I’m not professing to be Gordon Ramsay – heck, I’m not even Fanny Craddock. I can’t cook. I give it a good old British try, but some
things just aren’t for me – cooking fancy stuff being one of them. I’ve never made a cake that doesn’t sink in
the middle and cupcakes, well, we won’t even go there.
So when people ask me to cook English food, I go to my
staples. I can do blinding roast
potatoes and a Sunday roast. I can make
curry (with the help of Patak’s sauces) and I make a brilliant Shepherd’s Pie
(even if I do say so myself). The thing
is, and I’ve never told anyone, I cheat
when I make Shepherd’s Pie. There it
is – it’s out there now.
I don’t use herbs and spices or fancy seasoning in my meat – I use
a packet mix. But not even a Coleman’s
Shepherd’s Pie packet mix – it’s just a supermarket own brand stew mix! I use half a packet and dissolve it with an
Oxo cube. Very un-English (except for
the Oxo).
- 1 pound mince
- 1 tin carrots
- 1 small bag of frozen peas
- Half a sachet of Stew Mix
- 1 Oxo cube
- Mashed potato
Brown the meat; mix the Oxo and Stew Mix with 1 litre of hot
water. Empty peas and carrots into meat with Oxo and stew mix, cover and simmer until water has reduced.
Meanwhile, make your mashed potatoes. Put the meat in a baking dish and put the
spuds over the top – fluff with a fork.
Pop in the oven for an hour, or until the top gets crusty and/or brown.
And now I’ve given away one of my biggest secrets, my American
friends will not be pestering me to come to dinner so often – but maybe that’s
a good thing *smile*
Well for those that don't know proper English, that would be hamburger meat, can of carrots, frozen peas, half a packet of stew seasoning and a boullion cube. Hee Hee. But don't let her fool you, we've never had a bad meal at her house.
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