Poultry and Meat

It is in this section of the main course recipes that we can start to imagine that murmuring and bubbling daube mentioned at the beginning of the book. And it is here that you will find most of the basic techniques of Great Old British cookery that have become so much a personal and professional passion.

Some of the recipes are what you might expect – Braised Oxtail, Beef Stew and Dumplings, Boiled Bacon, Irish Stew and Lancashire Hot-pot. But a couple are a little different, using cuts of meat that are not eaten so much now – although in the good old days they were very popular. Faggots are a regional dish using kidney, liver and ox heart wrapped in caul fat (just like the classic French crépinettes); they’re delicious with my Onion Gravy. Pigs’ cheeks should not be too difficult to find. They are pure meat, and when braised are so succulent and tasty – I think they are a lot more flavoursome than pork chops, loins or even fillets. If you can’t get them, just substitute chunks of pork; it’s not quite the same, but the recipe still works. When they have been slowly braised, they’re so soft and tender. You might find some difficulty in obtaining lambs’ tongues but this is where having a good, friendly and understanding butcher comes in handy.