A Poultry Affair

If there were a prize for the hardest-working participant in the family kitchen, chicken would surely be feathering its nest among the finalists.[Here’s our variation on a classically comforting Chicken Supreme, usually chicken breasts sealed and simmered in a creamy white sauce with Dijon Mustard.

We use various joints – leg, thigh, breast, wings – cooked to perfection in the Air Fryer (or oven roast to secure maximum flavour). Then finished off in a mustardy white sauce (butter, shallots, flour – roux – white wine, Dijon mustard, simmer, thicken, season) combining the intense flavours for 5 minutes before serving. It certainly hits the ‘WOW’ factor!]

Golden roast for Sunday lunch, gloriously casseroled, tray baked with veggie friends, diced into a spicy curry, or given a Mediterranean makeover.[Crispy chicken breast with salad and Stokes Mayonnaise (the real stuff!) and a lesson in making lightly Pickled Red Slaw. It makes a great Summer burger. RECIPE HERE.]

It’s the epitome of foodie versatility.

And when it comes to British free-range and farm assured chicken, there is rather more to celebrate than its remarkable ability to get along with almost anything in the fridge.[Habanero HOT Wings demonstrates the simplicity by which various joints enable such tasty snacking. Add an Air Fryer and life is simpler still, as this recipe demonstrates – HERE.]

Chicken in all forms is a versatile, dependable family favourite.

It’s mild enough to welcome a riot of flavours; substantial enough to make a proper meal; and adaptable enough to move effortlessly from comforting home cooking to something altogether more showy.[Simple elegance – that describes Andy’s recipe for Roast Chicken with French-style Peas. He keeps the chicken moist and packed with natural flavour by keeping the skin on. It can always be discarded before plating if that’s how you prefer it. RECIPE HERE.]

In short, chicken is the culinary equivalent of that one friend who is equally happy at a village fête, a smart dinner party or in their slippers on the sofa.[Delicious Korean BBQ Chicken Skewers by our friend, essentially.amy, made using our wonderful Korean BBQ Sauce – a sweet and fruity barbecue sauce with rich dark brown sugar, soya sauce, and sweet Mirin wine. RECIPE HERE.]

Chicken … yes please.

Roast, casserole, joint, grill or spice it up, this fine British bird has range.

Plenty of it.[Chicken Cacciatore. It’s an Italian rustic braised dish that’s packed with flavour. ‘Cacciatore’ means hunter, so another version of hunter’s chicken.

Joint the bird into the standard 6 x pieces. (see BBC YT James Martin).

Heat oil in a large pan adding chopped onion, celery, carrot and sliced red peppers for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the chicken and brown on all sides for 5 minutes. Pour in a large glass of white wine and reduce the liquid by half.

Season with dried Italian mixed herbs, salt and pepper. Add 3 good tbsp of our Bloody Mary Ketchup and about half a litre of chicken stock. Simmer for 25 / 30 minutes (checking the meat is cooked through). Serve and enjoy.]

At a family buffet, I never knowingly walk past a plate of party sausages empty handed – “now, where’s the dip?”

There are few foods more capable of causing a heated kitchen argument than the humble sausage.

Should it be coarse or fine? Herby or peppery? Long and elegant; short and plump; Cumberland-curled or Lincolnshire-proud?[You just can’t beat a proper Butcher’s pork sausage. They really don’t need a lot doing to them, as this rustic oven bake demonstrates. With a glass of cider and our thick, award-winning Tomato Ketchup … what else do we need.]

There are so many exotic varieties now crowding our butcher’s counters – wild boar, venison, pork & leek, apple, sage, chilli, mustard and every other ingenious combination.[Tray baked with seasonal root vegetables (beetroot works particularly well). Drizzle the evenly chopped veg with rapeseed oil; stir in a few dots of our wholegrain Cider & Horseradish Mustard; and bake at 180c for 25 to 3o minutes.]

The truth remains deliciously simple – when a British pork sausage is made properly, it needs very little improvement other than the equally fine quality of a splash, dash, drizzle or dollop of your favourite Stokes Sauce or Mustard (perhaps both).[How about a One Pot Casserole? RECIPE  HERE.]

A good butcher knows this. Behind the counter, recipes are guarded with the sort of secrecy normally reserved for Top Secret Government documents.[So, with Top Secret sausage filling, squeeze that precious meat out of its skin, roll it into balls and make this Hearty Sausage Cassoulet. It’s simple, delicious, filling and makes a great Back-to-School supper. RECIPE HERE.]

The meat is carefully chosen, the seasoning measured with confidence; and the proportions of fat, herbs, spices and rusk are matters of both craft and tradition. The finest sausages are generous with the thing that matters most – good, British free-range pork.[Just add … Habanero HOT Sauce.]

And what emerges is not merely an accompaniment to mash, gravy or a heroic breakfast. It is a small triumph of British culinary ingenuity, crisp and golden on the outside, juicy within, savoury … comforting, joyous.[Just add … Chipotle Ketchup.]

So, in praise of the British sausage, let’s raise our forks in celebration.

Because, however adventurous the modern sausage counter becomes … there’s still something wonderfully unbeatable about a really good British Banger.[Just add … the goodness!]

They are made by a butcher who knows exactly what he is doing, creating something truly special with love and passion – made with the same devotion to quality we apply to Stokes Sauces.