These small individual lemon meringue pies not only look great but we have the advantage of being able to serve them in the restaurant. We prepare them to the pastry and lemon filling stage and then on the day, when needed we then top them up with the meringue topping and bake them before each service. It keeps them fresh and easy to manage, as well as reducing wastage.

They are also perfect for our bar counter; they look great on a glass stand with a big glass dome lid perfect for that Sunday afternoon cup of tea and the taste of something sweet.

We have a perfect location for walking, especially dog walking. There are several routes that can be followed from our pub front door, one route goes past the fishing lakes, the other over the bridleway passing the golf club and then another one goes through a mini nature reserve, Bromeswell green and can be followed all the way to the river. All these walks are safe, some of them are fairly taxing as the hills can be quite steep and some parts the soft sandy soil makes walking a bit harder. All this hard work requires a pleasant reward at the end and these lemon meringue pies are just the thing for a post-energetic walk.

The beauty about lemon meringue pies is that they do not really have a season; we get lemons all year round. These individual pies are perfect for any occasion from a picnic to a sophisticated tea party.

Mackerel is delicious and versatile and can be served hot or cold, smoked, raw or cooked. Due to the rich oily flesh mackerel works best with strong acid flavours such as saffron, lemons, limes, tomatoes, orange, fennel, chilli, ginger and wasabi. The skin of mackerel is thin and therefore crisps up easily and tastes equally delicious. My philosophy about mackerel is to keep it simple; it’s a humble fish, and over-complicating a recipe incorporating mackerel is doing no one any flavours! The combination of using fresh and smoked mackerel adds a different dimension to the dish.

I usually associate tomatoes with mackerel, it might be from the days when my dad used to eat tinned sardines and tomato salad as a snack. Towards the end of Summer when tomatoes are ripening and plentiful, one might wonder what to do with a glut of tomatoes? Well I have the answer to this dilemma; last year I wrote this lovely post on how to preserve them if you have too many. One of the three recipes on there I use the most is the semi-dried tomato recipe. We use lots and lots of them in the restaurant and semi-dry all shapes and sizes from cherry tomatoes to large ripe plum tomatoes, it works all the same and they are truly delicious – with the intense flavour they work beautifully with the oily mackerel.

I came up with two recipes for the use of our assignment of cod’s cheeks. One is a “cheeky sandwich” and the other is ”crispy cod’s cheek nugget salad”. The salad and vegetables are from Maple Farm, an organic farm a few miles from the British Larder that produces the most amazing ingredients with a very diverse range.

For both these recipes the cod’s cheeks were coated in either a batter or a crust and then deep fried. The crisp exterior biting into the soft flaky interior makes these little gems rather delicious. It’s a challenge for us to sell these dishes as most people find the thought not as appetizing as I find it interesting. However, perseverance, creative thinking and dish compilation made these two dishes a winner here at the British Larder.

Maple farm is a magical place. A farmer’s dream and a cook’s heaven. From chickens that lay fresh eggs to organic spelt and flour, salad leaves and organic pig. If it can or could be grown or produced organically then they will do so.

Their little farm shop that operates on an honesty basis is usually packed with the finest eggs, perky fresh salad leaves and an array of other organic vegetable, flour and spelt grain and last but not least a freezer stocked with pig.

We love baking with Maple Farm eggs; the yolks are such a vibrant yellow colour that one might be mistaken that food colouring might have been involved.

We hand on heart support the Farm Animal Welfare Week. It’s important that we offer high welfare food items on our menus and tell everyone that we genuinely do what we say we do, and to highlight this, we have joined the Simply Ask Campaign.

The Freedom Food Food Simply Ask campaign is a unique UK assurance scheme run by the RSPCA; not only are all standards mandatory, the standards also cover every stage of the animal’s life from birth until slaughter in a dedication to improving animal welfare. Meat products, dairy and eggs are sourced ethically and locally at the British Larder Suffolk, reinforcing its commitment to animal welfare.

Once we started asking our suppliers about their credentials and “digging” a bit deeper into the rearing and welfare standards they follow we discovered that nearly all of them were either organic or freedom foods approved. I’m not entirely sure why I was a bit surprised, it was a good surprise after all. We realised we are “shopping” at the right places and buy from the right people. We urge chefs and restauranteurs to join the scheme. It’s good for business and if you already fit the criteria why not join the scheme, sign up and get the seal of approval.

Staff food at the British Larder does not consist of dishes from the menu but it’s cooked fresh every day using trimmings and leftovers. It’s also a great opportunity for the all the chefs to experiment, think outside the proverbial box and be creative. Most day’s it’s a bit of a “ready-steady-cook” affair as we might end up with a bit of pig trim, a couple of potatoes and a few hen’s eggs. This Pig Hash is one of Steve’s creations which started off as a staff meal recipe and turned into a “real”dish that we cooked as a lunch special on the menu. It’s a great brunch/ breakfast dish.

Pork is one of the best sellers on our menus. As we are approaching the one year anniversary mark we were talking last week about the amount of pig we have used so far here at the British Larder. Well we are none the wiser as we have no idea…unless I do some serious research…nevertheless we guess that each staff member must have eaten the value of a whole Dingley Dell pig by now! No… that can’t be right, surely…. now that is a scary thought!

Mulberries are fragile fruits and start to wilt and deteriorate as soon as they are picked. I had a tree in our garden in our last home before we moved here and as soon as the fruits ripened I picked them and froze them immediately to ensure that they do not get wasted in any way.

These where given to us by a very generous customer this season, the season is very short and come and go so quickly.

Our bartering system is definitely working and it’s heartwarming to get the whole community involved. We are fast approaching our first year anniversary here in Suffolk, it feels almost like a life time. We have made lots of good solid friends. The question remains “was it worth while?”…the answer is yes!

In early Spring the British Larder team took a day trip to the new Adnams distillery in Southwold. It’s been a great experience and we think the gin is rather delicious too. One can get carried away with plenty of ideas as to what to do with the gin and vodka, apart from drinking it, it also makes a great cooking companion. They use up to 16 botanicals to purify the gin which means it’s packed with fantastic aromatics and perfect for this mulberry bakewell tart.

The spring this year was baking hot and we longed for rain. Now that summer is here the skies are overcast with heavy grey clouds and I’m tempted to turn the central heating on. It’s crazy!

The brightness and beauty of this soup is perfect for any occasion; it definately brightens up my day. If grey and cold serve it hot with a large chunk of freshly baked bread or if it’s hot and sunny serve the soup chilled along with a chilled glass of pinot gris.

The best chef’s tip for how to keep a green soup green is to ensure that the cooking time for the greens are as limited as possible and that the soup is chilled, preferably over ice, as quickly as possible. This will ensure a deliciously bright green soup. I also recommended making this soup in small batches, to ensure the bright green colour.

What is buckler leaf sorrel? The buckler leaf sorrel is a hardy perennial herb producing small insignificant green flowers in the summer and has shield shaped green leaves that taste as similarly tart as Granny Smith apples and kiwi fruits. Like common sorrel, buckle leaf sorrel has a sharp citric irony taste. Buckler leaf sorrel is also known as French sorrel and is native to the mountains of southern and central Europe and southwest Asia. This sorrel variety is more succulent and acidic than those of the common garden sorrel. In traditional folk medicine buckler leaf sorrel was used as an antiseptic because of its high vitamin C content and was believed to prevent scurvy. In addition to being rich in vitamin C it is also high in vitamin A and is a good source of iron.

This recipe is dedicated to two of our regular customers; Gloria and Denis Lee. When I first served arctic roll for Gloria the look and smile on her face is imprinted in my mind. I shall never forget that moment because of the sheer joy and happy memories this dish brought back to Gloria was a picture in itself. She did not have to say anything, her face painted the most wonderful picture and her smile spoke a million words.

I love strawberries, they’re perhaps one of the most fragrant fruits for me, and when I close my eyes and smell a sun ripened strawberry it brings back memories of my childhood and visits to the PYO farm with my family. Dad used to love eating strawberries with a sprinkling of sugar and lots of whipped Chantilly cream.

As I’m now writing this post I can smell the strawberry jam being cooked in the kitchen. We are jamming and bottling it to be sold from the bar. I hope the smell of the cooking jam will remain as a happy memory of summer at the British Larder.

The beauty of this recipe is that everything can be made in advance, at least three days when needed for a special event, and if you have a fantastic old fashioned dish it springs to life and sparks good conversation around the dinner table.

They are on a special puppy diet and I made these fabulous dog biscuits especially for them. I know exactly what is inside, no additives or preservatives, and they contain ingredients that I would personally eat.

When we moved to Suffolk we wanted to get a dog – well now we have two. I also had great intentions to bake special doggy biscuits to sell from the bar… well those intentions took 9 months to materialise and finally here we are. Scrumptious Sutton Hoo Chicken Liver, Carrot and Oaty Biscuits; yes they are rather posh, but then only the best for these uber cute doggies!

This takes me back to our last visit to the States. We stayed near Time Warner Center, New York, home to the fantastic Bouchon Bakery. We were obsessed with Bouchon and every morning went there for a cup of coffee and a pastry. It’s also the perfect place to people watch, and one of the items they sell is dog biscuits laced with foie grass and chicken stock, very posh! We got chatting with the lady behind the counter who told us how some dog owners not only buy a biscuit for their dogs but that the owners are rather partial to a doggy biscuit too! Well it made me giggle and remained in my memory.

There is no foie grass for our pups but instead, the best chicken livers our money can buy! The chicken hearts could also be a great substitute or addition to use alongside the chicken livers. I have chosen carrots as these two boys love carrots and a carrot has entertained them for hours on end, so I thought it better make its way into their yummy treats. Remember not to add any salt or sugar! Even though these biscuits are technically good for them remember not to feed your dog too many, it’s only a treat.

These biscuits are perfectly good for human consumption too if you wish, however if you are baking them for your own enjoyment add a salt to the mixture otherwise it’s a bit bland. I thought they would be super delicious as a canape with a bit of chicken liver parfait on top…. more ideas.

Moving to Suffolk always was and still is about the quality of ingredients on offer. We made it our business to move into a region unknown to us and to adapt, absorb and work with the local area. It’s not always been an easy ride however after 10 months we can safely say we still feel the same drive as when we first moved here. We have met some fantastic people along the way and Mark Hayward from Dingley Dell has taken us “under his wing” and supported and helped us along the way. He has also in an indirect way helped us firmly confirm our ethos and what the British Larder stands for.

Dingley Dell farm is no more 2.5 miles from us and and having this high quality ingredient so close provides that all important reassurance we require to ensure that we have made the right choice. We are continuously working with Mark either on new recipes or new concepts. Dingley Dell is a Freedoms Food approved farm and has consequently introduced us to the wonderful world of Freedom Foods. We are proud to say that we take part in the Freedoms Foods Simply Ask campaign and tick six boxes in the freedom food categories of high animal welfare! That is stupendously impressive. We are working hard to tick the final three.

I have a conscience and certainly do not want it to be a guilty one!

Well it all just simply makes sense. I would not serve yet alone work with ingredients where I know an animal might have suffered. Why should my customers have to eat it? I make it my business to know where our food comes from and I know that our customers trust that we take animal welfare and indeed customer welfare to heart. We are also serious about food miles; the closer and more local the better for us.

It’s not always easy as these ingredients sometimes cost more due to not being mass bread, as they are usually from small independent businesses. Ross and I made a promise to support small local producers, farmers and suppliers as we believe that our penny and pound spend  in the county we live in will boost the local economy and those farmers, producers and suppliers can become stronger, develop and consequently deliver better quality and standards for our customers to enjoy. It’s all one vicious circle and it’s hard to stay inside and do the hamster run with it, but most importantly we must not fall out, keep working at it and persevere. So no foie grass for us then!

These magical scotch eggs are perhaps the single most popular dish here at the British Larder. We have a scotch egg for every season. During the game season the Dingley dell smoked ham are substituted for either venison or pheasant scotch egg.

Our secret to the perfect scotch egg is simple:

1. Use free range organic eggs, large preferably

2. Cook the eggs for 7 minutes and dunk them immediately in ice water after 7 minutes

3. Make sure the sausage meat mixture on the outside is tasty, well seasoned and contains the best ingredients you can find.

Simple! The magical scotch egg…done!

The king of vegies and best of all it grows here on my doorstep. The Suffolk sandlings is the perfect place, with its soft sandy soil.

Early on in the season it’s at its sweetest and most tender. The British asparagus season is short but when it’s here we love it! Simplicity is key. For me the humble egg is the best best companion, whether hens or ducks eggs soft boiled with plenty of Maldon sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

The team is working hard, we finally turned the waste land by the back door into a tiny…no lets rephrase that…. minute organic kitchen garden. Inspiration for the boys to go out and pick a few flowers, herbs and strawberries. Well it’s not enough for us to serve the restaurant. We heavily rely on as many freebies, from Dans mums garden and a top up from David keeps our fridges filled with summer lushness.

The garden has unfortunately fallen into the hands, mouths and beaks of the two, four, five, ten and twenty legged creatures living out there. However, I’m turning a blind eye, It’s keeping me sane, when needs must, I pop out to “water” the garden and then all the worldly sins are forgotten.

Let them eat…kolhrabi! if it’s the only price I have to pay for my own sanity!

This Keens cheddar brûlée is one of the simpler recipes that highlights the taste of the fantastic asparagus. It’s easy to prepare and brings a wonderful smile and ‘wow’ to the dining table. I did use my beloved Thermomix for this recipe, however, if you do not have one, do not panic. Simply use a old fashioned double boiler. The traditional method is just as effective however it involves stirring and ones constant attention.

The beauty and purpose of the chive flower: They are spectacular, bright purple blue and interestingly beautiful. Not only are they pretty to look at however have several functions. It’s perfect for eating and brightens up any dish. If planted in the garden the purple blue attracts bees, encourage pollination. On the other hand it acts as an insect-repellant and planted to control pests.