Food News, with Amanda Killelea

FOOD snobs everywhere are beginning to realise what we in this part of the country have known for years - Lancashire food is the best around.

On a cold day, nothing warms your stomach and your heart like a good old Lancashire hotpot made with lamb chops, kidneys and carrots.

Broth, bubble and squeak, toad in the hole, and bread and butter pudding are traditional favourites which still grace dinner tables throughout the county.

But now the flavours of Lancashire are spreading further afield, with some of the top restaurants in the country including Bury black pudding, Eccles cakes, hotpot, fishcakes and Lancashire cheese on their cosmopolitan menus.

And for those of us who spend more time in our own kitchens than in the dining rooms of top-notch eateries, another good thing about Lancashire recipes is that they are easy to make and are loved by all the family.

Now Lancashire woman Catherine Rothwell has compiled the definitive guide to the county's food with her Lancashire cookbook.

Traditional dishes such as Rossendale vegetable broth, Oswaldtwistle bread and butter pudding, Blackburn Cathedral's leek and potato soup and tripe and onions sit alongside Lancashire recipes created by top local chefs including Paul Heathcote and Andrew Nutter. Also included are foreign dishes that have become common in Lancashire, vegetarian meals and children's favourites.

Catherine, who travelled around the county in search of ideas for her book, said: "I wanted to try to capture the change that has taken place in eating habits in Lancashire, the move towards healthy eating and more exotic foods as people have left the area to travel.

Catherine's book is published by Sigma Leisure, priced £6.95.

Here are a few of her recipes for you to try at home.

ROSSENDALE

VEGETABLE BROTH

Some folk from the Rossendale Valley sprinkle the broth with grated Lancashire cheese immediately before serving.

225g mixed pulses, soaked overnight

175g carrots, peeled and diced

175g swede, peeled and diced

4 peeled and chopped tomatoes

175g onion, peeled and chopped

2.5 pints water

1 vegetable stock cube

1 bay leaf

Freshly-ground black pepper

SOAK the pulses overnight in a bowl covered with cold water. Next morning drain off the liquid, cover the pulses with water and boil for 10 minutes, then skim.

Add the tomatoes, carrots, swede and onion to the pan along with the water, crumbled stock cube and bay leaf.

Bring to the boil, the reduce to a simmer for 45 minutes.

Season to taste.

Dumplings to add to the broth

teaspoon baking powder

50g porridge oats

teaspoon dried thyme

110g self-raising flour

2 tbsp chopped parsley

Ground sea salt and black peppercorns

5 tbsp water

PLACE the flour, baking powder and oats in a bowl with the thyme, parsley and seasoning.

With a little water mix into a soft dough, but not sticky. On a floured board form the dough into small dumplings.

Place them on the surface of the Rossendale Broth, adding a little more liquid if necessary.

Simmer for another 30 minutes to cook them through.

SCALLOPED LOBSTER

1 fresh lobster

Breadcrumbs

2 pints stock

Chopped shallot and chopped parsley

Pepper, salt, butter

WHEN lobsters were more plentiful and less expensive than today, this 1883 recipe states:

Crack up the lobster and simmer in the stock for half an hour. Add some Lancashire Relish, chopped shallot and chopped parsley. Cool.

Extract the lobster and array in scallop shells. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and dot with butter.

Place in a moderate oven until lightly browned.

BLACK PUDDING

AND LANCASHIRE CHEESE HASH BROWNS

450g Maris Piper potatoes

2 slices good black pudding

1 egg white

110g Lancashire Cheese

1 teaspoon chopped chives

1 teaspoon chopped parsley

Salt and pepper

LEAVE the potatoes in the skins and cook in boiling water until only just soft. Drain and Peel. Grate the potato into a bowl and mix with the herbs. Add a pinch of salt to the egg white, beat with a whisk and mix with the grated potato. Season with salt and pepper. Pat out a quarter of the mix in a circle larger than the black pudding, Place the pudding and 25g cheese in the middle. Fold over the potatoes and pat into a circle. Deep fry at 160c/325f until golden brown. Serve with poached egg and Hollandaise sauce.

Paul Heathcote contributed this recipe to Catherine's book.

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