Famous Recipes of Great Britain


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As it was my turn to prepare and cook a meal today in search for a recipe I came across this 1943 booklet compiled by the Nottingham Business & Professional Women's Club 1943. It shows different recipes covering different counties within Great Britain. This being a couple

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

FAGGOTS:

Ingredients

1/2lb pigs fry

1/4lb fat bacon

1 large onion

4oz bread crumbs

1/2oz dried sage

1/2oz dried herbs

pepper to taste

caul fat

Method

Boil the fry,bacon and onion till cooked. Mince together and mix with bread crumbs, herbs and sage. Add seasoning. Form into balls and wrap each one in caul fat. Bake about one hour and serve hot with thick gravy.

NETTLE BEER

Ingredients

April or May gathered nettles

2 gallons water

Handful of cleaned dandelion roots

2lb brown sugar

1oz ginger

1/2oz yeast

Method

Boil the nettles and dandelion roots in two gallons of water for at least an hour. Strain on to sugar and ginger and stir well. when nearly cold add the yeast and leave twenty four hours (well covered in a warm place) Strain into clean dry bottles and cork tightly

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Sue B 48,

My cooking skills don't extend to that sort of complicated recipe. I just thought it was interesting by some of the ingredients being used like caul fat, never heard of it and what is pigs fry?

I might just a list a couple more recipes from other counties later.

I did cook dinner though, pierced a frozen packet several times, cooked for eight minutes and let it stood for a minute.....perfect.

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did anyone elses Ma make colwick cheese from milk that had gone sour I used to love it with a handfull of chopped spring onions stirred in ,with a summer salad,

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A couple more recipes:

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE:

Colwick Cheese

Ingredients

4 pints skimmed milk

4 teaspoonfuls rennet

Seasoning

Method

Add the rennet to the milk and set aside to sour. (Leave till it begins to separate) Place a fine muslin cloth loosely inside a large bowl and pour the soured milk into muslin. Lift from basin by drawing up edges of muslin and tie firmly with string leaving a loop to hang it by. Place a bowl under the bag and leave in cool place for whey to drop out for five or six days-or until curds are flaky. Remove from muslin. Season to taste with pepper and salt stirring lightly. Spread cheese with knife evenly over large plate to about one inch thickness and cover with another plate (right way up). Stand a flat iron on top and leave another day to set.

HASTY PUDDING

Ingredients

1/2 pint water

Flour

Salt

Method

Boil the water in saucepan with salt. add flour stirring all the time till thickened to porridge. Turn into dish and serve hot with treacle or jam and milk.

N.B. Some people add a beaten egg and milk for greater richness but the authentic Hasty Pudding is made with water only

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#5

Pigs fry are the lights, or cheaper cuts mainly offal, heart kidneys liver and sweetbreads

Caul Fat is the membrane that surrounds the stomach. It is usually used to wrap faggots etc in to help keep the shape when cooking.

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Rennet is an enzyme which is added to milk to help curdle it during cheese making. A simpler method is to add lemon juice, it has the same effect.

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Cochineal is a red food dye made from crushed insects. Sounds yummy eh? As for candied peel, could never stand the stuff in fruit cakes, and would pick out every bit.

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#9 Robbie,

The recipe for Hasty Pudding reminds me of the Paste we used to make as Kids. (And still do, if I run out of Glue and need to stick an awkward envelope down) We just mix the flour and cold water to a paste.

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I still use it for that Robbie, especially if a bit of wallpaper is curling up. Just think. We could make extra, and then cook the surplus for pudding afterwards Stir in a bit of Jam or Treacle and we are sorted! :biggrin:

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Oh my goodness Robbie, Thankyou for your kind offer, but what ever you do, don't encourage me to eat anymore. Have you seen the ribbing I already get from some of the Nottstalgian for my liking of cakes? :biggrin:

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Perhaps organise a progressive meal, where generally you eat each course in a different venue....(usually friends going round each others houses) Number of courses depending on how many are involved. Only do it as regional foods :biggrin:

Or a meet up where everyone brings a course along. It would have to be somewhere you could do this. How about the arboretum picnic?

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Robbie, In the 60s when I was courting. On alternate weeks I would stay at my (Now Husbands home) in Wolverhampton. On arriving at his home the house would be full of the most tempting aroma's. One particular recipe is the Noted..Grey Payes (Peas) and Bearcun (Bacon). I couldn't stand them and was always disappointed when they were on the menu for that Saurday. Now we love them and I cook in bulk and freeze them in individual portions for speedy meals.

1lb Grey Peas..soaked over night, rinsed well and simmered for 2/3hrs

3/4lb Streaky bacon, diced and fried until crispy

When the Peas are soft, just pour the Bacon and the Bacon Fat into the Peas and season to taste.

Crusty Bread and Butter.

True Black Country Recipe

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After reading this thread I had a look on Amazon and found a great little book called "The Flavours of Nottinghamshire" at £1.34 for new I sent off for a copy. It has some old and some new recipes related to Nottinghamshire, and also some old photos and historical facts of the areas the recipes have come from. An excellent read.

Here's a link to the book if you are interested.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=the+flavours+of+nottinghamshire

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