduce the heat and steam for six hours. Check the water level regularly, topping up with boiling water as required. After six hours, turn off the heat and leave the pudding to cool completely. Use the string to lift it from the pan, then wipe down the outside of the bowl, undo the string and remove the foil and parchment. Cover the basin with a new layer of baking parchment, foil and string, then store in a cool, dark place for up to two months, until required. To reheat, steam as directed above for two hours or remove the foil and heat in the microwave (850W) for about five minutes. To serve, remove all foil and paper. Run a knife around the outside of the pudding and invert onto a serving plate. To flambe, gently warm the brandy in a small pan, taking care not to allow it to boil as it may burst into flames. Transfer into a warmed jug and pour over the pudding. Carefully light the brandy with a lit taper. Once the flames have died down, cut into wedges and serve with your choice of brandy butter, brandy cream, fresh custard or cream. n

Special edition sailors’ rum celebrates England’s maritime heritage...

Docks Beers has launched a new spiced rum called Stevedore. The arrival of rum follows the success of the Grimsby based brewers’ Maritime Gin and is a collaboration with Lincoln’s Unconventional Distillery. It is billed as a special blend of spices; vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and finished with a fresh peel of seville orange and a pinch of sea salt to give a hint of the ocean. Stevedore spiced rum is sold in individual 70cl bottles for £32 and is immediately available to buy from the Docks Beers webshop, www.docksbeers.com. n

Blue Aurora English Blueberry Wine, Oundle, Northants 2020 £11.95 / 75cl / 11% ABV

Midnight is an intense, full bodied blueberry wine. Made in the same way as a red grape wine. Each bottle is made from 1.5kg of fresh blueberries. The juice sits on the blueberry skins in the tank for six weeks to give the wonderful deep dark colour. This wine also has oak added to give the lovely soft smoky vanilla notes. It is intense, oaky and beautifully rich. It goes great with steak, mushroom risotto or to accompany a cheese board. Produced by Lutton farm; a family run farm just outside the picturesque town of Oundle by the Long family. Call 01832 273300 for stockists or see blueaurorawine.co.uk

A STUNNING SAINT-ÉMILION, THREE BEAUJOLAIS IN TIME FOR NOVEMBER’S NOUVEAU DAY PLUS A COUPLE OF LOCAL TIPPLES TO MAKE BONFIRE NIGHT GO WITH A BANG...

NOUVEAU NOVEMBER: Say ‘salut’ to a brace of Beaujolais for Nouveau Day...

1. Moulin-à-Vents is one of the finest Beaujolais Crus, using the area’s Gamay grape to create a medium-bodied wine with cherries and berries galore on the palate. £26 / 75cl / 12% ABV.

2. Winner of a Decanter award in 2020, Domaine des Pierres Dorées’s Beaujolais has summer berries, sweet spices and a lighter than usual palate with light tannins and a distinct freshness. £10.29 / 75cl / 12.5% ABV.

3. And finally, this Fleurie AOC from Domaine de LeyreLoup is the result Jacques and Christophe Lanson’s labours; plum, cherries and floral notes. £14.39 / 75cl / 12.5% ABV.

This 2019 Bacchus pours a pale gold with aromas of summer hedgerow and cut grass. The palate yields more herbaceous character with notes of lime blossom, gooseberry and samphire; Dry, crisp, delicious finish of good length. Pair with contrasting flavours, such as goats cheese or oily fish, or complement with herby dishes particularly basil and coriander leaf. Medal winning in Wine GB awards 2020.

£14/bottle, buy online at ovensfarmvineyard.com.

n Our featured wines are available from the best local independent wine merchants, supermarkets and online, prices are RRP and may vary from those stated.