•Toad in the Hole, with mushy peas, a great tasty favorite for all the family.

Ingredients:

8 Highland Beef and Caramelised Onion Sausages
Highland Beef Dripping
175g (6oz) plain flour
Pinch of salt
1 egg
1 egg white
250ml – 300ml (8 -10fl oz) milk

Cooking instructions:

Pre heat the oven to Gas Mark 7, 220 degrees C, 425 degrees F.

Sift the flour with the salt. Add the egg white. Whisk in 250ml (8fl oz) of the milk; this will give you a very thick batter. Rest the batter for at least 30 mins. It can be made as far as 24 hours in advance. This will give it time to rest; when ready for using just quickly re-whisk.

Then take a small roasting tin and heat the dripping and colour the sausages.

To cook the toad in the hole, the fat should be very hot and almost smoking with the sausages in. Pour the batter to
come three quarters of the way up the saussages. Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 30-40 minutes.

•Roast  Leg of Scottish Black faced Lamb with fresh rosemary & thyme

Ingredients:

Full Leg of Lamb approx 2 – 2.5kg
Olive Oil
Fresh rosemary
Fresh Thyme
Woody Sprigs rosemary
2 x whole heads of garlic
Serves 6

Cooking Instructions:

Pre heat the oven to 230 c / gas mark 8

Mix together the olive oil with the chopped thyme and rosemary and make a paste. Rub it all over the Lamb giving the entire piece of meat a nice coating.

Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and place in a roasting tin, tuck the garlic heads, halved under the lamb.

Place the woody sprigs of rosemary around the meat and roast in the hot oven 230 c / Gas mark 8 for 20 mins.

Turn down the heat to 200 c/Gas mark 6 and cook for a further 60 -70 minutes until cooked.

Remove the lamb from the oven and cover, rest for 10-15 mins in a warm place (the Aga is perfect for this) It is very important to rest meat after cooking.

Serve with potatoes and vegetables of your choice. I always serve roast potatoes and baby carrots with this dish.

Happy cooking!

•Streaky Roast Belly Pork with fresh Thyme

Ingredients:

2kg approx thick end of rare breed pork belly
(Make sure that it is dry before it goes in the oven this is important for good crackling )
Fresh thyme leaves (not dried)
Sea salt
Freshly ground Black Pepper
A simple recipe which is mouth watering !
Serves 8

Cooking Instructions:

Score the belly (we will do that for you)with a sharp knife and rub the skin with a little salt and pepper. Place on top plenty of fresh thyme leaves.

Place in a roasting tin and roast in a hot oven for 3o mins at 220c / Gas mark 7.

Turn the oven down to 180 c / gas mark 4 and cook for a further 60 mins, until the juices run clear and the crackling is a beautiful golden brown.

Serve with mash potatoes and some greens of your choice. I always enjoy savoy cabbage with pork.

Enjoy the moment – Real Old Fashioned Proper food – Crackling to die for !

•Farmhouse Direct’s Shoulder of Fallow Venison with Mustard and Ale.

Ingredients:

1.8kg (4lb) Rolled Shoulder of Fallow Venison
4 tablespoons of English Mustard
Highland Beef Dripping & Seasoning for Larding
550ml Newcastle Brown Ale
3 tablespoons Demerara Sugar
Salt and Pepper
Cornflour (if necessary)

Cooking instructions:

Firstly prepare the shoulder, stick a thin knife into the meat at 1 1/2 -inch intervals and squirt a blob of mustard deep into the hole and seal in with a
good knob of dripping. Season well.

Put the joint into a casserole dish (4 litre) with half of the brown ale and cook in a hot oven (Mk 8, 450 degrees F, 230 degrees C) for 45 minutes.

Turn the oven down to (Mk3, 325 degrees F, 170 degrees C) for a further 2 1/2 hours, basting frequently and topping up with beer.

About 20 to 30 minutes from the end, take out the meat. Spread the remaining mustard over the meat, dredge with the Demerara Sugar, and return it to the oven for the final cooking.

The joint will have a gloriously sticky glaze and the gravy is a ready-made sauce with a most distinctive flavour.

If necessary add some cornflour made up with water to thicken the gravy to your liking.

•Traditional Haggis.

Cooking instructions:

Heat Haggis. Remove skin. Mix in Drambuie & Cream to taste.

Place in Ramekin dishes. Top with cream.

Brown under grill. Serve hot. Great for a quick starter.