Pretzels

Ingredients

Makes 8 large

300g strong white bread flour
2 teaspoons castor sugar
1 x 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
¾ teaspoon salt
225ml lukewarm milk
1 large egg

Method

Put the flour, salt, sugar & yeast into a bowl and combine
Add the milk
Press and squeeze everything together so it makes a soft dough
Add a little extra flour or milk if needed
Lightly sprinkle the worktop with flour and knead the dough thoroughly for about 5 minutes
Put the dough back in the bowl and cover with clingfilm
Leave to rest and rise for about 30 minutes
Turn it out onto the worktop, no need for flour
Divide into 8 equal pieces and leave on the worktop for 5 minutes, uncovered
Using your hands, roll each ball of dough out to about 45cm, if it starts to stick use a little flour on your hands
Try and get the width of the dough even along the whole sausage shape
To shape: bend it into a U shape and then cross over one end from right to left and then the other from left to right, so that the bent ‘legs’ of the U now cross in the middle
Carefully lift onto a lined baking sheet and leave enough space for expansion between each pretzel
Beat the egg and add 1 tablespoon water to it.
Lightly brush the dough with this mixture and add any other toppings you would like at this point, e.g sea salt flakes, or cheese
Place in preheated oven 220⁰C/425⁰F/Gas 7 for approx 15 minutes
Meanwhile, melt 30g butter  and have it ready with a pastry brush when they are cooked
Remove from oven and brush lightly wit the melted butter to give them a lovely sheen
Place on wire rack to cool

Enjoy!

Rudolph Cupcakes

 

Ingredients

• 200g butter, cubed
• 200g plain chocolate, broken into squares
• 200g light soft brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 250g self-raising flour

For the icing

• 200g plain chocolate, broken into squares
• 100ml double cream, not fridge-cold
• 50g icing sugar

For the reindeers

• 12 large milk chocolate buttons (we used Cadbury Dairy Milk Giant Buttons)
• 24 white chocolate buttons
• 12 red Smarties
• black icing pens
• mini pretzels, carefully cut in half horizontally

1. Get started: Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases. Gently melt the butter, chocolate, sugar and 100ml hot water together in a large saucepan, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool a little while you weigh the other ingredients.
2. Make your cakes: Stir the eggs and vanilla into the chocolate mixture. Put the flour in a large mixing bowl, and stir in the chocolate mixture until smooth. Spoon into the cases until just over three-quarters full. Bake on a low shelf in the oven for 20-22 mins. Leave to cool.
3. Ice the tops: To make the icing, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Once melted, turn off the heat, stir in the double cream, sift in the icing sugar and mix well. When spreadable, top each cake with some icing.
4. Have fun decorating: Position a milk chocolate button on top of each cake, then 2 white chocolate buttons above it. Use a little icing as glue to stick a red Smartie onto the milk chocolate button for a nose. Then use your icing pens to draw black dots on the white buttons for eyes. Stick 2 pretzel top halves into the top of each cake for antlers, and stick the bottom half of a pretzel under the Smartie for a mouth. These cakes will keep in a sealed container for up to 3 days, but we doubt they’ll last that long!

Graveyard Cake

Ingredients

To decorate

• 1 egg white
• 50g icing sugar
• 200ml single cream
• 200g dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 125g rich tea finger biscuits
• 100g double chocolate cookies
• 25g white chocolate
• silver balls, to decorate

For the cake

• 85g cocoa powder
• 200g self-raising flour
• 375g light brown muscovado sugar
• 4 eggs
• 200ml milk
• 175ml vegetable oil

Method

1. To make the ghosts, heat oven to 110C/90C fan/gas ¼. Whip the egg white in a clean bowl until stiff peaks form. Whisk in the sugar a tbsp at a time and keep whisking for a couple of mins until the mixture is thick and resembles shaving foam. Gently spoon the mixture into a large freezer bag, then cut a 1.5cm hole in one of the corners. Cover a baking sheet with some baking parchment. Carefully squeeze a small circle of whipped egg white out of the bag, pulling upwards as you do to make a ghost shape. Repeat until the mixture is used up – you should get about 15 ghosts. Bake for 1½ hrs until crisp. Can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
2. Now make the cake. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Tip the cocoa powder, self-raising flour and sugar into a large bowl, breaking up any clumps of sugar. Mix together the eggs, milk and oil in a measuring cup or bowl, then pour over the dry ingredients and stir everything together until smooth. Grease and line a deep baking dish (20 x 30 x 5cm) with baking parchment. Pour in the cake mixture and bake for 30 mins. Leave to cool, then turn out onto a serving plate. Alternatively, wrap well and store for up to 2 days.
3. Finish decorating the cake: heat cream in a saucepan until just boiling. Place the dark chocolate in a large bowl and pour over the hot cream. Stir until the chocolate melts. Use a clean brush to paint a layer of chocolate over 7 rich tea finger biscuits, then set aside to cool. Pour the rest of the chocolate mixture over the cake and smooth over with a knife. Whizz the chocolate cookies, or bash in a freezer bag with a rolling pin, until small crumbs form. Sprinkle over the top of the cake.
4. Place the white chocolate in a small bowl, set over a pan of simmering water. Leave for 5 mins or until melted, then spoon into a small freezer bag. Wait for 10 mins so the mixture is not too runny, then cut a tiny hole in one corner of the bag. Pipe out 2 small blobs onto each ghost, place a silver ball on each to make eyes, then pipe out suitable words and shapes on the gravestones. Leave for 30 mins to set, then push the biscuit gravestones into the cake and arrange the ghosts around. To get the ghosts to ‘fly’, push a thin wire (you can get these from a florist shop – remember to remove before eating) into the bottom of the ghost, then place in the cake, hiding the wire behind a gravestone.
   
   
   Enjoy!

An Ode to Seville

I decided a well deserved trip with old friends was on the cards. With milestone birthdays and time moving too fast there was lots to celebrate. My love of everything Spanish from the wine, food, sunshine and dancing is well known amongst my circle. So it was no surprise when I said Seville would be the place I'd most love to visit.

It didn’t take much persuading and I soon found myself Spain bound strapped into a plane seat with a Rioja in hand.
The thought of stepping to the door of the plane and feeling the heat on my face as I looked skyward was all consuming during the flight. We talked about that distinctive aroma that washes over you as you disembark in sunny climates.
So you can imagine our surprise and disappointment when we arrived into torrential rain and had to run through it in flip flops and summer tops. But, not dissuaded, and being Irish, we can deal with the rain, we decided surely life wasn’t so cruel and the rain could only last a short while?
Once ensconced in our apartment in the old Seville district of Santa Cruz our gracious host assured us the rain would soon stop so we decided to walk and find a tapas bar for some authentic cuisine and perhaps a tipple of wine.
Our stroll took us through the meandering cobbled streets peppered with orange trees, reminding us where Seville Oranges come from, and we found ourselves admiring the magnificent Cathedral de Sevilla that dominates this part of the city. Our quest was short lived and soon we were tucking into chorizo, iberico jamon and croquettes. As we munched and chatted the sun shone and dried the streets, the locals and tourists alike came out to play and we strolled the city for the afternoon taking in the sights and sounds. The stunning Plaza De Espana which was built for the Latin American Expo in 1929 quite literally takes your breath away as it comes into view.
Wanting a view of the city we headed towards The Metropol Parasol which locals refer to as the mushroom (las setes) due to its unusual shape. It affords a viewing deck like no other with a walkway constructed around the outside of the building. Archeologically protected Roman ruins in the basement add intrigue to this unusual building and a libation break afforded us a Sangria served with a star fruit garnish. Don’t you just love holidays!
The ease of getting around the city was not lost on us and by renting bikes or taking the tram you can rest weary legs for a moment. It was a wonderful city filled with families and friends enjoying a relaxed, cosmopolitan life and I look forward to returning with my son soon to once again bask in the glorious sunshine, sip a cafe con leche and enjoy the many parks on offer. Forget leaving my heart in San Francisco, mine is in Seville.

BBQ Chicken with slaw

 

 

I got this fab recipe from Jane Hornby's Fresh and Easy recipes.  I love that you can pre-prepare the chicken and the slaw to make BBQ day even easier!

Ingredients

12 chicken pieces, thighs and drumsticks are best2 tbsp paprika1 handful fresh thyme2 tsp sea salt½ tsp freshly ground black pepper1 tsp chilli powder(120g) ½ cup dark brown sugar(150ml) 2/3 cup tomato ketchup1 tsp Tabasco sauce2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce1 small red cabbage2 crisp, tangy apples1 onion(150g) 2/3 cup mayonnaise2 tbsp cider vinegar1 tsp black onion (kalonji) seedsSea salt and freshly ground black pepper

 Method:

1. Slash the chicken straight down to the bone2. Mix the paprika, thyme, salt, pepper, chilli powder and 3 tablespoons of sugar in a food storage bag, add the chicken and toss3. Preheat oven to 180⁰C (350⁰F) Gas Mark 4, and make the barbecue sauce4. Mix the remaining sugar, ketchup, Tabasco and Worcester sauce until smooth.
(This will keep in the fridge for at least a week)
5. Spread the chicken in a large roasting dish and roast for approx 30 minutes.
(This can be done several hrs ahead and stored in the fridge)6. For the slaw, cut the cabbage into wedges, remove any very hard bits from the central core, then thinly slice. 7. Thinly slice the onion and apples, no need to peel the apples first, and add the cabbage to a large bowl.
8. Mix the mayonnaise and vinegar together to make the dressing.
9. Toss the dressing into the slaw, season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle the onion seeds. This can also be made a day ahead, keep the dressing and slaw ingredients separate and just toss before serving.

To cook on BBQ, make sure your grill is very hot - 200⁰C (400⁰F) and cook for 10 mins, turning regularly, until charred and sizzling and hot through the middle. Brush some sauce over it and serve with the coleslaw and rest of the sauce.
If it rains: Roast the chicken in a preheated oven at 220⁰C (425⁰F) Gas Mark 7 for about 10 minutes, until heated through, then finish with the sauce as above.

 

Enjoy!

Ideas for Kids Lunch Boxes

 

We all know how difficult it can be to come up with healthy, tasty and different ideas for school lunchboxes.

Lunch is a very important meal, particularly for school going children. So it is important that we make it as interesting and appealing as possible.

Here are some simple ideas that may help you provide a satisfying lunchbox for your school going little ones.

·         Kids get bored having the same thing, day in day out.

·         Letting the kids cut their sandwiches into shapes using cookie cutters  will soon see them have a keener interest in their lunch!

·         Something as simple as changing the type of bread you use can help to alleviate the boredom. Try wholemeal pitta breads, bagels, tortilla wraps, baps, and wholemeal baguettes.

·         Crackers and cubed pieces of cheese are a great snack, particularly if you have younger kids who may only eat a bite out of a sandwich before discarding.

·         Add in some grapes, cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks and lengths of red pepper (it’s sweeter) to make a smorgasbord of flavours and textures. Hummus is a great protein packed dip if you can get them to eat it!

·         Cold pasta or rice salads are great when tossed with ham and vegetables, like cucumbers, carrots and sweetcorn. Pasta can be mixed with a little olive oil or mayonnaise for added flavour.

·         Keep sweet treats, crisps, high sugar drinks out of lunch boxes, even if your child’s school doesn’t have a healthy eating policy. These foods and drinks should not be a part of your child’s daily diet due to the high sugar & salt content.

·         Yogurts, rice cakes, unsweetened juice, water and fruit all have a part to play in lunch boxes.

Pain d'epi

I used Lorraine Pascale’s recipe and method for the kids classes.
It is certainly the quickest method, and although some puritans may find fault, the result was great and very enjoyable!

275g strong bread flour
175ml warm water (I boil it and let it cool)
1 sachet (7g) fast acting dried yeast
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and combine using a wooden spoon.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes.
Do not use too much flour for kneading as this will change the structure of the bread.
The kneading is important to activate the gluten in the flour.
Roll out into a sausage shape, about the length of a baking sheet.
Lightly flour a baking sheet and place the dough at an angle on it.
Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Before cooking snip the bread with a kitchen scissors at ¾ inch intervals, and turn each piece sideways on the pan. You are not cutting all the way through the dough, just about ¾ way through.
(see picture)

  
Spray the dough with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and dust lightly with flour.
Cook in a preheated oven at 200⁰C/Gas 5 for 30 minutes.
Place a tray of water in the bottom of the oven during the cooking process. This will add steam to the oven which will give the bread a lovely brown crust.

Enjoy!

Chicken liver Pate

If you want a hassle free appetizer then you can't go wrong with this pate.
I've always used Delias Pate recipe with modifications based on what I had in my pantry.
So here goes.






Serves 6

Ingredients

225g (8oz) chicken livers
225g (8oz) butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons brandy (optional)
2 cloves garlic (1 works fine also)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Melt 25g (1oz) of the butter in a frying pan and add the chicken liver to it.
Fry them for approx. 5 minutes, keeping them on the move.
Remove from the pan and transfer to a food processor or blender.
Melt 150g (5oz) of butter and add this to the blender.
Deglaze the pan using the brandy and add this to the liver.
Then add the garlic, thyme and seasoning.
Blend this until you have a smooth puree.
Transfer to an appropriate container or individual ramekins.
Melt the remaining butter and pour over the pate to form a ‘lid’.
Leave to set and get cold.
Can be refrigerated for 2 days or frozen for 1 month.
Serve with toasted baguette slices and red onion jam or any sweet relish.

 Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

115g/4oz butter
60g/2oz granulated sugar
65g/2.5oz light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
175g/6oz plain flour
1 tablespoon corn flour
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½ teaspoon salt
100g/3.5 milk or dark chocolate chips

Method:

Cream the butter, sugar and light brown sugar together with a wooden spoon or spatula.
Add the egg and vanilla essence and mix together.
Add flour, corn flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt and mix again until all combined.
Add chocolate chips and mix again.
Use your hands now to incorporate all chocolate chips into the mixture.
Taking tablespoon size amounts of mixture, roll it in your hands to make a ball and place on baking paper on a cookie sheet.

After making all the cookie dough balls, place the cookie sheet in the fridge for 1 hour.
After the hour, these cookie dough balls can be frozen for later use.

If cooking straight away, keep on cookie sheet with baking parchment, but ensure you have a 2inch space around each cookie so they have space to spread.
Place in pre-heated oven at 160⁰C/325⁰F/Gas Mark 3 for 15-18 minutes.
They will be golden brown when cooked, crisp on the outside and soft and chewy in the middle.
Leave to cool a little before eating.
These are perfect served still warm from the oven!

Enjoy!

Chocolate Cake with Fudgy Icing!

I think this recipe came from the talented Mary Berry. I know I increased the measurements of the fudge icing as there just wasn’t enough on it for me!

 

 

 

Ingredients:

225g/8oz butter, room temperature
225g/8oz castor sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
200g/7oz self-raising flour
25g/1oz cocoa powder
1 – 2 tablespoon milk

Fudge Icing

300g/10oz icing sugar
80g/3oz cocoa powder
200g/7oz castor sugar
200g/7oz unsalted butter

Method:

You will need 2 x 8” sandwich tins, greased well all over and the base lined with parchment paper

Preheat the oven to 180⁰C/350⁰F/Gas Mark 4

Cream the butter with an electric mixer or wooden spoon until very smooth.
Add the sugar and beat for a minute or 2.
Use your spatula to scrape down the edges throughout the process.
Beat sugar and butter mixture again until looks paler in colour – about 3 minutes altogether.
Sift a tablespoon (ish) of the flour/cocoa in the bowl and crack one of the  eggs into the mixture, beat.
Add another egg and beat it until it is combined into the mixture.
Sift ½ the flour/cocoa mix into this and beat again.
Add the rest of the egg and beat again.
Sift in the remaining flour and cocoa, add the milk, and now FOLD the mixture, using a large spoon.
Make sure you are incorporating all the bits from the side with your spatula regularly.
The mixture should be of a dropping consistency and if it’s not you can add another little drop of milk.
Drop the mixture into the cake tins and using a scale measure the tins to ensure that the mixture is evenly split between the two.
Spread it gently to the side of the pans. So that the mixture is level in the pan.
Place in pre-heated oven and bake for 20- 25 minutes until a cocktail stick inserted comes out clean.
Once cooked, remove from oven, place on heatproof surface and leave in tins for a few minutes.
Turn them out onto a wire rack, remove the baking parchment and leave to cool completely.

Meanwhile make the fudgy icing.....

Sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a mixing bowl.
Melt the butter, sugar and 2 tablespoons of water in a pan over a medium heat.
You need the sugar crystals to disappear completely over this heat, it will take a few minutes.
Once the butter has melted and you can’t feel any sugar under the wooden spoon, turn up the heat.
As soon as large bubbles start to appear on the top of the mixture remove it from the heat.
Pour this into the icing sugar/cocoa and using your wooden spoon incorporate it together.
Beat well so the mixture becomes smooth and glossy.
Using half the mixture spread it evenly over one of the cakes, use a heated palette knife to help spread it.
Place the other cake on top of this and using the remainder of the mixture cover the top and sides of the cake.

Decorate with mini eggs, edible flowers, chocolate flake...the options are endless!

Can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days...it NEVER lasts that long in our house though!!

Enjoy!

Chocolate Macaroon Bars

These layered fragrant bars are not my own creation, rather I garnered the recipe from Martha Stewart. I did change up the recipe a little, between converting and changing some measurements and adding a little oil to the chocolate to help it 'stick' to the biscuit base, but it's not necessary.
They went down a treat at my baking class at the weekend, so here, for those of you who want to be able to try something that the whole family will enjoy, is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Base:
170g (3/4cup) cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
260g (2 cups) all- purpose flour
88g (1/2 cup) castor sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Toppings:

Chocolate layer:
283g (10oz) chocolate - I use milk for this as I find dark chocolate a little bitter for childrens palettes. You can use a mix of milk & dark either.
1 tsp vegetable oil
Macaroon:

4 egg whites
100g (3/4 cup) castor sugar
64g (1/2 cup) all-purpose flour
200g (7 ounces) sweetened flaked coconut. (I used dessicated coconut and it worked fine, you can sweeten dessicated coconut by adding icing sugar and water to it and leaving it to soak for approx 30 mins)

Method:

Preheat oven to 180⁰C/350⁰F/Gas Mark 4
Melt the chocolate and oil in a bain marie (a bowl over hot water) or microwave.
Make the biscuit base first by adding all ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix until you have a crumb mixture. It will be dry with some lumps of butter in it. Takes about 3 minutes.
Grease a 13 x 9" sheet pan very well and add the biscuit base, pressing the mixture evenly into the pan.
Bake in oven for 15-17 minutes, until just turning golden brown.
While base is baking make macaroon topping.

Whisk egg whites & sugar until well combined.
Stir in flour and coconut and mix well.
Remove biscuit base from oven and pour melted chocolate over, covering evenly.
leave to cool slightly before adding macaroon topping and cover chocolate.
Return to oven and cook for approx. 20 mins, until coconut topping is browning at the tips.
Remove from oven and leave to cool before cutting into rectangular bars and serving.

Enjoy!

Pancakes

 

 

It seems that, depending on your location and religious leaning, tomorrow you will either be celebrating Pancake Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday. It's always been Pancake Tuesday for us and for as long as I can remember Delia Smith's pancake recipe was the staple used in our house.
I see no reason to diviate from this tried and true recipe as in all the years I have made pancakes - and certainly not just once a year! - this recipe has worked a treat for our family.
So below is the basic pancake recipe that makes approx. 12 - 14.
You can certainly go all out and do savoury and sweet pancakes and stay true to the day.
For savoury ones you can do something as simple as grated cheddar and ham. You could take it up a notch and use some of your favourite cheese, like brie with an onion chutney. The heat of the pancakes complements the cool brie beautifully.
For a sweet combination it's hard to beat the traditional butter, lemon and sugar. However, nutella and banana works great, or berries and yogurt.
Maple syrup with or without bacon works well and would traditionally be used with an american pancake (thicker than the crepe style we are creating with this recipe), but there are no rules that say you have to eat them in any way over the other.
If you are making pancakes for breakfast you could always add a pinch of cinnamon to the batter and a dash of vanilla extract.
Whatever you decide to do. Enjoy your pancakes and I'd love to hear about what toppings you and your family like to use.


Ingredients:

4oz (110g) plain flour
pinch salt
2 large eggs
7 fl oz (200ml) milk mixed with 3 fl oz (75ml) water
2oz (50g) butter

Method:

Sift flour and salt into large mixing bowl, with the sieve held high above the bowl so the flour gets an airing.
Make a well in the centre and break the eggs into it.
Whisk the eggs, incorporating all the flour from around the bowl.
Add small quantities at a time, of the milk and water mixture, whilst continuing to whisk.
When all the liquid has been added use a spatula and scrape any bits of flour from around the edge into the centre.
Whisk again until batter is smooth and any lumps are gone.
It should be the consistency of thin cream.
Melt the butter in a pan.
Spoon 2 tablespoons of the melted butter into the batter and whisk it in.
Set the remaining butter aside to be used when cooking the pancakes.
Place the batter into a measuring jug or similiar to make it easier to pour into the pan.
If using a 7 inch pan (18cm) - use 2 tablespoons of batter. If using an 8 inch (20cm) - use 3 tablespoons of batter.
Heat your pan to very hot before lowering it down to medium and pour in a little melted butter.
Add the batter and swish around the pan to cover the base of the pan.
Cook for approx 30 seconds until the mixture starts to change texture.
Using a palette knife you can lift the edge and check that the under side is a golden colour.
Shake the pan slightly to release the pancake and if you are feeling brave, or indeed just want to give it a go despite the outcome you can flip the pancake over.
Otherwise, use a fish slice and turn the pancake and cook again for approx 20 seconds.
You can stack the pancakes between sheets of greaseproof paper as you make them on a warmed plate - although if your house is anything like mine they won't last on a plate and have to be served as soon as they are cooked!

Enjoy
Jill

Fish Pie

Serves 4

I adapted this Fish Pie recipe from a Neven Maguire recipe from some years back.
I wanted to make it more budget and time conscious and I don’t like to use alcohol in recipes when I’m doing family style ones. But if you want the original recipe search for Neven Maguires Killybegs Fish pie, it's nearly as delicious as the one below!
My son adores this whenever I make it and to keep within a budget you can get a fish pie mix that's near it's sell-by date from the fridges in larger supermarkets which work perfectly well with this dish. 

Ingredients

18oz/840g fish. Mix between salmon, smoked haddock & cod or other sturdy white fish
400ml milk
1 bay leaf
1oz/25g butter
4oz/115g leaks, washed and finely chopped
1oz/30g plain flour
½ tablespoon mixed herbs, e.g dill & parsley
1/2lb/400g potatoes , peeled & diced
4 carrots, peeled, diced and cooked al dente – optional vegetable, you can choose other vegetables as well,  e.g  parsnip or green beans or all 3!

Method:

Preheat oven to 160⁰C/325⁰F/Gas 3

Season the fish and place in oven proof dish with the milk and bayleaf.
Poach for approx 15-20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and drain the milk into a measuring jug – you will need about ½ pt.
Leave fish to cool a little before removing any remaining skin and checking for bones.
Discard the bayleaf.
Increase oven temperature to 180⁰C/350⁰F/Gas 4.
Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in a large pot of salted water, bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes or until tender.
Drain and return to heat, add ½ tablespoon butter, season well and mash.
Melt the remaining butter in a small pot and add the leeks and cook for approx 5 minutes, do not brown.
Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, again do not brown.
Add half the reserved poaching milk and whisk the roux together.
When all the liquid has been absorbed, add the remaining milk and whisk to a smooth sauce.
Add the mixed herbs and season well.
At this point you can add in the flaked fish and any other vegetable you are using and have blanched.
Lastly add a rounded tablespoon of crème fraiche (optional).
Ensure you do not boil the mixture at this point.
Spoon the fish mixture into the oven proof dish you used to poach the fish.
Top it with mash potato and using a fork spread the mash evenly over the top.
You may wish to add a few dollops of butter to the mash topping as this will give a lovely golden finish when cooking.
Bake in the oven for approx 20 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the pie is piping hot throughout.

Serve and Enjoy!