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10:02 pm
Expert
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Sun 17-Jan-10
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I was looking through my recipe file to get ideas to refresh our menus these days when I found the easy apricot sauce duck recipe that was one of the first recipes I picked up from here. I can't believe it was last April when I finally got round to making it.
Here's a before and after picture of that night's cooking:
It was delicious. A very impressive receipe indeed. Other Cottage Smallholder recipes that have become staples for us are the baked sausages with apple, the cheesy baked egg on toast and the bramble whiskey!
What recipes have you taken to heart?
5:58 pm
Moderators
Tue 22-Sep-09
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That meal looks good, are those roast parsnips on the side? Yum! 
I'll try that again!
10:44 pm
Supreme Being
Wed 30-Dec-09
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For me the one recipe that has been a big hit is the cheesy-topped cod - the whole family love it. If I remember rightly, Fiona, you were emptying your freezer and thought this was a good way to use up some fish you found in there! 
10:47 pm
Supreme Being
Thu 24-Sep-09
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That's one I love too. Cooked it last week and it is delicious. Are you settled at home again BS or longing to be back in France?
Old teachers never die, they just lose their class
10:49 pm
Supreme Being
Wed 30-Dec-09
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We're back in the UK for a little while - I have been conned into taking in 4 teenage French girls for a week, from a school in Lyon - about the middle of March, so I will be around for a few weeks ........
4:22 pm
Moderators
Tue 22-Sep-09
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Brave woman!
I'll try that again!
9:27 pm
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Sun 17-Jan-10
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Toffeeapple said:That meal looks good, are those roast parsnips on the side? Yum!
Yup. I do like roast parsnips with roast meat. I've taken to using up maple syrup over them rather than honey as the syrup's getting crystallised. Tasty.
Thanks for the compliments guys 🙂 It's all inspired by Fiona. And now I'm thinking about cheesy topped fish...
10:23 pm
Sat 12-Aug-06
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Hi Shereen - thank you very much for your wonderful compliment. I told Fiona about this thread over supper and she was thrilled. She will respond tomorrow (I have been away all week).
It's strange but we don't really get a chance to revisit her best recipes because she is always concocting new ones. So we are really interested to hear views from other people because I guess she will eventually write a book with the best ones in it.
BTW, Hugh F-W's mum (Jane) published a book recently about war time rationed cooking to coincide with the exhibition on the same theme at the Imperial War Museum and chose a stuffed breast of lamb recipe of Fiona's for inclusion in the book. F was thrilled - so was I. Look out for a book review by FN soon. It is a really good and interesting read - very well written.
.
Never knowingly underfed
8:49 am
Sat 12-Aug-06
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Hello Shereen, Danast and Brightspark,
Thank you so much for the compliments! As Danny says we don't tend to eat our recipes regularly as we are always interested in developing new ones. Our most regular winter dish is steak and kidney cooked in the slow cooker. We also make Anna's onion gravy a lot to go with sausages. Fish pie is a favourite and the duck with apricot sauce is a great way of cooking duck legs - when they are on offer.
My favourite meal is breakfast!
10:17 am
Knowledegable
Wed 23-Sep-09
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I'll put in a word for Fiona's frittata. I know its dead simple, but it's become one of our default dinners. We always have eggs, cheese, and a few other bits and pieces in the house, which we can combine to make a nice meal in under half an hour. It's a total winner.
Then there are the Belgian pears. They are amazing! And they keep, so you can whip them out for a quick but elegant dessert. I've bookmarked quite a few others that I just haven't got around to trying.
Congratulations on the published recipe! I really hope you do get your own book together.
1:37 pm
Supreme Being
Wed 30-Dec-09
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Danny said:
(I have been away all week).
Aha - I thought so - we missed you so much 
4:42 pm
Moderators
Tue 22-Sep-09
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Congratulations on being included in the Jane F-W book, I hope you get proper recognition.
I'll try that again!
10:25 pm
Expert
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Sun 17-Jan-10
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Hi Fiona and Danny. Congrats on getting the recipe in Jane F-W's book. And I hope when you come to write your own book you include the duck and apricot recipe. It gives such an impressive end result for such easy preparation.
It's suggestions like that that keep me coming back here for foody inspiration. Thank-you
7:47 pm
Councillor
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Sun 7-Mar-10
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I modified the recipe for the slow roasted belly pork. In fact it was that recipe that drew me to this wonderful website,
Instead of using rosemary as the base of the pork I used sliced sweet apples, marinaded in balsamic and red wine vinegar.
I didn't cook it quite as long as the recipe, but long enough to get very tender meat and crispy crackling.
A splendid recipe, and my friends I cooked it for loved it.
Thanks,
Simon
A well fed rat is a HappyRat 
A smile a day keeps the psychiatrist away.
10:50 pm
Sat 12-Aug-06
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Thanks, TA and Shereen. Fiona's big break will happen some day pretty soon. We Hope. And yes, that duck legs in apricot is a true winner, Shereen, Really pleased that you like it. We had it again last night and F added red wine to the sauce. It imparted a great lift and made a totally different sauce. I would not have thought of trying that.
Good stuff, Simon. I love to try other peoples' variations. We are due to go and get a free range pork belly at the weekend - some for the Sunday roast but the majority for curing as bacon (yummmmm !!).
How did you marinade the apples? How long for?
I think most any fruit would work and I adore the flavour that balsamic adds to any sauce as long as it is cooked for long enough for the alcohol/vinegar to boil off. That was a tip that my brother learned in Spain when he was taught how to do superb slow roast shoulder of lamb.
Never knowingly underfed
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