Chicken & Broad Bean Stew

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Ingredients:

• Butter

• 1 onions

• 2 celery sticks

• 2 carrots, including the greens (white or purple – not orange!)

• 2 chicken breasts

• A few rashers of bacon

• 600ml/2 cups chicken stock

• 300ml/1 cup ale

• 2 bay leaves

• A few sprigs of thyme and marjoram

• 1 cup podded broad beans

Method:

Melt the butter in a large pan or cauldron. Chop the onion, celery & carrots and add to the pan. Fry for a few minutes to soften.

Dice the chicken & slice the bacon. Add to the pan and fry for a few minutes. Pour over the chicken stock and ale, add the herbs and the beans.

Stir well, bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and serve with fresh sourdough bread.

Damson & Beef Stew

Ingredients:

• Butter

• 400g beef

• 2 small onions

• 2 sticks of celery

• 2 carrots (white or purple – not orange!)

• Small bunch of fermented wild Garlic

• 12 Damsons

• Splash of red wine

• 2 tsp freshly ground pepper

• 2 tsp Salt

• Water

Method:

Melt the butter in a pan or cauldron. Add the beef and fry for 5 – 10 minutes. 

Roughly chop the onions, celery, carrots and garlic and add to the pan. Fry for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stone and quarter the damsons and add to the pan, along with the red wine and salt & pepper. 

Add enough water to just about cover everything. Bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour, until the meat is tender.

Venison stew

Ingredients:

• Butter

• 1 Onion (finely chopped)

• 500g diced Venison

• 500ml beef or venison stock

• 1 Leek (sliced)

• 2 parsnips (sliced)

• 2 sticks of Celery (sliced)

• 1 Turnip (diced)

• Handful of roughly chopped Kale

• Splash of Elderberry wine or red wine

• 2 Bay leaves

• 2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme

• 1 sprig of Rosemary

• 1 stick of Cinnamon

Method:

Heat a little butter in a large pan or cauldron. Add the onion and fry for a few minutes, to soften.

Add the venison, stock, veg, wine & herbs, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 2 hours., topping up with more water if necessary.

Remove the bay, rosemary and cinnamon and serve immediately.

Taken from my book ‘Eat like a Viking!’ Available now on Amazon