Broccoli and Stilton Soup, Whole Trout with Lemon Herb Butter and Plum Dessert Cake

A lovely soup served hot with crusty bread. Freezes well.

What do I need?
25g (1oz) butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
200g (8oz) broccoli
900ml (1 ½ pints) good chicken stock
300ml (1/2 pint) milk
75g (3oz) Stilton cheese, crumbled
Salt and pepper

What do I do?
Melt the butter in a large saucepan, then add the onion and fry for a minute on the boiling plate.

Add the potatoes to the pan. Cut small florets from the broccoli, peel the stem and cut into small pieces. Add to the pan and fry for a few minutes.

Pour in the stock, milk, cheese and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, cover and transfer to the simmering oven for about 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

Purée the soup in a food processor or bender until smooth.

Pour in the pan, bring to the boil, check seasoning and serve immediately.

Tip
The soup will lose its colour if the broccoli is overcooked so be sure to cook gently and purée immediately to keep the colour.

Whole Trout with Lemon Herb Butter
(Serves 4)

The trout is cooked whole with the skin peeled back to serve and the lemon buttery juices make the sauce. Not suitable for freezing.

What do I need?
100g (4oz) butter, softened
1 lemon, grated rind and juice
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
Salt and pepper
2 rainbow trout (about 500g/1lb), gutted and cleaned

What do I do?
Line a large roasting tin with foil.

Measure the soft butter into a bowl and mix together with the lemon and herbs, season with salt and pepper.

Make 3 deep slashes in either side of each trout. Push some of the herb butter into the slashes to flavour the fish. Arrange the trout in the foiled lined tin being sure to spread a little butter under the tails as these can stick.

Slide on to the top set of runners in the roasting oven for about 15-20 minutes turning halfway through until cooked.

Remove from the tin and carefully remove the skin. Serve with the herb butter spooned over the fish.

Conventional oven
Grill the fish under a medium grill for about 8 minutes on each side.

Plum Dessert Cake
(Serves 6)

This cake is perfect served cold or warm as a pudding with custard or cream. Freezes well.

What do I need?
175g (6oz) self-raising flour
175g (6oz) caster sugar
175g (6oz) butter, soft
1 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
6 ripe plums

What do I do?
Line a 20cm (8”) round deep sandwich cake tin, greased and lined with a disc of non-stick paper.

Measure the cake ingredients, except the plums into a mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth and combined.

Spoon into a cake tin and level the top. Cut the plums into thickish slices and scatter over the top of the cake mixture. Press down slightly so they are just covered in the mixture.

Aga cooking
2-oven Aga: Bake on the grid shelf on the floor of the roasting oven with the cold sheet on the second set of runners for about 40 minutes until well-risen and golden brown.

3- and 4-oven Aga: Bake on the grid shelf on the floor of the baking oven for about 45 minutes. If it’s getting too brown, slide the cold sheet on the second set of runners.

Set aside to cool, remove from the tin and dust with icing sugar to serve.

Conventional oven
Pre-heat oven 180°C/ 160°F/ Gas 4. Bake in pre-heated oven for about 45 minutes until well-risen, golden brown and shrinking away from the sides of the tin.