Smoked salmon with Irish soda bread, woodland sorrel and cress
Pan-fried turbot with cockles and oxtail
Loin of roe venison with rosti, celeriac, cabbage, carrot and game gravy
Custard tart with Garibaldi biscuits

This was a programme on BBC TV for members of the public to pick the menu
for the Queen's 80th Birthday reception later in the year. The winning
menu is:

Starter:
Representing Northern Ireland, Richard Corrigan came out top with his
Smoked salmon starter, beating Michael Caines' Goats' cheese and Marcus
Wareings Shellfish tian.
Smoked salmon with Irish soda bread, woodland sorrel and cress

For the Irish soda bread
100g/3oz wholemeal flour, plus extra for dusting
100g/3oz self-raising flour
1 Tbsp bicarbonate of soda
50g/2oz jumbo oat flakes
25g/1oz wheatgerm
25g/1oz wheat bran
10g/oz salt
75g/3oz (approx 5 Tbsp) runny honey
25g/1oz (approx 1 Tbsp) black treacle
225ml/14fl oz buttermilk

For the blini mixture
85g/3oz plain flour
1 tsp salt
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 free-range whole egg
1 free-range egg yolk
150ml/5fl oz milk
115g/4oz warm, cooked mashed potato
knob of butter
25g/1oz St Killian cheese, or other similar soft cream cheese

For the salmon and woodland sorrel
50g/2oz woodland sorrel
50g/2oz wild cress
25ml/1fl oz olive oil
lemon, juice only
salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g/1lb 2oz wild smoked salmon

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2.
First make the soda bread. Put all the soda bread ingredients into a
large bowl and mix by hand to make a soft dough. Using floured hands,
shape the dough into two equal oval shapes and place on a floured
non-stick baking tray. Bake for 45 minutes or until the breads sound
hollow when tapped on the base. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Meanwhile, make the blini batter. Put the flour in a bowl with the salt
and the nutmeg and stir in the egg and egg yolk. Whisk in the milk, then
fold in the cooked warm potato and the cheese. Cover and leave to rest in
the fridge until ready to cook.
For the salmon and woodland sorrel, pick the woodland sorrel and wild
cress by removing just the soiled end and washing in a little salted
water. Leave to dry on kitchen towel, then place in a bowl. Just before
serving, dress the leaves with the olive oil, lemon juice and season with
salt and freshly ground black pepper.
To cook the blinis, heat the butter in a non-stick frying pan. Add
spoonfuls of the blini batter and fry for 1-2 minutes on each side or
until golden brown. This will make eight blinis.
To serve, cut the smoked salmon into 2cm/1in slices and arrange three
slices on each serving plate. Add two blinis to each and dress the plates
with the sorrel and cress. Slice the bread and serve alongside.


Fish course
Bryn Williams for Wales impressed the judges with his Pan-fried turbot.
Runners-up were Atul Kochhar with Sea bass in coconut milk and Richard
Corrigan with Poached turbot.

Pan-fried turbot with cockles and oxtail

For the oxtail
1kg/2lb Welsh Black beef oxtail, cut into pieces
1 litre/1 pints red wine
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 bay leaf
vegetable oil
flour, seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 litres/3 pints chicken stock
1 litre/1 pints veal stock (substitute beef or more chicken stock if
unavailable)

For the cockles
400g/14oz cockles, cleaned
1 glass white wine (about 125ml/4fl oz)
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp creme fraiche

For the turbot
olive oil
350g/12oz sea beet, stalks removed (substitute beet tips or Swiss chard if
unavailable)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated nutmeg
lemon juice
4 pieces turbot, each 120g/4oz, filleted and skinned
knob of butter

Put the oxtail in a bowl with the red wine, onions, carrots and bay
leaf.Cover and leave to marinate in a cool place for 24 hours. Preheat the
oven to 140C/275F/Gas 1. Strain off the red wine from the oxtail and
vegetables and place in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, skimming off any
scum that rises to the surface. Meanwhile, heat a little vegetable oil
in a heavy-bottomed ovenproof pan over a moderate heat. Dust the oxtail in
seasoned flour, then add to the pan and colour until golden brown on all
sides. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the marinated vegetables
to the pan and cook until golden brown. Deglaze the pan with the hot red
wine, then cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Return the oxtail
to the pan. Cover with chicken and veal stock and bring to the boil. Skim,
cover the pan with a lid and place in the oven to cook for 2 hours. Remove
from the oven and leave to cool. When cooled, remove the oxtail and pick
the meat from the bones, retaining the meat in large pieces; discard the
bones. Strain the liquid into a saucepan and cook until reduced by half.
Keep the meat and sauce warm.
To cook the cockles, place them in a warm pan with the white wine and
bayleaf, cover with a lid and cook on a high heat for 1-2 minutes or until
the shells have opened. Drain the cockles in a colander set in a bowl. Set
the liquid to one side. Pick the cockles from their shells (leaving a few
in their shells).
For the turbot, warm some olive oil in a deep pan and add the sea beet.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, nutmeg and a squeeze of
lemon. Cook for 30 seconds to wilt, then remove from the heat.
Heat a little olive oil in a warm non-stick pan until hot. Add the
turbot and cook until the underside is brown, then carefully turn the
turbot pieces over and lower the heat; cook for a further two minutes. Add
a knob of butter to finish.
To assemble, place the wilted sea beet on each warm plate and arrange
the cockles and picked oxtail around the sea beet. Drizzle with the oxtail
sauce. Position the turbot on the sea beet. Bring the cockle liquid to the
boil and whisk in the creme fraiche. Pour this onto each plate and serve.


Main course
Scottish chef Nick Nairns Roe venison was the winning main, followed by
Bryan Williams' Salt marsh lamb and Atul Kochhars Tandoori chicken.

Loin of roe venison with rosti, celeriac, cabbage, carrot and game gravy

For the game gravy
600g/1lb 5oz venison rib bones (ask your game dealer or butcher)
25g/1oz unsalted butter
200g/7oz venison trimmings, roughly chopped
4 shallots, finely sliced
8 button mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
sprig of thyme
6 white peppercorns, crushed
30ml/1oz red wine vinegar
120ml/4fl oz port
120ml/4fl oz red wine
700ml/1 pints brown chicken or game stock
1 tsp redcurrant jelly
1 tsp arrowroot
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the rosti
400g/14oz Golden Wonder potatoes, peeled and grated
10 Tbsp goose fat (available tinned in some supermarkets)

For the vegetables
2 Tbsp goose fat
100g/3oz carrot, finely chopped
100g/3oz parsnip, finely chopped
100g/3oz celeriac, finely chopped
100g/3oz beetroot, finely chopped
sprig of thyme
1 clove garlic, lightly crushed

For the venison
20g/1oz butter
4 pieces of roe deer saddle with rib bone still attached, each 120g/4oz
60ml/2fl oz red wine
30ml/1fl oz red wine vinegar
40ml/1fl oz fruit vinegar
200ml/7fl oz light brown chicken stock
250g/9oz Savoy cabbage, finely shredded, blanched for 2 minutes, refreshed
and drained
4 Tbsp double cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
First make the game gravy. Roast the venison bones for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a medium-sized saucepan, add the butter and venison
trimmings and cook on a low heat for 20 minutes until well browned. Add
the shallots, mushrooms, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, and crushed peppercorns.
Gently fry for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. Pour in the red wine
vinegar, followed by the port and red wine. Boil until a thick, syrupy
glaze is achieved. Add the stock, redcurrant jelly and roasted bones and
simmer for 45 minutes. Pass through a fine sieve into a small, clean
pan and boil again to reduce by half. Thicken with arrowroot, then check
the seasoning and set aside. Reheat for serving. (This makes more gravy
than you need for this dish; keep the rest in the fridge or freeze it.)
Next make the rosti. Place the grated potatoes in a clean tea towel and
squeeze out the liquid. Place in a bowl, add 2 tbsp of the goose fat and
season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well.
Heat four blini pans. Add 2 tbsp of goose fat to each and then divide
the potato mix between them, pressing it down gently. Cook until crisp and
golden on the base, then carefully turn over and continue cooking until
the other side is golden and the potatoes are tender. Place in a low oven
to keep warm.
For the vegetables, heat 2 tbsp of goose fat in a heavy-bottomed frying
pan and saute the chopped vegetables with the thyme and garlic for 15-20
minutes or until coloured and cooked through. Place in the oven to keep
warm.
For the venison, heat the butter in the frying pan, then sear the
venison until well coloured and cooked medium rare. Remove the meat from
the pan and place it somewhere warm to relax. Pour out the fat from the
pan, return it to a high heat and deglaze with the wine and vinegars. Boil
fast to reduce, then add the stock and reduce again by one-quarter to
really intensify the flavours. Strain and keep warm.
Reheat the cabbage, adding the cream, and season with salt and freshly
ground black pepper.
To serve, place a pile of cabbage in the centre of each plate. Place
the rosti on top and place the sauteed vegetables around the outside.
Place the venison on the rosti, and pour over the reduced jus. Drizzle the
game gravy around the outside of the plates.


Dessert
Marcus Wareing, representing the North, won the desserts category with his
Custard tart with Garibaldi biscuits. Michael Caines with Raspberry mousse
and Galton Blackiston with Steamed treacle sponge were the runners-up.

Custard tart with Garibaldi biscuits

For the Garibaldi biscuits
100g/3oz butter, melted in a saucepan
100g/3oz icing sugar, sifted
100g/3oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
100g/3oz egg whites
200g/7oz currants

For the pastry
225g/8oz flour, plus extra for dusting
pinch of salt
1 lemon, zest only
150g/5oz butter
75g/3oz caster sugar
1 free-range egg yolk
1 free-range egg

For the custard filling
9 free-range egg yolks
75g/3oz caster sugar
500ml/17fl oz whipping cream
freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
First, make the biscuits. Mix together the butter, icing sugar and
flour until smooth. Slowly add the egg whites, stirring, until they are
completely incorporated, then fold in the currants. Bring together into a
ball, wrap in cling film and chill for at least one hour. Roll the dough
on a lightly floured surface out to 5mm(1/4in) thick. Cut into 12
rectangles - you may have some dough left over. Place on a baking tray
lined with greaseproof paper, ensuring the biscuits are not touching each
other. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.Bake the biscuits for 8-10
minutes or until golden brown. Remove and cool on a wire rack. Keep in an
airtight tin.
For the pastry, rub together the flour, salt, lemon zest and butter
until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, then beat together
the egg yolk and whole egg and slowly add these, mixing until the pastry
forms a ball. Wrap tightly in cling film and refrigerate for two hours.
Turn the oven down to 170C/325F/Gas 3.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to 2mm/one eighth-in
thickness. Use to line an 18cm/7in flan ring placed on a baking sheet.
Line with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans, then bake blind
for about 10 minutes or until the pastry is starting to turn golden brown.
Remove the paper and beans, and allow to cool.
Turn the oven down to 130C/250F/Gas1.
For the filling, whisk together the yolks and sugar. Add the cream and
mix well. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into a saucepan and heat
to blood temperature. Fill the pastry case with the custard, until
5mm(1/4in) from the top. Carefully place in the middle of the oven and
bake for 30-40 minutes or until the custard appears set but not too firm.
Remove from the oven and cover the surface liberally with grated nutmeg.
Before serving, warm the biscuits through in the oven for 5 minutes.
Cut the tart with a sharp knife and serve with the biscuits.


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