St Patrick's Day Guinness Shepherd's Pie

Friday 17th March is St Patrick's day. Whether you are Irish or not you simply cannot get away from it. So for this weeks recipe with Aldi I thought that I would bring you a taste of Ireland. Today's recipe uses an iconic ingredient from Ireland, Guinness. 

Shepherd's pie is such a classic, comforting meal and one that can be easily adapted to give it added twists. This meal was a huge success with the family and with the added vegetables in the a colcannon for the topping I knew they were getting even more goodness in their meal. Colcannon is an Irish mashed potato that is full of extra vegetables.

So this St Patrick's day why not try my Guinness Shepherd's Pie!

This is what I did...

Lamb Pie for British Pie Week

We all love a good hearty pie. It is such a fantastic winter meal that is a true comforting dish. This week is British Pie Week so it really would be rude not to celebrate with a pie!

When it came to deciding which type of pie to make I knew that I would find the perfect ingredients at Aldi. While I was shopping last week I saw some lovely lamb leg steaks that were so lean I could not resist. Lamb is a meat that we all enjoy but I simply do not use it as often as beef and chicken. Lamb can often be a more expensive meat and people often rave about New Zealand lamb but, personally, I prefer British lamb. Aldi stock 100% British lamb that carries the trusted red tractor logo and is at a fantastic price! When we buy British meat we are not only helping our economy but we are also reducing our carbon foot print and helping the environment!

The filling in today's pie recipe has been slow cooked so it really is full of flavour and the meat was so tender it literally fell apart. I have also used a rich pastry using eggs as I prefer the richer flavour and the golden colour you get as it bakes.

This is what I did...

Lamb and Chive Bake

I love being able to go in the garden and pick fresh produce for our meals. Chives are one of the herbs which I love to add. Many people automatically add rosemary to lamb but in this wholesome bake I have added chives.

This meal is delicious all year round. Eating in the garden al fresco near the fresh herbs or in the winter as a warming, comfort meal.

This is what I did...

#LivePeasant Challenge - Slow Cooked Lamb Shank Stew

I love to slow cook meat so when I was challenged to create a slow cooked recipe along the theme of peasant style cooking I could not wait to get going. I love one pot wonders. One pot meals are not only easy and convenient to make but are so full of flavour. All of the different flavours from the ingredients marry together to create a truly hearty meal.

So what is peasant food?

Peasant food is a style of cooking that really goes back to basics. Peasant style meals are cooked in one pot, using simple ingredients which are cooked long and low. These meals are perfect to fit in with busy family life. They are easy to prepare and can be left all day in the oven or slow cooker and will fill your house with fantastic aromas as it cooks to perfection. For slow cooked meals I use cheaper cuts of meat. But being cheaper cuts does not mean that the quality is any lower. To ensure that you are purchasing the best quality of meat simply keep an eye out for the trusty red tractor logo pictured below.

When you see the Red Tractor label on packets of meat you can be confident in the knowledge that the background of the meat has been quality checked and has met the highest standard.

For my peasant style dish I have used lamb shanks to create a heary stew. Packed with root vegetables, potatoes which are the cheapest vegetables to buy and finished off with rosemary dumplings. This dish is full of down to earth flavours and will please the whole family!

This is what I did...

Easter Lamb Stew

When Easter time comes so many foodie delights come to mind. One of these has to be lamb. I love to slow cook a leg of lamb for an Easter Sunday dinner. But with lamb being in season I like to have it more than as just a Sunday dinner.

Aldi have got in store a wide range of Easter food. One being lamb! So this week I thought that I would share with you a deliciously warming lamb stew. On days like we are having at the moment there is nothing better than sitting down to a slow cooked stew. Pure comfort food!

I know that traditionally lamb has been from New Zealand but I was pleased to see that Aldi stock 100% British farmed lamb. This not only helps farmers in our country but also reduces the carbon footprint that has been made.

I cooked this in the oven, only because my slow cooker broke, but it can be cooked in either the oven in a casserole dish with a lid or in the slow cooker.

This is what I did...

Spice Up Your Life with Gousto

Throughout January Gousto are challenging you to spice up your meals by trying their delicious recipe boxes. Forget eating bland, boring salads have a meal that gives you a kick of flavour and spices. Each week they have been featuring a different spice in their meals. Last week their specially chosen spice was sumac. If spices are used in the right quantities they can change a meal in an instant. 

I have tried and loved the Gousto meal boxes in the past. We received a box to review back in 2014 and we were impressed with both the originality of the recipes and the quality of the organic ingredients. The picture below shows you just one of the lovely meals

Welsh Lamb Curry for National Curry Week

What more of excuse do we need to enjoy a curry? It is National Curry Week so we have to make a curry or two, it would be rude not to!

I will admit to usually making either chicken or beef curries. I tend to use what ever is leftover from a Sunday dinner and make our favourite leftover curry. So when I was asked if I would like to make a curry using Welsh Lamb I could not wait to try it out. We all love lamb but simply do not have it enough.

This National Curry Week I decided to make a curry which marinades the lamb to ensure that the all of the flavours are deep in the lamb.

This is what I did...

Welsh Lamb Burgers with Homemade Tzatziki - Family Favourites

Usually when we think of lamb we think of Easter. However lamb can be enjoyed at any season. Also when we think of lamb we often think of New Zealand. But there is also Welsh lamb! Welsh lamb is full of flavour and it is also better for the environment. There has not been all of the miles that the meat has needed to travel thus making it fresher!

I was sent some organic Welsh minced lamb to try for National Burger Day, which is tomorrow! We love homemade burgers, I always find that they are so much more tastier but it is great to know exactly what has been used to make the burgers and the quality of the meat.

Lamb is such a flavoursome meat and goes well with various herbs and spices. For these burgers I have used mint and cumin as my additional flavours along with some onion and garlic and some homemade tzatziki.

This is what I did...

Minted Roast Lamb - Family Favourites

I always love cooking lamb at Easter but after the huge success of this years minted roast lamb I am going to cook it more often and not just at Easter!

That is why I have decided to share with you how we all enjoyed our lamb this year. I had all of the children, including Joseph who is not a big eater, wanting seconds.

This is what I did...

Cumin Topped Lamb Steaks

Lamb is a meat that we simply do not have enough. I always try to cook lamb at Easter and then it tends to become the forgotten meat for the rest of the year.

When I saw some lovely, lean lamb steaks that were half price I snapped them up.

When you think of lamb you immediately think mint. However there are so many other herbs and spices that go perfectly with lamb. Like cumin. That is what I have used in this easy, summer time meal.

This is what I did...

Cumin Topped Lamb Steaks

Ingredients

Lamb steaks
Whole cumin seeds
2 courgettes, grated
1 red pepper, chopped
1 red onion, sliced
New potatoes

Method

1 - Place the new potatoes in a pan of boiling water and simmer until cooked.

2 - Grill the lamb steaks under a medium heat for 10 minutes on one side before turning.

3 - Turn the steaks and sprinkle on the whole cumin seeds, amount depending on taste, and return under the grill for a further 10 minutes.

4 - While the lamb steaks finish cooking heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and add the courgettes, red pepper and red onion. Fry until the onions and pepper start to soften but still have a bit of crunch.

5 - To serve place a bed of courgettes, red peppers and red onion on a plate. Top with the lamb steak and finish with new potatoes.

This is meal is delicious served al fresco in the summer sun.

Enjoy x

I am sharing my recipe with

A Mummy Too - Recipe of the Week
Honest Mum - Tasty Tuesdays