Summer evening supper:Smoked haddock with mashed potato, spinach and roasted tomatoes Serves 4
Ingredients: A piece of smoked haddock per person ¼ pint full cream milk
A bunch of fresh chives 8 King Edward potatoes for mashing A large bag of spinach Vine tomatoes, vine included
Method: Preheat the oven to 180ºC Peel the potatoes and cut into even size pieces. Put them in a pan with cold water and bring to the boil, cook until soft. Remove the tomatoes from their stalks. Place in a roasting dish, with the separated stalks and cook for around 20 minutes. Poach the haddock lightly in the milk in a wide based pan with chopped chives scattered over the top. The fish is ready when it begins to flake when lightly pressed. Drain the potatoes and mash with a little butter, salt and pepper. Wilt the spinach a little in a frying pan over the heat. Serve in wide based bowls, a spoonful of mash, a piece of fish with the spinach and tomatoes on the top. Spoon a little of the cooked milk over the whole to create a sauce.
Smoked haddock poached in milk by Celtic-Seafoods
Tea-time: chocolate brownies
Ingredients: This is the family recipe for chocolate brownies, very much inspired by Nigel Slater. If you like brownies with nuts, add chopped walnuts when combining all the mixture before cooking. Ingredients: 300g golden caster sugar 250g butter 250g dark cooking chocolate (Menier does a very good bar) 3 eggs and an extra yolk 60g plain flour 60g finest-quality cocoa powder ½ teaspoon baking powder Pinch of salt
Method: Line a cake tin (about 25cm square) with baking parchment and preheat the oven to 180ºC. Cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Break up 200g of the chocolate into small pieces and set it over simmering water in a bowl to melt. Chop the remaining chocolate finely. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder and baking power with a pinch of salt. A little at a time, beat the beaten egg into the butter and sugar mixture (using an electric mixer or similar). When thoroughly combined, fold in all the chocolate and the dry ingredients (flour etc). Pour the mixture into the baking tin and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Leave to cool before tucking in
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Canine muses: David Hockney's chocolate dachshunds, Stanley and Boodgie — who he painted over 40 timesIn the second edition of our limited series, we meet some more of the dogs who've inspired our greatest artists.
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50 years ago, the English country house seemed headed for extinction. Instead it was the start of a new golden ageRather than perceiving the mid 20th century as a troubled period in the history of the country house, John Martin Robinson argues that it was perhaps one of the most interesting, unexpected and enterprising. All photography from the Country Life Image Archive, by June Buck, Paul Barker, Val Corbett, Will Pryce and Paul Highnam.
