Fancy a pint of Lancashire hotpot? Believe it or not, this is an actual drink in development on one chef's menu! But Darren Walker isn't serving up his culinary creations at a fancy restaurant - he in fact works at a hospice.

Darren dishes up his innovative smoothie meals in Martini glasses, tumblers, and pint glasses to raise a smile on faces of the patients, for whom solids are a problem - so this is a very welcome distraction for them.

He joins us today to share the secrets of his whacky recipes, as we look at an alternative spin on some British classics...  why not try them yourself?

Cottage pie

200g lean mince beef
1/2 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1/2 celery, finely diced
1/2 white onion, diced
1 small can of Guinness
2-3 tbsp flour
250ml beef stock
1 tbsp mixed dried herbs
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp tomato paste

For the mash topping

2 medium potatoes
Butter (unsalted)
Double cream
Vegetable stock ,if needed
Seasoning to taste, if needed

Cook the mince with vegetables. Once cooked, add the flour and stir well. Slowly add the Guinness and reduce by half then add tomato paste, herbs, Worcestershire sauce and beef stock.

Cook for 20 minutes and season well. Blend for 5 minutes until smooth.

Boil the potatoes, drain and mash with butter. Season well and add double cream. When blending add vegetable stock to get correct consistency.

 

Fish, chips & mushy peas

200g haddock or cod
50ml fish stock
Approx. 75ml double cream
1 tbsp capers (added to fish mixture to create tartare taste)
1/2 lemon juice or to taste (not too much though)
1 potato chipped and fried in deep fat frier or shallow fried in oil with no colour (blanch)
1 can of mushy peas
Butter
Approx. 50ml vegetable stock
 
Place the chips in cold water and bring to boil, only part cooking, then drain and dry any excess water off.

Heat some oil in a shallow frying pan over medium heat, place the chips in the oil and cook until soft but try not to colour too much, reducing heat if necessary and turning the chips occasionally.

When tender remove from the pan and place straight into the blender -  don't worry about extra oil on the chips. 

Poach the haddock with double cream and fish stock. Once cooked add to blender and blend for 5 minutes. Add a squeeze of lemon and season.

Heat the mushy peas over a medium with vegetable stock and butter and blend to a smooth consistency.

 

Roast chicken dinner

2 tbsp sunflower oil
200-250g chicken breast
1/2 white onion
Approx. 50g sage & onion stuffing mix
Approx. 150ml chicken stock
Splash of white wine
Purée
1/2 butternut squash
1 medium carrot
1 small swede or turnip
1 tbsp white sugar
Butter
1 tbsp tomato paste
Mashing topping same as for cottage pie
 
Seal the chicken breast with some oil over a medium heat on both sides for a few minutes, then place in oven for 15 minutes. Fry 1/2 onion with butter until soft and add to stuffing mix with the vegetable stock then bake for 5 minutes.

Boil carrots in cold water with butter and sugar for 2 mins then add butternut squash,

Cook until the vegetables are soft and drain but keep the cooking liquor for blending.

Add 1/2 tsp tomato paste once cooked. Remove the chicken and stuffing from oven and roasting tray. Add white wine to deglaze pan over a medium heat, stirring.

Reduce by half then add chicken stock and bringl to the boil and reduce for 5-10 minutes.

© St Leonard's Hospice, York 2012