Peppernut biscuits

Ingredients:

For the spice mix;

• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

• 2 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1/2 teaspoon ground green cardamom

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon ground star anise

• 1/4 teaspoon ground mace

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the gingerbread;

• 180g butter

• 80g brown sugar

• 100g golden syrup

• 300g Plain flour

• 25g ground almonds

• 3 tablespoons of spice mix - see above

• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

• 1/2 tsp white pepper

• 2 eggs

• 500g icing sugar

Method:

Mix all the spices together well.

Heat the butter, brown sugar and syrup in a large pan, on a medium heat, until fully dissolved and mixed together. Leave to cool for 5 minutes. 

Meanwhile mix the plain flour​, ground almonds, spice mix, bicarbonate of soda and white pepper in a bowl.

Add to the saucepan of melted sugar and fat and mix well. Stir in the eggs.

Tip the mixture out onto a piece of cling film and wrap tightly. Refrigerate for several hours, or ideally overnight.

Split the mix into 2 halves and roll both out into 3/4" sausages and cut each sausage into pieces 3/4" thick. Roll each piece into a ball and place onto a lined baking tray, leaving a gap between each one. You should end up with around 24 balls.

Cook in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celcius for around 10-15 minutes, until golden in colour.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Once cooled, mix up the icing sugar as per the packet instructions. Dip each biscuit into the icing sugar, and place onto a cooling rack. Leave until the icing has set.

Apricot Brandy

This was inspired by Robin Hobb's books. The story follows that of a bastard of a prince, Fitz, as he becomes an assassin. It's a beautiful story filled with magic, dragons and apricot brandy shared with his friend, the fool.

Ingredients:

• 700g Apricots

• 350g honey

• 700ml brandy

Method:

Wash your fruit and cut into quarters, Removing the stones. Put the fruit into a Kilner jar and cover with the honey. Pour over the brandy and put the lid on.

Shake the jar to mix in the honey. Shake once a day, for a few days, until the honey remains dissolved.

After 2 weeks decant into bottles through a funnel lined with a muslin cloth.

This can be drunk straight away.

Mince pies

For the mincemeat;

Ingredients:

• 500g pears (cored and cut into small cubes)

• 500g dried mixed fruit

• 100g stem ginger

• 100g crab apple jelly

• 250g muscovado sugar

• Zest and juice of 3 oranges

• Zest and juice of 2 lemons

• 100g flaked almonds

• 50ml ginger wine

• 2 tsp Ground ginger

• 2 tsp Cinnamon

• 1 tsp Nutmeg

• 50ml sloe gin

Method:

Mix all the ingredients well, except the gin, and put them into a large oven proof dish.

Bake in a preheated oven for around 2.5 hours at 120 degrees.

Stir in the gin and spoon into warm, sterile jars. Leave to mature for at least 2 months before using. Will keep for a couple of years.

For the pies;

Ingredients:

• 300g plain flour (sifted)

• 150g unsalted butter (cut into cubes)

• Water

• Mince meat

• Milk

Method:

Add the butter to the flour and rub it between your fingers and into the flour. Keep rubbing until the mix resembles breadcrumbs.

Add a small drop of water and mix together. Keep adding a little water at a time, until the mixture comes together to form a stiff dough amd leaves the bowl mostly clean.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry out as thin as possible - 1 or 2 mm is best. Cut rounds for the bases using a pastry cutter and place into cupcake cases.

Fill the base with mince meat and top with either smaller cut rounds or stars. Where the pastry top and base meets, use a little milk to seal the edges.

Brush with a little milk and cook in the centre of a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes, until golden in colour.

Pan fried oat bread

Ingredients:

• 250g/2 cups oat flour

• 200g/1 cup flour

• 50g, 1/2 cup oats

• 1 tsp yeast

• 2 tsp salt

• 250ml/1 cup warm water (give or take)

Method:

Put the flour, oats, yeast and salt, into a large bowl and mix together.

Slowly add the water a little at a time, and mix together to form a dough. It needs to be workable, so as not to stick to your hands too much, but too dry and it will fall apart. You can add more or less beer depending on how your dough feels. I find it varies slightly every time.

Tip out onto a work surface and knead for around 5-10 minutes.

Roll your dough into a ball, and dust with a little flour. Put it into a bowl and cover loosely with a damp cloth, to stop it drying out. Leave to prove somewhere warm for an hour or two, until its roughly doubled in size.

Tip your dough back out onto your work surface and carefully deflate it by poking it with your fingers.

Roll your dough into a ball, and roll to around 1/2 inch thick, or to a size that fits into your skillet.

Place your bread into the skillet and dry fry on a medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, before flipping and cooking for a further 5-10 minutes. Watch it closely to avoid burning.

Leave to cool fully before cutting.

Alternatively you can make oven baked tear and share rolls. 

Divide the dough into 6 and roll into balls. Place the balls into an oven proof dish so that they are just about touching. Cook for 35-40 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius, until they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

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Cheese Scones

Ingredients: 

• 250g Self raising flour 

• Pinch of salt 

• 1 tsp baking powder 

• 60g butter 

• 100g cheese (grated) + a little extra for topping 

• 80ml milk + a little extra for topping 

Method: 

In a bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking powder. 

Cut the butter into cubes and rub it into the flour, to make breadcrumbs. 

Add the cheese and mix well, trying not to overwork it, as the heat from your hands will start to melt the cheese. 

Add the milk, a little at a time, until the mix comes together to form a dough. You may not need all of the milk. 

Tip out onto a work surface and roll out to approx 2 cm thick. Cut the scones with a 

medium sized pastry cutter. 

Place onto a lightly floured baking tray and brush the tops with a little milk. Finally add a small amount of grated cheese. 

Cook in the centre of a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 10 - 15 minutes until golden on top and cooked through. 

Cheesy Barley (Viking risotto)

Ingredients:

• 1 knob of butter

• 1 leek

• 300g/1 cup pearl barley

• 1 litre/4 cups stock

• 1 large handful of cheese

Method:

Melt the butter in a pan or cauldron

Roughly chop the leek and add to the pan. Cook for a few minute to soften.

Add the barley and fry for a few minutes. Pour over the stock

Bring to a boil and simmer until the barley is tender and the water absorbed (45 mins-1 hour).

Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese.

Olive, Pumpkin & rosemary bread

Ingredients:

• 500g strong bread flour

• 10g salt

• 20g bread yeast

• 250ml warm water

• 50g black olives (sliced)

• 80g peeled and grated pumpkin or squash

Method:

Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl, add the yeast. Slowly add a little water at a time, while mixing together with your hands to form a dough.

You can add more or less water depending on how your dough feels.

Tip out onto your worktop and knead for a few minutes.

There are various ways to knead your dough, I like to stretch it out, then roll it back in, and give it a 90 degree turn, before stretching it out again.

Cover with a damp cloth and leave to prove for about 20 minutes.

Lightly dust your work surface with a little flour and roll out the dough to form a rectangle a quarter inch thick.

Drizzle the surface with a little olive oil. Spread the olives, and pumpkin, evenly over the surface.

Roll the dough up from the short end and tuck the ends in to form a loaf. Place on a baking tray.

Leave the loaf to prove for a further 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 250 degrees Celsius.

Slash the top of the loaf along its length, and leave to prove for a further 10 minutes.

Pour some boiled water on the bottom of the oven.

Cook for 10 minutes before dropping the temperature to 200 degrees if the crust is looking pale, 180 degrees if the crust is noticeably browning, and 170 if it seems to be browning quickly. Cook for a further 40 mins.

Remove from the oven, the loaf should sound hollow when you tap it on the bottom, if not return it to the oven for a little longer.

Leave to cool fully before cutting.

Blackberry whiskey jam

Ingredients:

• 1kg blackberries (leftover from making blackberry whiskey)

• 1kg jam sugar

• Splash of blackberry cordial/squash

Method:

Heat the fruit in a large pan with the sugar and cordial. Stir until dissolved.

Slowly bring to a rolling boil and boil rapidly, without stirring, for about 10 - 15 minutes until setting point is reached.

Pour into warm, sterilised jars.

Lemon curd

Ingredients:

• 7 Eggs

• 8 lemons (rind and juice)

• 200g Butter

• 400g caster sugar

Method:

Melt the butter in a pan. Whilst you wait, beat the eggs.

Once the butter has melted add the rest of the ingredients to the pan and whisk together.

Don’t worry if the mixture looks like it's curdling, it should eventually come together. Give it a whisk every few minutes, to avoid it catching on the bottom of the pan.

Heat for around 10 mins until thick and creamy, but avoid boiling.

Carefully pour into warm sterilised jars and seal.

Store in a cool dry place and refrigerate once opened. Should keep for up to one month

Ember charred leeks with cheese & hazelnuts

Ingredients:

• Leeks

• Soft cheese

• Hazelnuts

Method:

Place the leeks onto hot embers and cook until blackened and charred. Depending on how hot your embers are the should take 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile roughly chop the hazelnuts.

Carefully remove the leeks from the embers. Slice the leeks lengthways and crumble some soft cheese and hazelnuts on top.

Serve immediately, discarding the blackened outer leaves.

Osterhlafas (Oyster loaf)

Ingredients:

• 1 large loaf of bread

• Large knob of butter

• 1/2 cup of white wine

• 1/2 a cup of water

• 12 Oysters (cleaned and shucked)

• 1/2 cup beef (cut into small pieces)

• 1 tablespoon of suet

• 2 egg yolks

• 2 tsp Parsley

• Salt & Pepper

Method:

Cut a ‘lid’ from the top of the loaf and scoop out the insides of the loaf, to make a bowl. Retain half the bread filling and break into small pieces.

Melt the butter in a pan and add the bread pieces, along with the wine and the water. Heat gently while squashing the bread pieces with a spoon to further break them up.

Bring to a simmer and add the beef and suet. Simmer for around 5 minutes. Add the oysters (including their liquid) and simmer for a few minutes.

Stir in the egg yolks, parsley and season with salt & pepper.

Pour the mixture into the hollow loaf and pop the bread ‘lid’ back on.

Put the loaves into a pre heated oven at 160 degrees Celsius, and bake for around 20 -25 minutes, until the filling has set.

Serve by slicing into think cuts.

Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

• 800g bread (torn into pieces)

• 800g mixed dried fruit

• 2 tbsp ground mixed spice

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp ground ginger

• 600ml milk (Any liquid will work. Try beer, wine, cider or whiskey)

• 2 large eggs

• 250g demerara sugar

• 100g Butter (melted)

Method:

Put everything except the butter into a large bowl and scrunch it up, to completely break up the bread and mix it up well.

Add the melted butter and mix well.

Grease and line a large baking dish and pour in the mixture. Pushing it down firmly into the dish. Sprinkle with a little sugar.

Place in the centre of a pre heated oven at 170 degrees for about an hour and a half until firm and golden. Cover with baking paper if it starts to brown too much.

Bacon

With a lack of refrigeration, salting would have been a preferred method of preservation and storage for the Vikings and Saxons. Though with salt being expensive, brining would have been more commonly used.

Bacon seems to have been produced in large quantities, at least by the Saxons. This recipe, while being a modern variation, makes use of ingredients that where available at the time and is based loosely on an old Yorkshire bacon cure.

Ingredients:

For the cure;

• 300g salt

• A few bay leaves

• 2 teaspoons juniper berries (crushed)

• 2 teaspoons black pepper (freshly cracked)

For the bacon:

• 1kg Pork belly

• 1 tablespoon honey

• Vinegar

Method:

The quantities given here are approximates, don’t worry too much about them being exact.

Mix together the cure ingredients.

Rub the pork belly with honey.

Add 1 handful of the cure to a food safe container, large enough to fit the pork belly.

Add the pork belly and rub the cure into the meat. Place in the fridge or somewhere cool for 24 hours.

Drain off any liquid that forms in the container and sprinkle another handful of cure over the pork. Repeat this process for 5 days.

After 5 days, rinse the pork with clean, cold water and pat dry. It should be feeling quite firm at this stage.

Rub the pork with a little vinegar and either hang somewhere cool or put it back in the fridge. Wait for a minimum of 5 days before eating.

Sloe Gin

Ingredients:

• 350g Sloes

• 125g granulated sugar

• 700ml gin

Method:

Wash your fruit and pick out any leaves, twigs, or insects. Put the fruit into a Kilner jar and cover with the sugar. Pour over the gin and put the lid on. Shake the jar to mix in the sugar. Shake once a day, for a few days, until the sugar remains dissolved.

After 3 months decant into bottles through a funnel lined with a muslin cloth. Whilst you can drink this straight away, it does benefit from ageing for a year or more, if you can wait that long.

Nasturtium capers

Nasturtiums capers make a great addition to salads, pestos, salsas and pizza, as well as a side for fish, like seabass. In fact anywhere you would use 'normal' capers.

Ingredients:

• 200g nasturtium seeds

• 40g salt

• 200ml water

• 200ml vinegar

• 1 tsp peppercorns

• 2 bay leaves

• Sprig of savory

Method:

Mix together the salt and water. Add the seeds and leave to soak overnight.

Drain and rinse the seeds and pack into a warm, sterilised jar.

Gently heat the vinegar with the herbs for a few minutes, until not quite boiling.

Pour the vinegar and herbs over the seeds in the jar and close the lid.

Leave to pickle for a minimum of 2 weeks before using.

Acorn flour

While also used to fatten up pigs, acorns can also be eaten by people. Charred acorns have been found on the floor of a Saxon hut, suggesting maybe that they were eaten much like chestnuts.

To make flour;

Shell the acorns, I find this easier after leaving them to dry for a day or two. Roughly chop the acorns, or, if you are in a modern Kitchen, run them through a food processor.

Cover the acorns with cold water, and leave to soak for 3-5 days, changing the water at least twice a day to remove most of the tannins.

Drain and dry the acorns, either naturally, or in an oven at 80 degrees Celsius, leaving the door slightly open.

Grind the acorns between quern stones, or, in a modern Kitchen use a food processor or coffee grinder, grinding as finely as you require.

The resulting meal/flour can be used as required in breads, pancakes, crumpets etc. It will make a denser loaf than normal bread flour, so I’d recommend using a mix of bread flour and acorn.

Using a similar method it is also possible to turn other foods, such as hazelnuts and broad beans, into meal/flour.

Acorn coffee

Bring some water to a boil in a pan, add your acorns, including their shells & boil them for around 20 minutes.

Leave until cool enough to handle, before peeling the shells from the nuts. Hitting them firmly with something heavy usually helps. Discard any that look bad or have worm holes in. 

Roughly chop the nuts, or run them through a food processor, if working in a modern Kitchen.

Roast the nuts until dark brown in colour. This can be done in a modern oven at 200 degrees Celsius, for 20-30 minutes or in a pan or skillet over a campfire. Leave to cool and then grid the acorns to a fine texture using quern stones or a pestle and mortar. In a modern Kitchen you can use a coffee grinder. Store somewhere cool and dry until ready to brew.

To make a cup of coffee, line a cup with a fine cloth like a muslin, or cheese cloth. Add 1-2 teaspoons of the coffee and leave to steep for several minutes. Lift the cloth from the cup, removing the acorn coffee powder.

Enjoy! Some people like to add milk and sugar, but its quite acceptable on its own.

Offal Patties (Viking Faggots)

Makes 9 large patties

Ingredients:

• 400g/2 cups pork mince

• 200g/1 cup liver

• 1 apple (grated)

• 1 Tsp parsley

• 1 Tsp sage

• Small bunch of wild garlic or 2 cloves garlic (peeled and finely chopped)

• 1 onion (peeled and finely chopped)

• 200g/1.5 cups breadcrumbs

• 1 Tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp pepper

Method:

Chop the pork, liver, apple, parsley, sage, onion & garlic, as finely as possible. 

Add the breadcrumbs, salt & pepper. Need & mash the ingredients together for a few minutes

Split the mixture into around 9 balls and slightly flatten.

Cook them in a pan, flipping part way through. Or alternatively grease a baking tray and cook in a preheated oven to 170 degrees Celsius for about an hour.

Ensure the faggots are piping hot in the middle, before serving.

Marinated Fruit

Ingredients:

• A mix of fruits (berries, apples, pears etc)

• Mead or wine

• Honey

Method:

Wash your fruits and slice and core any apples or pears.

Pour over enough mead or wine to cover the fruit and stir in 1 tablespoon of honey for every 3 cups of liquid.

Leave to stew for a minimum of 24 hours before serving.

You can reserve the mead or wine for drinking. Mead flavoured with fruit is known as a melomel.

Beer Poached Salmon

Ingredients:

• Tablespoon of butter

• 1 Onion

• 1 tsp mustard seeds

• 250ml/1 cup beer

• 1/2 a side of Salmon

Method:

Melt the butter in a pan or cauldron. Peel and slice the onion and add to the pan, frying for a few minutes to soften.

Add the mustard seeds and fry for a few seconds, until they start to pop.

Pour the beer into the pan and bring to a boil. 

Meanwhile cut the salmon into chunks, and once the pan is boiling, add the salmon and simmer, uncovered, for around 10 minutes, until the fish is cooked through.

Serve the salmon immediately with a little of the onion broth.