Bacon and eggs

You will need:
2 bacon rashers
2 eggs
Little butter for frying

Method:

1.       Arrange trimmed rashers in a cold frying pan. Fry gently over moderate heat for 3-4 minutes until cooked. Lift from the pan to a warm serving dish.

2.       In the remaining fat fry eggs (adding extra butter if required) .  Crack the eggs one at a time in to a cup and add to the hot fat.  Tip the pan towards you while adding the egg to prevent  the white from spreading.

3.       Cook over gentle heat, basting frequently, then lift carefully on to platter and serve  with bacon.

Grilled Tomatoes

You will need:

4 tomatoes
Salt and Pepper
Pinch Sugar
Melted butter OR oil for grilling
2 slices bread

To Garnish:
Chopped parsley

Method:

1.       Slice the tomatoes in halves, season and sprinkle with sugar.  Brush each with melted butter or oil, arrange in the base of a grill pan.

2.       Place under a moderate heat and grill for 6-8 minutes.

3.       Toast the bread and butter.

4.       When tomatoes are cooked ( the centers should be quite soft) , lift carefully on to toast slices, allowing four tomato halves per slice.

5.       Serve sprinkled with a little chopped parsley.

Fried cod’s roe and bacon

You will need:
8 oz. fresh cod’s roe
1 small egg, lightly beaten
Toasted breadcrumbs
Butter OR vegetable
Shortening for frying
2-4  bacon rashers
½ Lemon

1.       Place the cod’s roe in a saucepan and cover with cold salted water. Bring to the boil and simmer 15 minutes. Drain and cool.

2.       Cut cooked roe in to ½ inch slices; dip first in lightly beaten egg, and then in toasted bread crumbs, and coat thoroughly.

3.       Fry in hot fat until browned, then pus the roes to one side and fry the bacon rashers.

4.       Drain and serve with the lemon juice squeezed over the cod’s roe.

Grilled Bacon and Kidney

You will need:

2 bacon rashers
2 lamb’s kidney
melted butter for grilling

1.       Tim rashers. Remove any fat from the kidneys, slice in two and snip out the core.

2.       Brush the kidneys with a little melted butter (skewering, if wished, to keep flat) and place under a moderately hot grill.  Grill 5 minutes each side.

3.       Towards end of cooking time add the bacon rashers and grill each side 1 minute. Serve both at once.

Herring roes on toast

You will need:

4 oz. fresh (or 1  4 oz. packet frozen) herring roes
1 tablespoon porridge oats
salt and pepper
½  oz. butter OR margarine
2 Slices bread
2 Lemon wedges

1.       Wash the herring roes in salted water, drain and toss in the seasoned oats.

2.       Melt the butter of margarine in a frying pan and add the roes.  Fry over low heat for about 5 minutes, turning for even cooking.

3.       Meanwhile make toast and butter.

4.       Lift roses from the pan and serve on toast. Garnish with a wedge of lemon.

Fried Scallops

You will need:

3 Large scallops

Salt and pepper

Milk

Flour to coat

2 oz. butter

½ Lemon

1.       Cut the prepared scallops into thick slices and season.

2.       Dip first in to a little milk and then flour. Fry in hot butter for 6-8 minutes, turning in to brown evenly.

3.       Draw the pan off the heat, and add squeeze of lemon juice.

4.       Serve the scallops with the butter from the pan pored over.

Scrambled eggs on toast

You will need:

3 eggs
3 tablespoons milk
Salt and Pepper
½ oz. butter
2 Slices bread

To garnish:

Chopped chives or parsley

Process:

1.       Measure the eggs, milk and seasoning into a baisn.  Beat together with a fork.

2.       Heat the butter in a small saucepan and strain in the beaten egg mixture.

3.       Stir over low hear and keep moving the egg from the bottom of the pan as it sets.

4.       Toast the bread and butter.

5.       When the mixture is set but still creamy, spoon out at once on to slices of hot buttered toast – if left in the pan it will continue cooking and become dry.  Granish chopped chives or parsley.

Gammon steak mixed grill

You will need:

1 gammon steak ½ inch thick
milk to soak
4 chipolata sausages
1 tomato
2 oz.  mushrooms, trimmed
melted butter or oil

To garnish:

• Watercress

Process:

1.       Trim the gammon steak and snip fat at ½ inch intervals, to prevent buckling while cooking. Soak in cold milk or water for 1 hour, then drain and pat dry.

2.       Arrange the gammon and sausages on the grill pan, brush the lean part of the gammon and the sausages with a little melted butter or oil and grill at least 3 inches below a moderate heat.

3.       Grill for 15-20 minutes, turning the gammon once and the sausages more often. After 10 minutes, add the tomato cut in halves, and mushrooms, to the grill pan, season and brush with melted butter or oil.

4.       When cooked slice the gammon in half and server with rest of grill, garnished with watercress.

Bananas wrapped in bacon

You will need:

2 bananas
½ Lemon
Castor sugar
4 Bacon rashers
1 oz. butter for frying

Process:

1.       Peel bananas and slice in half. Sprinkle with lemon juice, roll in castor sugar to coat lightly.

2.       Wrap each banana half in trimmed bacon rasher and secure with a wooden cocktail stick.

3.       Fry in hot butter over moderate heat until the bacon is crisp and banana heated through and soft. Serve at once.

Corn fritters with bacon

Makes 3 fritters

You will need:

One  7 oz. tin whole kernel sweet corn

Salt and pepper

1 egg

1 rounded tablespoon flour

1-2 oz. butter for frying

4 bacon rashers

Process:

1.       Drain the sweet corn and empty into a basin.  Season well then stir in the egg, flour and mix to a creamy batter.

2.       Heat some of the butter in a pan and add spoonfuls of the sweet corn batter.  Fry over moderate heat until brown on one side, then flip over and brown the second side.  Add more butter f necessary, to cook remaining mixture.

3.       Keep the fitters warm and fry the trimmed bacon rashers quickly, then serve both together.

Sweet bread and mushrooms on skewers

You will need:

8 oz. Calf’s sweet breads
½ pint cold water
1 Level teaspoon salt
1 dessertspoon lemon juice or Vinegar
3 thin rashers streaky bacon

8 Small mushrooms

1 oz. butter, melted

Process:

1.       Clean the sweetbreads under running cold water.  Measure the water, salt and lemon juice in to a saucepan and bring to the boil.

2.       Add the sweetbreads and simmer for 45 minutes or until tender.  Drain and plunge into cold water to harden for 15 minutes.

3.       Drain and remove the skin and membrane, cut into chunky pieces and wrap each with a piece of trimmed bacon rasher.

4.       Place on skewers, alternately with mushrooms, brush with melted butter and place under a moderate grill for 5-6 minutes, turning to cook evenly. Serve at once.

Mushrooms on toast

You will need:

4 oz. mushrooms
salt and pepper
1 oz. butter
2 slices bread

Process:

1.       Wash and trim the mushrooms, remove the stalks and place cap side down in a well buttered baking dish.

2.       Season and dot with butter.

3.       Cover, place in the center of a hot oven (400^o F, - Gas Mark 6) and bake for 15 mintues.

4.       Toast the bread.

Lift the mushrooms on to the toast slices, pour over the juice from the baking dish and serve.

Stuffed Mushrooms

You will need:

4 large open mushrooms

For the stuffing:
2 bacon rashers
2 heaped tablespoons fresh white bread crumbs
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
salt and pepper
1 oz. butter, melted

Process:

1.      Rinse the mushrooms, remove the stalks and place cap side down in a well-buttered baking dish.

2.      Chop the mushroom stalks finely.  Trim and finely chop the bacon rashers, and add to the mushroom stalks with the breadcrumbs, parsley, seasoning and melted butter.  Mix with a fork until moist and crumbly.

3.      Pile the mixture in to the center of each mushroom.

4.      Place in the center of a hot oven (400^oF – Gas Mark 6) and bake for 20 minutes. Serve with juices from the dish pored over.

Savoury egg toast

You will need:

1 egg
pinch salt
2 tablespoons milk
salt and pepper
yeast extract
4 slices of bread butter for frying

Process:

1.       Break the egg in to a basin, add the milk and seasoning and whisk thoroughly, then stain in to a large shallow dish.

2.       Spread a little yeast extract on both sides of the bread and soak the bread both sides in the egg mixture.

3.       Heat the butter in a large frying pan and, when bubbling, add soaked bread slices very carefully and fry quickly on both sides until golden brown.

4.       Cut diagonally and serve at once.

Baked eggs in cream

You will need:

½ oz. butter
2 standard eggs
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons single cream

1.       Preheat the oven (400^oF-Gas mark 6).  Place a nut of butter in the base of two remakin dishes and melt in the oven.

2.       Break and egg into each dish, season with salt and pepper and carefully place 1 tablespoon cream over each.

3.       Replace in the center of the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until set. Serve at once.

Variations:

Baked eggs with herbs – follow the recipe given before, adding a little chopped fresh parsley or chives with the cream.

Baked eggs with mushroom- sauté 4 sliced button mushrooms in ½ oz. butter with a squeeze of lemon juice.  Please these in the dishes first, and then continue with the recipe as given.

Bacon fritters with tomatoes

Makes about 6 Friters

You will need:

4 rashers bacon

½ oz. dripping OR vegetable shortening

2 oz. self-raising flour

Salt and pepper

1 egg, lightly mixed milk to mix

2 tomatoes

Process:

1.       Trim and chop the bacon rashers.  Fry in the hot fat until crisp, remove the drain.

2.       Sieve the flour into a small basin, season well and stir in the egg and enough milk to mix to a smooth creamy consistency.

3.       Stir in the fried bacon and place spoonfuls of the mixture into the hot fat. Fry quickly until golden brown on one side, then flip over and fry on the other side.

4.       Meanwhile, add the seasoned halved tomatoes, to one side of the pan, and fry.  Server with the bacon fritters.

French toast and bacon

You will need:

1 egg pinch salt

2 table spoons milk

1 level tea spoons milk
1 level tea spoons castor sugar

2 slices day-old bread

1 oz. butter for frying

2-4 bacon rashers

Process:

1.       Crack egg into a dish, add salt, milk and sugar and whisk thoroughly  with a fork.

2.       Dip both sides of each bread slice in the mixture and fry at once in the hot butter, frying both sides until golden brown

3.       Meanwhile, trim and grill bacon rashers.  Serve with the French Toast.

Jugged kippers

You will need:

2 kippers
butter for serving

Process:

1.       Cut the heads and tails from the kippers and place in a jug or deep dish.

2.       Pour over boiling water to cover, and leave to stand for 10 minutes.

3.       Drain and serve with a large lump of butter in the center of each.

Finnan haddock with poached eggs

You will need:

2 small finnan haddock milk to cover

½ oz. butter
2 eggs
salt and pepper

Process:

1.       Cut off the tail and place the fish in a shallow pan.

2.       Cover with milk and add butter.  Bring to the boil, draw pan off the heat, cover and leave 5 minutes.

3.       Meanwhile poach the eggs in simmering salted water.

4.       Drain the fish, put on a serving dish, season with salt and pepper and top with salt and pepper and top with drained poached eggs.  Serve at once.

Chicken livers on toast

You will need:

¼ lb. fresh (or 3 oz packet frozen) chicken livers
seasoned flour
1 oz. butter OR margarine
2 Slices bread squeeze of lemon juice

Process:

1.       If frozen , thaw and separate the chicken livers. Trim away any core and roll in seasoned flour.

2.       Fry in hot butter for 2-3 minutes until browned.

3.       Meanwhile toast bread and butter.

4.       Add a squeeze of lemon juice to livers, then lift out on to slices of hot buttered toast and serve.

Grilled kippers

You will need:

2 kippers
butter for serving

Process:

1.       Holding the kipper closed, cut off the head and tail from each.

2.       Open out on to the base of the grill pan or flat baking tray, skin side downwards.

3.       Place under a moderate heat and cook for 5-6 minutes, until the kipper is well heated through.

4.       Serve at once with a pat of butter (if liked, the bone can be removed before serving.

Museli

You will  need:

1 heaped tablespoon quick-cooking oats scant ¼ pint water juice 1 lemon
1 heaped tablespoon sweetened condensed milk
1 oz. seedless raisins
1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
2 eating apples (sharp flavoured)

Process:

1.       Measure the oats in to a small basin, add the water and leave to soak overnight. 

2.       Next morning stir in the lemon juice, condensed milk and dried fruit.

3.       Just before serving, stir in the chopped walnuts and the apples (grated with skin on) and spoon in two serving dishes.

Prunes

You will need:

4 oz. prunes
brewed tea
little lemon peel
1 table spoon brown sugar

Process:

1.       Place and slice the apples, or scrub and cut the rhubarb into 1-inch lengths.

2.       Measure the sugar and water in to a saucepan and stir over a low heat to dissolve the sugar.

3.       Add the prepared fruit, cover with a lid and place over very low heat.  Allow to cook slowly  until the fruit is tender but still whole.

4.       Draw the pan pan off the heat and add a little finely grate lemon rind to apples, (or a pinch of ginger to rhubarb) and set aside to cool.

5.       Spoon into a serving dish and chill until ready to serve.

Porridge

You will need:

1 pint water
2 rounded tablespoons medium oatmeal
¼ level tea spoon salt

Process:

1.       The Night before, measure the water, oatmeal and salt into a saucepan. Leave to soak overnight.

2.       Bring to the boil, stirring all the time.  Lower the heat and leave to simmer for 15 minutes,  stirring occasionally.

3.       Serve hot with creamy milk and sugar or a sprinkling of salt.

Flaky pastry

Makes 8 oz. pastry

You will need:

8 oz. plain flour
½ level teaspoon salt
6 oz. butter OR margarine and lard (equal quanitites)
¼ pint (about 6 table spoons) water
1 tea spoon vinegar OR lemon juice

Process:

1.   Sift together the flour and salt in to a basin and set aside.

2.   With a knife mix the fats together on a plate until softened and blended.  Spread evenly over the plate into four equal portions.

3.   Rub one portion into the sieved flour.

4.   Mix water and vinegar and add to mixture to form a smooth dough.  Leave to reset for 10 minutes before rolling out.

5.   Roll out the dough to an oblong shape, about 3 times as long as it is wide.  Place one-third of the remaining fat in small pieces over two-thirds of dough, distributing the fat evenly with spaces between pieces.  Mark the pastry into thirds and fold the lower uncovered section over the center and the top down over both.

6.   Give a half-turn so that one of the open edges faces you.  Seal edges and roll out again.

7.   Repeat and rest the dough 10 minutes between each turn until all the fat has been added.

8.   Roll and fold once more and then leave in a cool place 20 minutes before using.

Cheese pastry

Cheese pastry:

Makes 4 oz. pastry

4 oz. plain flour pinch salt and cayenne pepper
2 oz. mixed fats OR butter
1 oz. Cheese, finely grated
2-3 tablespoons milk OR egg and milk

Process:

Prepare the pastry as for "plain short crust pastry" instructions.  Use for savoury flans tarlet cases and for cheese straws and biscuits.  For baking time click here.

Sweet short crust pastry

Makes 4oz. pastry

You will need:

4oz. plain flour pinch salt
2oz. mixed fats
1 level tablespoon castor sugar midex with 1 ½ level tablespoon milk.

Process:

Prepare the pastry, following instructions, above for plain short crust.  Use for sweet pie, tarts,  flans and turnovers.  (baking time click here)

Plain short crust pastry

You will need:

4oz. plain flour pinch salt
2oz. mixed fats (equal quantities butter, margarine and vegetable fat)
2tablespoons milk OR water to mix

Process:

1.   Sift together the flour and salt into a basin. Measure  the fats and mix until soft and blended.  Add all at once to the flour

2.   Using the tips of the finger ( the coolest part of the hands) gently break the fat into small lumps, then rub into the flour in order to blend the two together very finely and thoroughly.  To ‘rub in’ means to pick up small handfuls of the mixture and rub very lightly with the thumbs so that the mixture falls back through the fingers into the basin. The action not only blends together the fat and the flour but also incorporates air which eventually results in a light pastry. It is equally important not to over mix the pastry at any stage, and rubbing in should stop when the mixture looks crumbly.

3.   Add the liquid, all at once, into the centre of the mixture.  Blend using a fork, until the mixture clings together into a ball, leaving the sides of the basin clean.  Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and knead lightly to make smooth fairy stiff dough.

4.   Set the pastry aside to rest for 10 minutes before baking in oven (baking time click here).