Vittles

Vittles (food & drink)

Karen Broad lives in Burton Bradstock, with her husband and two mad dogs. She ran The Mousetrap in Dorchester, has lived in France and loves discovering new food producers.

Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. WS

“The Queen never was a foodie. She always ate to live rather than live to eat,” a former chef once stated. The Queen was apparently a stickler for eating seasonal foods and her chefs quickly learnt that offering her strawberries in January was unacceptable. She was not an adventurous eater, preferring simple fare. She used a knife and fork to eat a banana, as finger foods were a bit of a taboo. When discussing menus for banquets, she avoided garlic and onions. It occurred to me; how difficult it was when it came to eating that she had to anticipate any eating disasters. I thought with amusement, we never heard of times when Her Majesty dribbled soup down her dress or for those of you familiar with the film Elf, allow a loud and unexpected belch to escape! Such scrutiny our Queen was under, but as someone who had a sense of humour, it’s nice to imagine she might have allowed a small one to escape, along with that twinkle in her eye. Sandwiches always had crusts cut off, and they were never cut into oblongs, it was considered that the shape were too ‘coffin like’. As a little girl she enjoyed jam sandwiches, cut into penny-sized rounds, a favourite which she enjoyed into her advanced years, along with the occasional marmalade sandwiches. She preferred traditional British fare but loved French cuisine. She avoided eating potatoes or rice along with meats simply preferring vegetables as an accompaniment. Breakfast was simple, scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and grated truffle. So, Ma’am, the recipe below…. it’s one of your favourites.

CHOC-TASTIC: Chocolate Tiffin cake

Chocolate cake fit for a Queen

Mum’s Kitchen...

Chocolate Tiffin cake

8ozs Rich tea biscuits 4ozs unsalted butter, softened 4ozs caster sugar 16ozs dark or milk chocolate 1 egg Grease a 6-inch-by-2½inch cake tin Break the biscuits into small pieces In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Melt 8ozs chocolate and add to the butter mixture, stirring constantly Add the egg Fold into the biscuit mix Spoon the mixture into the cake tin, pressing hard to smooth down Chill the cake for at least 3 hours. Melt remaining 8ozs chocolate and turn cake out, so the bottom becomes the top Pour over the cake and smooth the top and sides using a palette knife. Allow to cool.

Speedy Chicken and

Orange Traybake Serves 4

Ingredients: 1kg skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs Juice of 1 large orange 3 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons runny honey 2 nice fat cloves garlic, crushed 1 sweetheart cabbage

Method: In a small bowl, make the marinade by stirring together squeezed orange juice, soy sauce, honey and crushed garlic, plus 1 tablespoon water. Put the chicken thighs into a sealable food bag and pour the mixed marinade over them. Set aside for at least 30 minutes, or overnight if possible. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan. Remove the tough outer leaves from the cabbage and slice it into 8 wedges, slicing lengthways through the root. Choose a roasting dish large enough to hold

Vittles (food & drink)

Lizzie Crow – AKA Lizzie Baking Bird – is a self taught baker, who has a stall outside The Old Shipp Inn in Upwey each Saturday. See her scrumptious eats at lizziebakingbird.co.uk or find lizzibakingbird on Instagram. Make yourself a jar of liquid sunshine

Crab Apple, Cider and Chilli Jelly

My lovely friend lives in a gorgeous cottage with a beautiful garden. Recently, a load of crab apples suddenly appeared over my gate, followed by an email apologising that she’d abandoned them. I was delighted. Jellies take work but are rewarding when you see the jar, like liquid sunshine, sat on a table nestled amongst the cold cuts. Alternatively you can slather it on a toasted sandwich. Here are a few handy pointers for making this recipe: Crab apples give a glorious pink glow, but any apples are great. You don’t need to spend much on cider as cheap and cheerful is good enough. Use a clean pair of tights (but don’t wash in scented detergent) if you don’t have a jelly bag. Put 2 or 3 saucers in the fridge before you begin. Ingredients 2 kg apples 2 lemons, halved 2 litres medium cider 1.5 - 1.8 kg granulated sugar 1 - 2 teaspoons chilli flakes (dependent on heat required) Knob of butter (5g) Equipment Large pan, Jelly bag 5 or 6 jam jars (approx 340ml) sterilised* Chilled saucers Method Chop the unpeeled apples into pieces (2 cm) and put in the pan with cider and lemons. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer for 45 - 60 minutes. The jelly is ready when the fruit is soft and pulpy. Suspend the jelly bag over a bowl and pour the liquefied mash through the bag. Leave covered with a loose tea towel for several hours (or overnight) until the preserve stops dripping. The next day I give the bag a little squish to make sure its fully drained. Weigh the juice, adding 100g sugar for every 100ml of juice, into a clean saucepan over a low heat. Pop in chilli flakes and stir occasionally allowing the sugar to dissolve completely. Then bring the heat up enabling the jelly to reach a rolling boil. Leave to cook for around 30 minutes. Put a teaspoon of jelly on a saucer and leave it for 30 seconds. Push your finger through the jelly - the surface should wrinkle once ready. If it is not quite achieved a set then boil for a further three minutes and repeat the process of testing. Once ready turn the heat off, add a knob of butter and keep stirring until the surface is clear. Purists may prefer not to add butter as it may make the jelly slightly cloudy. Once ready, pour the jelly into warm jars and seal.

YUMMY: Crab apple, cider and chilli jelly

n Lizzie can be found in The Old Ship Inn, Upwey on Saturday mornings until 12.00. Check out lizzie’s website for more recipes or on Instagram: lizzibaking bird

with Diana Holman

not only the chicken thighs in one layer but also the prepared 8 wedges of sweetheart cabbage nestled around them. Put the chicken and the marinade into the roasting dish and roast for 20 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and baste the chicken with the sauce. Nestle the cabbage wedges around the chicken and brush with a little rapeseed or olive oil. Roast for another 20 to 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked right through. I served this with wholewheat couscous, but rice, quinoa or mashed potato would also be nice.