Hello Dear Reader,
Yesterday a glamorous awards ceremony, tonight Betty’s Hotpot. I loved Betty! I also love pubs that haven’t changed what they are good at for the last fifty years. I’m not keen on food trends. I don’t want a puree smear on my plate or foam which looks dodgy! I love traditional British food and I’m proud to cook it. There are short cuts as I have had a busy twenty four hours!
You will need two lamb chops per person. These are from a value supermarket frozen range and as I ate them I can assure you they turned out fine. I used three carrots, two medium onions and three large potatoes. The hotpot mix is one of my stock pile from Approved Food - follow the instructions on the packet.
I layered three chops on the bottom of the baking tin and then added half the sliced carrots and onions. I then added a layer of meat and repeated another layer of onions and carrots.
I topped it with thinly sliced potatoes and some olive oil on top. I then cooked it for two hours. One hour with the lid on and another with the lid off.
I cooked it in my mini oven as it uses a lot less energy.
The finish is sticky and can be lifted out gently with a slotted spoon. When stewing lamb is cooked, it can be just pulled away from the bone with a fork.
We had ours with green beans (frozen - they are cheaper and just as good for you) . It’s such an easy meal to just prepare and walk away from whilst you go do something else. The preparation took about ten minutes.
I didn’t take my camera to the blog awards last night and this was taken by Jennifer Howze ( a really fascinating lady who I had the pleasure of sharing a table with) the founder of Brit mums and found on Frugal Mummy’s blog . The hotpot certainly brought me back to reality along with a really hungry DB who didn’t really eat properly in my absence.
I was given a lovely goodie bag, of which I’ve kept a couple of items but the rest is up for grabs. To be eligible for the draw, make sure you are a follower and leave a comment here.
Back to the hotpot and over to you Dear Reader. Which traditional British dish do you love and think pubs should keep on the menu?
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxx
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That dish looks lovely!
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wht a blinding picture of you and I did something similar fro eats yesterday tho slung it all in the slow cooker then boiled a few spuds to go with. Banana buns and custard for desert left them in a nice comatose state so quiet evening had by all lol. btw the colour suits you very well. all the best
Rachel
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You look lovely at the awards :-), I like corned beef stew traditional foods would be good in pubs like mince & dumplings, chicken cobbler that sort of thing xx
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That looks so good! I'm assuming the packet is like a gravy mix. We so something similar with beef because it is just whats available.
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Pie and peas.
Hot-pot with pickled red cabbage.
Sheperds pie.
Fish and chips with mushy peas.
sausage and mash with onion gravy.
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I really like the sound of your mini oven and keep thinking about whether or not to buy one (or ask the family for one for birthday/Christmas). I hate having the main gas oven on because it is so hungry for gas. Your hotpot looks very tasty.
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I love lamb cooked anyway you like. My pub favs would be :
Bangers and mash
Liver and onion with mash
and cobbler.
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prawn sandwiches on brown bread………and anything with Yorkshire pudding.
hotpot looks good,
Gill
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i want to go the the pub that has that - with a small beer please!
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there's just the two of us, there's no sense using a full size oven - it saves me money
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can't beat a prawn sandwich
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You look lovely in that picture! And the hotpot looks delicious! We dont really have “pub food” here in the US, its mostly hot wings and pizza. The closest equivalent is mom and pop diners, where my favorites would be chicken pot pie, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, and “Italians” which is a long sandwich that has ham, cheese, tomato, dill pickle, green pepper and onion, and a sprinkle of salad oil. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
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hi, ive been following your blog for a while now, im also from UK, i just wanted to say i LOVE your blog, and you looked amazing at the awards, Ruth
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We all love one pot wonder meals, usually out of the slow cooker. In a pub i would want to see a home cooked pie with shortcrust pastry top and bottom, not stew with a bit of puff pastry thrown on the top.
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Steak and Ale pie [with chips]
Fish and chips [garden peas, not mushy for me, please]
Sausage and Mash
Leek and Potato sup with crusty bread
Ploughmans - with choice of ham/cheese
and apple crumble and custard, spotted dick, or sticky toffee pudding to follow
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Your dress looked great for the awards - that shoulder coverup looked great with it by the way. I am not British but your stew looks tasty.
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Hot pot looks delish. And lovely photo of you, very glam.Judy xx
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mmmm looks good. since i don't eat meat, i do a shepherds pie with lentils (same as the kind with mince, just use a veggie stock cube, s&p, onions, carrots in base and mashed potatoes on top. i also love pot pies, not chicken, but veggie — i make this recipe about twice a month — http://allrecipes.com/recipe/vegetable-pot-pie/detail.aspx — you don't need the bisquick topping, just use mashed, or sliced potatoes, or a quick dumpling you make yourself.
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Don't know about my favourite British dish - being Australian with a German mother. But I have to say you look absolutely stunning in that photo. You have the most gorgeous skin and hair. Great choice of dress colour!
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All the above plus
Toad in the hole
meat and potato pie
stew and dumplings
fish pie
steak and kidney pudding
scampi and chips!!!!!
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This looks lovely!
You looked gorgeous at the MADs!
We're eating a lot of potatoes and carrots this Autumn. Definitely be having a veggy hot pot this week!
Thanks for the idea.
Love
Claire x
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I love pub food too. Who the hell would want pea foam! I love a good steak and ale pie and good old sausage and mash, although I did have this recently when I was away on a job and needed to eat. Took myself off to a local and the mash that came was about a tea-spoon full with some, I have to admit, very nice sausages and onion gravy. All this came to £9.99. Bloody hell. I wasn't paying fortunately because it was part of my work expenses, but that is NOT what pub food should be about. I love your hot pot, looks like something I will try.
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Yes all of the above Yum!
My mam used to make a lovely vegetable broth and dumplings, with loads of root veg, stock and broth mix. Great cheap meal, lovely and warming. Although I confess I don't care whatever the weather I'd eat it.
I bung any thing veg wise in my slow cooker and loads of pulses. Always seems to turn out ok.
BTW you looked stunning. Glad you had a great night. Lisa x
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For me, the best pub food is a good quality sausage with onion gravy and mashed potatoes.
Dianne - Hereford
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Although I am in the US, we do have a an Irish pub (it's a restaurant actually with a large bar scene on weekends). They serve some great dishes like potato leek soup, bangers and mash, fish and chips, shepherd's pie for examples. It's all very tasty and I've tried just about every one of them. I think the food is pretty close to being original pub food but if it's not, it's very good. You looked absolutely gorgeous in that dress for the awards night and it looks like you were having a great time. Congrats on your award.
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Beautiful. You look lovely. And will be trying that recipe with value chops.
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You look gorgeous in the pic ! Best English dish for me : cottage pie ; my friend Roz, who lives in Wales, cooked one for me and my family when she came to see me in France in August ; I still dream about it !!x
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Wow you look so beautiful! Glad you had such a fab night. Your stew is on the menu for this week. I love reading your blogs and look forward to them x x
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What a wonderful quick supper, did you know if put a small pinch of Bi-carb in your bean water they will stay bright green? #TopTip
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Looks delicious! 🙂
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You look stunning in that picture !
I also love traditional cooking, with good hearty meals that fill your body properly !
I have never been to one of those posh restaurants (I guess we must have some of them in France too) who bring you almost empty plates with foams of veggies and a spot of sauce on the edge…
During autumn and winter I often use the crock-pot, it's a really good energy saving appliance.
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Firstly Froogs, you looked absolutely beautiful. Great picture. I loved your wee room on the train on the way home.
My favourite meal from a pub is the Roast Lunch/Turkey dinner with stuffing veg and gravy. Fish and chips come a close second.
Your hotpot looks very good. I never normally cook with lamb as it can be very expensive but that looks reasonable Froogs. The last time I was in Manchester a few months ago. I had 'proper hotpot'.
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Have to tell you I am just cooking your faggots and the smell is unbelievable!
Also thank you for being my one an only follower on Twitter, I haven't worked out how to use it yet so forgive me if I send you and old waffle.
Well done for blog award, I follow lots and you are my favourite. You always make me smile and I loved your wedding!
Much love
Sarah Fox.
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I've been following you for years but never able to comment because I didn't have a blog or a Google account. I can't tell you the times that I've laughed or cried along with you but was unable to share without a voice. Well, I've now at last set up a blog ( Figgylicious) and can comment with my new WordPress user account so that I can tell you what a difference you've made to one person's life. I'm not anywhere near as disciplined as you, but your money saving tips and super simple recipes have been such an inspiration over the years. I hate over-effusive readers, so just keep on doing what you're doing, Froogs!
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I love to have a really creamy fish pie in a pub, (but not in one of those boiling hot dishes!). None of my family like fish pie and it is a bit fiddly to make, so I always have it when I see it on the menu, hopefully with some lovely fresh bread to mop up the sauce. My favourite treat. x
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Pub foods:
Bubble & squeak
Ploughman's Lunch
I'm American so if I want these I have to make them myself. Your lamb hotpot looks delicious!
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