Recipes

Wild garlic is one of those delightful plants that makes spring foraging a real treat. We use it for all sorts of things here at VHK – soup, soda bread, even preserving it with salt, but this pesto recipe is one of our favourites. You can use pine nuts instead of sunflower seeds, but please give the sunflower seeds a chance. It is delicious on pasta, works wonders as a simple dip and makes a slightly dull sandwich sing. Go on, give it a try!

63g wild garlic (ramsons)
60g rapeseed oil
22g parmesan cheese
Pinch of salt (preferable sea salt)
35g sunflower seeds
15ml rice or white wine vinegar

Wash the wild garlic carefully, ensuring there are no other leaves in the mix.
Finely chop and add to blender with the sunflower seeds. Blend until smoothish.
Add the cheese, salt, vinegar and oil and blend again. Stir with knife or spatula. Put in small jars until ready to use.
Use within 2 weeks.
N.B. Crow garlic also works well with or instead of ramsons

We’ve been thinking of putting this recipe up for a while and after our recent Pig Butchery Course there were a few requests so here it is. This is our Butchery Tutor Robin from the Rusty Pig favourite recipe and one that he uses for his amazing breakfast sausages.

Fresh sausages
5kg minced pork ideally from the shoulder and belly.
50g salt
20g garam masala
100g rusk (optional)
Hog or sheep casings

This basic recipe allows you to play about with a little more freedom to experiment if you keep the meat to salt ratio the same when using dry spices then you will have perfectly seasoned bangers every time. However if you do decide to add flavours like mixed fruit, figs or even plums you may find that you need to add between 10 to 20g more salt.

After mincing the pork add the salt and spices and mix well. Once everything is throughly combined fill your sausage stuffer and pipe into hog or sheep casings. After linking your sausages, which is never as easy as you think, hang up to dry in a cool place for a few hours. Then you’re ready to heat up the frying pan and enjoy the fruits of your labour!

Heres a great recipe from our fantastic tutor Kieran Lenihan. These scones are always a real favourite on our Beginners and Family Cookery Days. Please give them a try.

Makes 5-6
225g self-raising flour, preferably organic
¼ tsp salt
50g slightly salted butter cut in small pieces
25g golden caster sugar
125ml buttermilk
4 tbsp full-fat milk
A little extra flour for dusting.
Strawberry jam and clotted cream, to serve

Preheat the oven to 220C/gas 7/fan 200C and lightly butter a baking tray or use baking paper.
Tip the flour into a mixing bowl with the salt add in the butter, then rub together with your fingers to make a fine crumbed mixture,
Try not to overrub, as the mixture will be lighter if it’s a little bit flaky.
Now stir in the sugar.
Measure the buttermilk.
Then add in the full fat milk into the mix to loosen it.
Make a bit of a well in the middle of the flour mixture with a fork, then pour in most of this buttermilk , holding a little bit back in case it’s not needed.
Using the fork, gently work the mixture together until it forms a soft, almost sticky, dough.
Work in any loose dry bits of mixture with the rest of the buttermilk.
Don’t overwork at this point or you will toughen the dough.
Put the dough on to a very lightly floured surface.
Knead the mixture just 3-4 times to get rid of the cracks.
Pat the dough gently with your hands to a thickness of no less than 2cm and no more than 2.5cm.
Dip medium round fluted cutter into a bowl of flour – this helps to stop the dough sticking to it, then cut out the scones by pushing down quickly and firmly on the cutter with the palm of your hand. Gather the trimmings lightly then pat and cut out a couple more scones.
Cook for 10-12 mins til the scones have risen and are golden brown.

Heres a great quick recipe from our fantastic tutor Kieran Lenihan. A favourite on both our Beginners and Family Cookery Courses. You should never be without some fresh bread in the house and this recipe guarantees exactly that.

Soda Bread

6oz self raising flour (wholemeal)

3oz plain flour

3oz seed & grain bread flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/2 pint buttermilk

Pre heat oven 400f/200oc/gas 6
.
Put the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda in a mixing bowl form a well in the middle & pour in the butter milk.

Quickly mix the ingredients together with a fork till a soft dough is formed, turn out mixture onto a floured surface , and lightly need for 2 minutes then form into a round shape.

Put on a floured baking tray flatten the top of the dough and score the top in a cross.

Any remaining buttermilk in the carton is good to rub over the dough before going in the oven for a extra crispy top!

Cook for 30mins till dough sounds hollow, leave to cool on a wire rack.