winter recipes

Orange and Ginger Cake

200g/8oz self-raising flour (or plain flour with 10ml/2 tsp. baking powder)

100g/4oz butter 100g/4oz muscovado sugar

2 eggs, beaten

100g/4oz fresh ginger, grated

zest of half an orange (scrubbed first)

juice of one orange

Cream the butter and sugar until smooth, then add the eggs, a little at a time. Stir in the ginger, orange zest and juice. Beat in the flour until the mixture is smooth. Pour into a greased tin (about 6") and bake for 1 hour at 180ºC/350ºF/gas mk 4. Turn out to cool.

Orange Syrup

juice of two oranges, ideally blood

45ml/3 tbsp. sugar

Over a medium heat dissolve the sugar in the juice. Allow to simmer and reduce until a syrup texture is reached. Pour over slices of the cake and serve immediately.

Roast Roots

any root vegetable

about 15ml/1tbsp. olive oil

Cut the vegetables into pieces, batons or chunks. Place in a roasting dish and sprinkle with olive oil. You can add a little Tabasco to the oil if you wish. Roast at about 200ºC/400ºF/gas mk 6 for 40 minutes or until just browned and crispy at the edges.

Pig Fry Stroganoff

300g/12oz pig fry (available at Norwich Market and other traditional butchers)

1 small onion, sliced

200g/8oz mushrooms, sliced

30ml/2tbsp. flour, seasoned olive oil or butter

300ml/0.5pt stock 30ml/2tbsp. cream

Cut the fry and onions into small pieces of similar size. Dust the fry with the seasoned flour. Put the fry in a large pan and fry in the oil or butter over a high heat. Allow to brown briskly before turning the heat down to moderate and adding the onion and mushrooms. Continue to fry for a further 15 minutes, then add the stock and allow to simmer for another 20 minutes. Stir in the cream and serve hot with rice.

Apples, Port and Stilton

2 good crisp nutty apples, eg. Russet, Pearmain

1 chunk mature Stilton

2 large wine glasses Port

Enjoy apples the Edwardian way by cutting into fine slices and eating with crumbly mature stilton and a glass of Port.