Recipes

At the Farm Shop we don’t treat cooking as a precise science, nor are we trying to give a comprehensive list of recipes. These are some of our favourite dishes and we hope you’ll give some of them a try. They’ve worked for us on countless occasions but that doesn’t mean, with a bit of imagination and a few tweaks, they can’t be improved. Good luck.
<img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bafce3d67ba5226356f86d6f725ea24ecc054998d1b1e00682cd7d2d7ef7a38a?s=96&d=mm&r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bafce3d67ba5226356f86d6f725ea24ecc054998d1b1e00682cd7d2d7ef7a38a?s=192&d=mm&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-96 photo' height='96' width='96' />Recipes by Ben Watson
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Lemon CordialBy Ben WatsonYou can either make a big batch, pasteurise it in a water bath and store in a cool cupboard or, as lemons are available all year round, just make it whenever you run out. If you like your lemonade on the tart side, boil the peel for an extra five minutes and cut back on the sugar by 10%. Straining through a sieve will give a fairly cloudy lemonade. If you like your lemonade a little clearer, strain through muslin. Dilute with three parts water - sparkling will raise it to the next level.
Kimchi Chicken RiceBy Ben WatsonThis recipe has become my go-to midweek supper - except when it’s pork or prawns or a weekend. For the best fried rice you need to cook it and spread it out on a tray to cool and if you do this in the fridge it will keep for two or three days so it becomes even easier and quicker.
Beef and Mushroom StroganoffBy Ben WatsonSome would insist that only fillet steak should be used for a classic stroganoff. Most people would disagree and go for frying steak, cut into the requisite sized strips. If you don’t fancy pasta, this goes well on sourdough toast, or as a side.
Boston (in Lincolnshire) Baked BeansBy Ben WatsonWe might not have a rum distilling industry providing dark treacle as a by-product, but we do now have Hodmedod’s Fermented Bean paste. Maybe a little strong to be a like-for-like substitution, but a teaspoon or so will bring that savoury depth in spades. We also have UK grown Fava beans.
Irish Stew for St Patrick’s DayBy Ben WatsonChef, Richard Corrigan, came up with the idea of using two sorts of potatoes and it works a treat. The floury ones disintegrate while the waxy remain just that. As a stew, it’s fairly wet but the flavour is in the juice so have some good bread handy. Using shoulder steaks, rather than neck fillets or best ends, makes it far cheaper but it will take a bit longer to cook. See the original version here. There is some controversy about whether carrots should be included in this dish. Escoffier says no, but what would a Frenchman know about Irish stew? I like them. Cold pickled red cabbage is a traditional accompaniment in Ireland.
Lamb braised in milk with garlic & fennelBy Ben WatsonThis recipe is rather rich and luxurious, hailing as it does from New York's Italian super chef, Mario Batali, and adjusted to use shoulder steaks. The Florentine fennel is a BFS addition. For some reason wild fennel seed and Florentine fennel bulbs are rarely used together but I can’t think why. It seemed to work.
Vietnamese Caramelised Pork BowlsBy Ben WatsonMinced pork hardly gets a look in but it should do - it's easily as versatile as minced beef. Use it for ragu, sausage meat, paté and pasta sauces. It has a fairly neutral flavour so works well with strong additions, such as South East Asian spices.
KedgereeBy Ben Watson

A meal for any time of the day - buttery and spicy and filled with proteins. Our very Anglo-Indian, Captain's Masala curry paste works perfectly - it should because this is what it's made for.

Kimchi noodle soupBy Ben WatsonKimchi is good in simple ramen style noodle soup. You can make it as simple – or as complicated as you like. Soft boiled egg, nori, chashu pork etc are all optional.
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