RECIPES AND WINE Seasonal

In the KITCHEN

Teaching an old dog new tricks this season as a familiar favourite receives a fresh twist... cottage pie, but with sweet potato, for extra colour and flavour!

COTTAGE PIE with SWEET POTATO

Preparation Time: 20 minutes plus standing. Cooking Time: 1 hour 20 minutes. Serves: 4. • 1 tbsp olive oil • 500g British beef mince • 1 onion, diced • 1 stalk celery, diced • 1 carrot, peeled and diced • 1 Oxo beef stock cube • 1 tbsp tomato purée • 11⁄2 tbsp plain flour • 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce • 3 thyme sprigs • 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled 1 tbsp unsalted butter

Heat 1⁄2 tbsp oil in a large sauté pan or casserole dish over a high heat. Add the beef and fry, breaking it up, for 4-5 minutes, until browned. Remove from the pan, add the remaining 1⁄2 tbsp oil, lower the heat to medium and fry the onion, celery and carrot with a pinch of salt for 10 minutes, until softened. Meanwhile, dissolve the beef stock cube in 500ml just-boiled water. Return the beef to the pan, add the tomato purée and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the flour and fry for 1 minute more. Add the stock, Worcestershire sauce and 2 thyme sprigs and simmer for 2530 minutes, until the beef is coated in a thick gravy. Meanwhile, slice the potatoes as thinly as you can and put in a bowl. Cover with just-boiled water from the kettle; set aside for 10 minutes. Drain and use kitchen paper to pat dry thoroughly, then lay out on more kitchen paper to finish drying. Preheat the oven to 200oC, gas mark 6. Melt the butter. Tip the beef and gravy into a medium ovenproof dish. Toss the potatoes with the butter and leaves from the remaining thyme sprig. Season and arrange in circles over the beef. Bake for 30 minutes until bubbling hot and the potatoes are cooked through. Stand for 10 minutes before serving. n

In the KITCHEN

Rich, gooey and definitely not for sharing... with a frosted topping, make a batch of these, sit by the fire and devour a few of these whilst watching your favourite film!

IRISH STOUT CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

Preparation Time: 30 minutes, plus cooling. Cooking Time: 35 minutes. Makes: 16. • 440g can Guinness Irish stout • 200g dark chocolate, roughly chopped • 200g unsalted butter, roughly chopped • 3 medium free range eggs • 225g caster sugar • 110g plain flour • 30g cocoa powder • 1⁄2 tsp fine salt • 100g white chocolate, finely chopped • 8 tbsp double cream

Preheat the oven to 180oc, gas mark 4; line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with parchment. Put the stout in a large saucepan and set over a high heat. Simmer briskly for 15-20 minutes until reduced to about 100ml. Tip into a bowl and set aside to cool. Return the pan to a low heat with the chocolate and butter; allow to melt together gently, stirring to combine. Take the pan off the heat and use a balloon whisk to whisk in the eggs and sugar until combined. Next whisk in the reduced stout, then the flour, cocoa and salt. Tip into the tin and bake for 25-30 minutes; set aside to cool completely. For the topping, put the white chocolate and 4 tbsp double cream in a microwaveable mixing bowl or mug and microwave on low for 30-60 seconds until just warm. Stir to combine (microwave again briefly if the white chocolate has not fully melted). Scrape into a mixing bowl and chill for 30 minutes. (You can also melt the chocolate and cream together in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until combined.) Remove the white chocolate mixture from the fridge and add the remaining 4 tbsp cream. Use a balloon whisk to whisk until the mixture is holding its shape. Spread over the cooled brownies and cut into 16 pieces to serve. n

A whisky fit for a (brand new) King...

Rumour has it that King Charles III’s favourite whisky is Laphroaig, and this 10 year old example is an excellent expression of the distillery’s talent! It’s apparently the preferred choice of whisky for our new monarch, and this 10 year old Laphroaig should prove unforgettable. Notes of Manuka honey, grilled bacon and maple syrup meet the classic peat smoke and seaweed that Laphroaig is famous for. Of course, all present and correct is that antiseptic nose whiskies from the isles are all famous for! n

£64.99 / 70cl / 48% ABV, from www.laphroaig.com.

The Wine Cellar

Wine of the Month

Chapel Down Bacchus £90 x 6 bottle case 75cl / 11.5% ABV

A brand new release for Bacchus, which is widely known as England’s leading still wine variety and is our best selling white wine. This highly aromatic wine is crisp and refreshing with an abundance of gooseberry and elderflower on the nose. A delicate white wine with aromas of elderflower, melon and peardrops. One of the best releases yet for the vineyard from Kent.n

Buy from, www.chapel down.com.

A NEW RELEASE FOR AN ENGLISH SUCCESS STORY, A FAVOURITE TIPPLE FOR THE NEWLY CROWNED KING CHARLES III AND A TRIO OF BRILLIANT BEAUJOLAIS, ALL TO ENJOY THIS MONTH... No alcohol, but

CELEBRATE BEAUJOLAIS NOUVEAU DAY: On November 17th, 2022... packed with flavour!

1. A budget Beaujolais to take the edge off Monday, Jadot’s offering provides plum and berry flavours, pairing well with salmon, chicken and tapas... it’s good chilled, too! £11 / 75cl / 13% ABV.

2. Our second offering is Henry Fessy’s Beaujolais, with its expressive notes of rose, raspberry and redcurrant. This one’s from Waitrose, and it’s a beautiful pairing for Mediterranean dishes, charcuterie and roast lamb, £15.49 / 75cl / 12.5% ABV.

3. And finally, the ultimate expression of Beaujolais, with pinot noir grapes for fine tannins and a long finish. Medium-bodied, full of fruit and a floral character, £19.99 / 75cl / 13% ABV. Full of body and all natural, but with no alcohol, this is the perfect guilt-free tipple to warm up your autumn evenings. It’s taken a huge amount of experimenting for Leicestershire distillers Warner’s to perfect the combination of 53 different ingredients from bursts of raspberry, blackcurrant, sage, pepper and ginger to create this refreshingly bold autumn drink. Pour over ice with a good Mediterranean tonic and chuck in a handful of berries.

£18 / 70cl / 0% ABV, www.warners distillery.com.

n Our featured wines are available from the best local independent wine merchants, supermarkets and online, prices are RRP and may vary from those stated.