However even thought I’m writing the book life goes on here at the British Larder Suffolk. The weather has been good to us during the high season in comparison to last year, the snow has now only arrived and frankly we can do without the snow. It’s pretty and makes me look at life, country and county with different eyes but for business it’s pretty rubbish. Today it’s snowing outside and we have lost 40% of our bookings for this evening, it’s upsetting but we shall take it in our stride and get on with it in a true British fashion.

This has sparked my thoughts to revamp one of our favourite classics the Kedgeree. This time of the year there is a natural lack of seasonal foods and there is not much available to be creative with, changing seasons is never easy. We turn to our larder and with the delicious smoked haddock from a local smokehouse and a packet of risotto rice this delicious take on a traditional classic has emerged.

Technically it’s not a traditional kedgeree as the rice is using risotto rice instead of long grain rice and they are turned into balls and then fried, unlike the tradition, however the flavours are there, presented in a slighting different way. We serve this dish here at the British Larder as a pretty lunchtime starter or you could make this recipe at home, making the rice balls slightly bigger and serve it as a hearty lunch for two.

Medjool dates evoke a few fond memories for me. My grandmother and mother both love dates; I remember how grandmother and I would sit in front of the fire on a cold winters day with nothing sweet to nibble on in the larder apart from a packet of dried dates. I remember holding them in my warm hands to soften them and then nibbling on them until I’m left with the stone in my mouth. It was sweet and meaty just like a fresh plump medjool date. The other memory I have is when I spent time in Israel working at a moshav in Hazeva near Eilat. I was working there with a few friends and we often took the bus to Eilat, en-route we’d pass large date palm plantations – gosh these palm trees were beautiful and usually covered with heavy ripe fruits ready to be harvested. These fond childhood memories of dates come back vividly, even now I’m sitting here remembering the days sitting in the air- conditioned bus en-route to Eilat viewing the beautiful date palm trees. Memories!!

The meaty rich and creamy texture of the dates compliments the duck pastrami, it gives the dish that luxurious velvety texture whereas the zesty blood orange cuts through the richness of the duck and dates. It’s a lovely combination, not only delicious but colourful enough to brighten up colder days.

Sadly last year I got so trapped in the glory and splendour of the Christmas whirlwind that I never managed to get a chance to post the recipe. Well with another season nearly done, I thought I had better post this recipe before another year would have come and gone again. To be truthful, our kitchen recipe book is suffering; it’s looking sad, fat-stained, losing pages and is very used. Good in one sense, however I’m concerned that we might lose these valuable recipes, hence I post them on the site and they will be preserved forever. It’s interesting how we here at the British Larder Suffolk we use our own website like a recipe book. I’m not entirely sure why I’m surprised at that fact, as it’s a good thing!

Last year, my puddings got the thumbs up from plenty of happy diners so I’m proud as punch. There are no real secrets apart from lots of passion and drive. To make this amount of Christmas puddings one must not lose momentum and drive. It can weigh you down as it’s a slow process but once you’re in the swing of things it’s easy. Time is of the essence and the earlier the puddings are made the better chance they have of maturing and developing those all important rich flavours. My belief is that the mix must sit in the fridge for two days to thicken, absorb and for all the flavours to develop.

My trademark, or best not well kept secret is that I use the best ingredients I can possibly buy. The ale is local, I use Adnams, and the breadcrumbs are sourdough; a bit pricy but then this is not a cheap pudding either. It’s your choice if you want to use whole or flaked almonds.

This recipe serves 4 people and fills one 1L pudding basin. Make the pudding at least 4 weeks in advance and feed it with one tablespoon of brandy each week (it’s never too late, two weeks will be fine, don’t forget to feed it!). This will keep the pudding moist and the flavour will be outstanding. I guess this is perhaps the most labour intensive part of the pudding, feeding it. As we have to unwrap each pudding, give it a drink and cover them again, doing that four times with 100 puddings is a bit of a mammoth task but definitely time well spent.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and  Happy New Year!

For this recipe I combined floral rose water with the acidic and sharp taste of pomegranate. Rosewater is not everyone’s cup of tea and in my opinion and experience it should be used sparingly.  Once the yogurt cream cools the flavour magnifies and the taste of the floral rose water becomes more prominent and can easily be over powering. Rosewater is easily found in many supermarkets, cook shops and even in a chemist.

I served the cream with crushed pistachio nuts, this adds a extra texture and nuttiness to the dish. The pomegranate juice is turned into a delicious jelly set with agar. A seaweed based gelling agent with a slightly unusual texture.

Ever wondered how to remove pomegranate seeds? Well let’s face it, this is a messy job. Best tip I can give is to make sure you are wearing your oldest clothing; as I have many time stained my clothes with pomegranate juice trying to remove the seeds. The best way is to take the pomegranate in both hands and give it a bit of a squeeze to loosen the seeds, you can feel them moving about inside, roll it on the chopping board as you would do before juicing lemons and oranges. Cut the pomegranate in half, place a deep bowl in the empty sink, hold the pomegranate over the bowl and use a wooden spoon to slap it so that the seeds falls into the bowl. You might get splashed with the juice but this method is fairly effective. Once the seeds are out pick the white interconnecting bits out. Drain the juice using a fine sieve and the jewels of seeds are ready to be used in either this dessert of in fresh winter salads.

We have been fortunate enough this season to have been inundated with the most glorious varieties of apples from our lovely customers. It’s great, they come in spits and spades over the season, from Lottie Lin’s apples early in the season to Mrs. Sangster’s crop in the middle, and the most recent delivery came from Charlie, Darcy and Hector’s vet’s parent’s garden all the way from Kent. They are all different varieties – some local Suffolk varieties and some the more mainstream bramleys. We don’t mind as it’s an apple taste sensation and educates us, giving us the inspiration and ultimate cooking pleasure and we long for.

I have been toying with the idea of making apple snow for quite some time now. It’s a traditional recipe, one that is very simplistic however the quality of the apple is what makes this recipe a taste sensation. Choose your apple carefully, remember the apple must be the hero - I recommend a fairly acidic apple as the “snow” is sweet, adjust the sugar levels to compliment  your choice of apple’s natural sweetness.

The warm honey madeleine is a delicate but lovely touch to set this pudding off nicely. I love a madeleine, I think it’s the rich nutty flavour from the burnt butter along with almonds, honey and lemon that makes me go all googly eyed over these little cakes. I do refer to them as mini me, and while I do not think the world could cope with more than one Madalene, a freshly baked honey madeleine is a different matter all together.

They are simple and easy to make however do not make them if you are in a rush! The secret to the success of a perfect madeleine is that it must rest at least 12 hours. If you try and fast track this process you’re in for a disaster. This recipe is the proven practice and is the definition of patience as a virtue! To make a madeleine into a true madeleine not only involves the preparation of the batter, but it’s all about the all important shell shape. You can get different sizes, please note that I have used a standard size, for mini madeleines reduce the cooking time accordingly. The perfect cooked madeleine has a crisp, even, golden brown exterior with a fluffy fine crumbed interior. They are best eaten from freshly baked. I make the batter and cook them fresh every day for the best results here at the restaurant.

Tufted duck, Aythya fuligula, is a diving duck. Due to grazing on marshes and closer to the sea shore its meat has a dark red colour and has a stronger gamier taste than the rest of the wild duck species.

Davids recommendation was to boil the duck and then blend it into a pate. My thoughts turned to the chicken liver parfait recipe that we current make at the restaurant. So the inspiration for this recipe came from that. After a good look and prod and feel I realised there is not much to these tufted ducks, however the breast meat can be bulked out with items such as chicken livers, which in tow will mellow the overwhelming strong game flavour and make it more palatable.

I served this rich and flavoursome parfait with quinces poached in red wine and Professor Baker’s pickled walnuts, aka “wombats”. The textures and flavours works a treat. Do remember to serve small amounts of this parfait as it’s incredibly rich and provide plenty of toasted sourdough.