SEASONAL FOOD

by Jo Willmott

When I hear the words ‘Street Party’ I have visions of black and white photos of families and children all gathered in the streets where they live, with a long table laid with homemade delights of cupcakes, biscuits, sandwiches, warm buttery sausage rolls and jelly and ice cream. There’s bunting hanging from lampposts and mummies drinking tea (might have to update that to a glass of something fizzy).

Having recently moved back to the village where I grew up, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to a street party for my children in the good old-fashioned way. I asked friends and family what reminds them of street parties of old and have come up with three recipes to help you on your way to making a right royal feast!

So, get out your Union Jacks and hang up the bunting! Sausage rolls in the oven and jelly in the fridge, biscuits dusted with icing sugar and a plate of egg sandwiches. What more could you want for a perfect street party. Have a fantastic time and send in your street party feast photos into HUB for us all to admire.

Recipes this month:

_

HOMEMADE SAUSAGE ROLLS WITH A ‘BRANSTON PICKLE’ TWIST

INGREDIENTS

• 450g/1lb good quality sausage meat
• 3 tbsp Branston Pickle
• 3 tbsp of finely chopped herbs (sage, rosemary, parsley)
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 pack readymade puff pastry

METHOD
Pre-heat the oven to 220c/425F gas mark 7. Mix the sausage meat, pickle and herbs together in a mixing bowl. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to form a rectangle (as thin as you can). Cut this rectangle into three strips and divide the sausage meat also into three, making three long rolls the same length as the strips of pastry. Place one roll of sausage meat on to one strip of pastry. Brush the beaten egg along one edge, then fold the pastry over and seal it. Lift the whole thing up and turn it so the sealed edge is underneath. Press lightly, and cut into individual rolls each about 2 inches (5 cm) long. Snip three V-shapes in the top of each roll with scissors and brush with beaten egg.

Do the same again with the other pastry rectangles. Place rolls onto a baking tray and cook for 20-25 minutes.

_

CROWN BISCUITS

These crown/tiara biscuits look amazing with their stained glass (boiled sweet) centres and are surrounded by a buttery rich shortbread biscuit.

INGREDIENTS

• 50g/12oz plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 100g/3oz butter
• 175g/6oz soft brown sugar
• 1 free-range egg, beaten
• 4 tbsp golden syrup
• Wrapped fruit-flavoured boiled sweets in different colours

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F gas mark 4. For the biscuits, mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and ginger together in a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, and then stir in the sugar. In another bowl, beat together the egg and golden syrup then pour this mixture into the flour mixture and mix to make a smooth dough, kneading lightly with your hands. Crush the sweets in their wrappers using a rolling pin. Roll the dough out on a floured work surface to about .5cm/ 1/2 in thick, and then cut into shapes using a crown or tiara cookie cutter. Transfer the biscuits to baking sheets lined with baking paper.

Cut out shapes in the centre of each biscuit, making sure you leave a good edge all around. Completely fill the hole in each biscuit with crushed boiled sweets. Remove the biscuits from the oven but do not remove from the baking tray until they have cooled because the boiled sweets need to harden. Once the sweets have hardened, gently lift the biscuits onto a wire rack with a palette knife to finish cooling.

_

ELDERFLOWER JELLY

Jelly!! What street party would be complete without jelly and ice cream? For my children’s parties I make this in individual cups or ramekins, but I am sure there are going to be plenty of themed jelly moulds out there for our street party celebrations! This recipe makes 8 small cups or 1 large mould.

INGREDIENTS

• 75ml elderflower cordial
• 600ml water
• 4 gelatin leaves

METHOD

Mix 600ml (1 pint) cold water in a jug and stir in the cordial. Place the gelatin leaves in a small bowl, and add 4 tbsp of the elderflower mixture. Leave to soak for 10 minutes, or until the gelatin is very soft. Place the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, and stir until the gelatin has completely dissolved.

Add the gelatin to the elderflower mixture, and stir well. Pour into cups or a mould, and then chill on a tray in a refrigerator for at least 2–3 hours, or until set.