Smoked fish with Cheese Sauce

Serves 2:

• 2 pieces of smoked fish (whatever you like)
• 25g flour
• 25g butter
• Milk (approx 200ml but not overly important)
• Veg/fish stock (approx 400ml but can't really remember)
• Chives
• Cheese (some)
• Approx 2 tsps dijon mustard

Fry the fish until just cooked.

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add flour and stir while it cooks for about 30 seconds - 1 minute.

Add the milk and stir whilst it thickens. Once combined, start to add the stock, a little at a time and continue to whisk until the sauce is the right consistency.

Add the mustard and cheese. Once melted you may need to add a little more stock to thin it out again.

Add snipped chives just before serving.

Serve with potatoes and leeks.

Red wine jus

Perfect for lamb. Serves 2:

In a pan, pour in 300ml red wine and 300ml vegetable stock.
Bring to the boil and continue until it starts to reduce.
Add 1-2 tbsp redcurrant jelly and stir to combine this.
When reduced by about 70% add some butter to create a glossy jus.
Serve immediately.

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup

• 450g jerusalem artichokes, peeled, diced and soaked in acidulated water
• 225g potatoes, peeled and diced.
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 gloves garlic, diced
• 55g unsalted butter
• 1 tsp thyme leaves
• 1 litre chicken stock
• 150ml double cream
• pinch of nutmeg
• 4 rashers streaky bacon

In heavy saucepan fry bacon. Set aside when ready.

Drain artichokes and put them in the bacon fat.

Add potato, onion, garlic and the butter.

Stir to combine, add the thyme and cook for about 10 mins, stirring regularly until the potatoes start to soften.

Add stock and simmer until vegetables are soft.

Blend soup to make it smooth.

Add cream and nutmeg.

Add good amount of black pepper. Season to taste with salt.

Serve scattered with bacon bits.

Nachos with shredded gammon and home-made guacamole

Prepare the guacamole first. To serve 2 I suggest the following:
In a food processor add a bit of onion (depends on how mild it is but I doubt that you want as much as half of one). Add 1-2 chillis (again, depending on how hot they are), 1 tomato, small bunch of coriander and a pinch of salt. Whizz this only to the extent that is finely chopped. Then add 2 avocados which have been peeled and had the stones removed (unless you like the peel and stones :-S), as well as about 1 tbsp water and the juice of about 1/4 of a lime. Whizz this together again so that the avocado is still chunky.

For the nachos, empty a bag of plain nachos into an oven dish, add shredded gammon on top, and then a decent amount of tomato salsa (home-made is worthwhile).
Bake at 200C for 5 mins. Add grated cheese and bake for 5 minutes more.

Serve with rice, soured cream, jalapenos and the guacamole.