Mother's Day

My parents come round for Sunday lunch every week. Mothering Sunday is upon us and I have just had my winter fuel bill in for the worst winter on record for 30 years. I had £10 in my purse to last over a week, a card and a small bunch of flowers is the usual for mother’s day here and not a problem but I also wanted to have a special meal this Sunday.

So what are Mother’s favourites, top of the list is Lamb especially a good roast. Although there was a nice leg in the freezer begging to be cooked, it was unfortunate I gave up red meat for Lent. However I’ll cook that for her birthday as it is on Easter Sunday this year.

I suppose her next favourite would be game, in all forms. I had several rabbits and some pheasant breasts in the freezer along with some pigeon meat and a small amount of stewing venison. Game is not expensive by any means except for venison in this area, if you know which butcher to go to, so game pie it would be. I only had to buy a hare (at £1.90 only 20p more than a rabbit) if could get one, but I could always pop a second rabbit in if not.

I prefer to cook my game on the bone as I feel it adds extra flavour to the stock. By selecting my own animals I can regulate just how much of each and the type of meat that is in my pie. Packs of game meat can be bought from butchers at around £3.50 for 500g this is usually a mixture of rabbit, pheasant, hare (sometimes) and venison but usually more rabbit and although I love rabbit I like a good mixture in my game pie after all it is to celebrate a very special person.

I started to make it the day before by cooking the meat in the slow cooker, the amount cooked makes enough for 2 pies so half for the freezer. I would normally put a piece of black pudding chopped up finely so that it melts into the gravy but as it is from red meat, not for this pie this time. The brandy may seem a little extravagant but don’t leave it out it only cost 16p for the 15ml, supermarket own brand, but then I use it for cooking and not drinking (unlike wine which should in my book be the rule “if you wouldn’t drink, it don’t cook with it”) and adds an important depth to the flavour.

I served the pie with, creamy mashed potatoes, cabbage with chestnuts and carrots. I steamed both the cabbage and the carrots over the over the top of boiling potatoes. I tossed chestnuts (vacuum packed and ready roasted) in a pan with plenty of black pepper and a little butter for a few minutes to warm through and added the cabbage before serving.

I hate the oven being on for just one item so baked a light sticky ginger pudding at the same time using my trusty 6” cake tin served with cheats brandy ice cream would really top the meal off for my mother.