Perfect imperfections
Shepherd's Pie Recipe
The Great British Bake Off starts back this week and with it an eager bunch of home bakers hoping to show their mastery of the well-risen loaf, the perfectly springy sponge and the complete avoidance of a soggy bottomed tart.
The problem is, while they might be Britain's best home bakers, I wonder if the edible creations they produce are actually home baked goods. I know they are in a tent next to some country pile and not in their own kitchens. What I mean is that home baking to me is only perfect when it's imperfect.
Creating 12 symmetrical, evenly baked, evenly sized anything goes against the fact you are doing this at home. Why would you waste a spare bit of dough when you could just make a slightly bigger or smaller bun/biscuit/roll? Why does it matter that the filling has leaked out a bit and the pastry is patched up? And why on earth would you ever dispose of perfectly edible goods in the bin just because they don't conform to a judge's professional standards?
Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the point of the show, and that it's actually to find a professional standard cook and not simply someone who excels at home baking and feeding delicious morsels to their friends, family or colleagues.
Confession time: I applied three times to be on it (back in its Mary Berry, Mel and Sue, BBC days). But these days, I'm not sure I'd want to fuss around making things that – while I'm sure they're enjoyed heartily by the crew afterwards – are probably never going to be done in a home kitchen.
I'll think I'll stick to my perfect imperfections, my single extra-large Welsh cake to use up all the dough, the apple tart spilling out of its patchwork case in all its sticky molten glory, the fruit cake with a ski-slope dip in the middle, and the ‘slightly over-done because the phone rang and I forgot I'd put it in the oven’ Victoria sandwich that'll be fine once dusted with icing sugar, which I'll very much enjoy as I settle down to watch the Bake Off, cheer on the sunken sponges and over-worked loaves, and wonder if I've in fact got it all wrong and should apply next year.
The Recipe
Shepherd’s pie
The weather is definitely on the turn, and that means it’s time for hearty warming dishes to make an appearance once again. This is one of those dishes that is comforting and is a great one to use up leftovers. If you have cooked lamb from a Sunday roast, you can use that instead of the fresh lamb mince or switch it for beef to make cottage pie. Carrots and other root veg that are just past their best are easily used up in here, too.
Ingredients (serves 4-6)
Olive oil
500g Welsh lamb mince
50g butter
2 large carrots, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 medium courgette, finely chopped
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dried rosemary
½ tsp ground mace
1 ½ tbsp flour
250ml lamb or beef stock
100ml red wine or ale
1 tbsp tomato puree
A good splash of graving browning
Salt and pepper
3 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
Splash of milk or cream
75g Welsh mature cheddar, grated
Method
In a large frying pan, gently brown the lamb mince in a little olive oil, then reserve for later.
In the same pan, gently cook the onions, carrots, celery and courgette in 10g of butter, cover with a lid and cook until softened but not soft.
Add the lamb back into the pan and mix together with the veg. Sprinkle over the herbs, flour and salt and pepper, and stir.
Add the wine, stock, tomato puree and gravy browning, and stir again. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Loosely cover, and cook for about 40 minutes until the liquid has reduced slightly into a thick gravy. Transfer into a casserole dish.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/ Gas Mark 6.
Boil the potatoes in salted water until soft. Drain and then mash with the remaining butter and a splash of milk.
Carefully spoon the mash on top of the filing in the casserole. Scatter the grated cheese on top.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbling.
If you try the recipe out, don’t forget to tag any photos with #mywelshkitchen.
The Playlist
To me, cooking and music go hand in hand, whether that’s singing at the top of your voice using a wooden spoon as a microphone while waiting for pasta to boil, or dancing around with the oven gloves on as the oven timer counts down. Here are this week’s ideas for your Welsh Kitchen playlist.
First up this week is a piece by Al Lewis, a singer-songwriter from Pwllheli. The second is by pop-rock artist Jem from Penarth.
Wanting More by Al Lewis
Maybe I’m Amazed by Jem
The Pantry
Good food is nothing without good ingredients and thankfully there are plenty of fantastic Welsh products on the market. Here is where you’ll find recommendations to stock up your cupboard, fridge or fruit bowl, or a really great place for food.
Bara Brith Soy Candle
I’m not a huge one for scented candles but when the scent is that of freshly baked bara brith or Welsh cakes, I can’t not indulge. These cute tumbler versions from Valley Mill are handmade in Wales using the finest quality soy wax.