MANY cooks feel confident producing old family favourites like shepherd's pie, or a good, hearty casserole, but sometimes this familiarity can be restrictive too, and we can often shy away from playing around with them, updating them and making them our own.
Here are two examples of British cuisine at its best - hearty, filling, warming and full of flavour, but we've added a delicious twist to them both, just to keep your family on their toes.
This Shepherd's Pie uses sweet lamb shanks for a delicious alternative. Take 4 lamb shanks, salt and pepper, vegetable oil, 2 large onions, 2 large carrots peeled, and topped and tailed, 2 celery sticks, 4 cloves of garlic, chopped, 1 bay leaf, 2 thyme sprigs, chicken stock to cover and a small bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped.
For the mash you'll need 3 large red potatoes, peeled, 150ml (5 fl oz) double cream, 100g (3½ oz) unsalted butter. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas mark 4). Season the lamb shanks well. Heat a little oil in a hot frying pan, browning the lamb all over.
Put the shanks in a large casserole with the whole vegetables, garlic, bay leaf and thyme and cover with chicken stock.
Place a round of greaseproof paper on top of the meat and vegetables and braise in the oven for 2.5 to 3 hours until the meat is falling off the bones.
Remove the meat and vegetables and thyme from the stock. Bring it to the boil and reduce by about two thirds.
Flake the meat off the bones. Cut the vegetables into small pieces and put both meat and vegetables in a bowl with the reduced stock and chopped parsley. Check the seasoning, then transfer to a shallow oven-proof dish.
Cook the potatoes until tender, drain and let them rest for 3 to 4 minutes. In a small saucepan, slowly bring the cream and butter to the boil. Remove from the heat. Mash the potatoes, adding the cream and butter and season. Spread the mash on top of the meat, then cook for 25 minutes until the mash is golden brown, then serve.
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* Sheila Benson and Sean Millar are at The Side Door, 29a Hope Street, Liverpool. Tel: 0151 707 7888.