Donald Russell have been on my radar for quite some time as when I was at BBC Good food years ago they were always being spoken about. It has taken me 5 years to actually get my first order in and boy am I glad I did. Part of what they sent me was a small Game mixture which included a stuffed, boned pheasant and 2 stuffed boned partridges which I decided to cook with some crispy roast potatoes and parsnips, some honeyed carrots, shredded cabbage and most importantly proper gravy and bread sauce for Sunday lunch today as I had my Ma coming round.

The meat was great and so easy to cook. I have quite a bit to test from Donald Russell and I will keep you updated but for now, I am LOVING them. 

what a piggy

lunch

www.donaldrussell.com

Here are my top 5 tips to ensure a great roast and the most fantastic bread sauce recipe. I hope it helps over the Christmas period…

1. Always season your meat well and if your cooking a bird or meat that is not that fatty like Turkey or any game, you might want to layer it with plenty of streak bacon and a bit of butter.

2. Alway cook your meat for the first 20 minutes in a really hot oven, (about 220C). This will ensure a crisp skin and good colour. Then turn it down to about 180C for the rest of the cooking time.

3. Always rest your meat after its cooked. 15 minutes is normally enough. To do this transfer the meat to a plate and cover with foil, unless you are wanting crispy skin or crackling. Save any juices it seeps for the gravy.

4. For your roasties use King edward potatoes. Then par boil them until the start to break around the edges before roasting them. I have stopped using goose fat as while the flavour is great you get less of a crunch which I only seem to get with a good olive oil, (not extra virgin).

5. When making gravy always use fresh stock from the chiller cabinet at your supermarket (or home made) for best results. The reason being is that while the stock reduces it will become really viscose and sticky and really concerntrate the flavour. Cubed stock cubes are full of salt so as they reduce they become saltier. When you use fresh stock you can season at the end and concerntrate on the flavour quality.

The ultimate bread sauce recipe.

1 onion, quartered

6-8 whole cloves

6-8 whole peppercorns

2 bay leaves

600ml whole milk

3-4 thickish slices of fresh or stale white bread, trimmed of crusts and turned into breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons double cream

1/2 teaspoon butter

a pinch of ground alspice

a pinch of ground cloves

salt and pepper

Place the onion, cloves, peppercorns, bay and milk in a small saucepan. Over a low heat bring to the boil, then turn off and leave to infuse for about a hour. Drain the flavoured milk, discarding the  aromatics and reserving the milk.

Stir in the breadcrumbs, cream, butter, spices and seasoning and cook gently until thickened. Serve warm with poultry.