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Ready to Pour Martini

Simply mix the ingredients in a 700ml bottle and keep it in your freezer. When it’s time to serve, just pour 60ml into a chilled martini glass with a twist of lemon peel.

If you swap the gin for a good vodka, I like to replace the lemon twist with a single Bella Di Cerignola olive from Puglia. Head to Harris Farm or an Italian grocer for a jar of these olives in brine, they’re outstanding!

King Prawn Bisque

The ingredient list seems a little long but aside from green prawns, cognac and tarragon, they’re largely household staples! It’s based on the recipe from Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant in Padstow.

  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • x2 French Shallots Chopped
  • x1 Celery Stick Chopped
  • x1 Large Carrot Peeled and Chopped
  • x2 Potatoes Peeled and Chopped
  • x1 Garlic Clove Peeled and Chopped
  • x6 Green King Prawns (peel them and keep the shells and heads in a separate bowl)
  • x2 Sprigs of fresh Tarragon
  • x2 Tbsp Cognac or Brandy
  • 500ml Chicken Stock
  • 100ml Double Cream
  • A generous Pinch of Smoked Paprika
  • A squeeze of fresh Lemon Juice
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Method – Place two pots on the stove, the larger pot will contain the oil, shallots, celery, carrot, potato and garlic on a medium/high heat. The second smaller pot with contain the Cognac, Chicken Stock, Prawn Shells and Heads and the Cognac, simmering on a medium/low heat.

Keep the vegetables moving in the larger pot and allow them to colour without burning. Allow the stock pot to simmer for at least 10mins. Both can be happening at the same time.

Once the stock has simmered for 10+ minutes, pour the infused stock through a strainer and into the vegetable pot. Discard the prawn heads and shells and place the large pot back on a medium/low heat. Add the cream, tarragon and paprika and allow it to simmer for another 10 minutes to allow the potatoes and carrots to soften. Add the flesh of just two of the prawns to the pot.

Now blend the soup with a stick blender until smooth. Finally, add the remaining four Green Prawns to the blended soup, I like to butterfly them and cut them in half again but this part is up to you! Allow the blended soup to simmer on a low heat for another 3 minutes ensuring the Prawn meat is cooked and then season the finished Bisque with salt and pepper to taste.

Refrigerating the bisque and serving it the following day is always far more enjoyable so if you have the time to let the flavours develop, I highly recommended making it in advance!

Want to know why chilling and reheating makes a difference? Head to the BBC Science Focus page to read more.

Shake Shack Burger Recipe

For an outstanding smashed burger at home, try recreating the famous Shake Shack Burger.

Firstly, you’ll need a nice sturdy burger press. For each burger we use 100g of beef mince that is a mix of 80% Chuck Steak and 20% Brisket. Castlecrag Butcher will freshly grind that mix if you ask them nicely. We top our burgers with sliced Havarti cheese, it’s a semi soft cows milk cheese that’s similar to a rich and buttery mozzarella and easy to find.

Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder Recipe

Donna Hay: Basic to Brilliance via SBS – We usually swap the malt vinegar for Japanese brown rice vinegar. It’s such an easy recipe and when the lamb is reheated in the pan or air fryer it is outstanding!

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