Winter warmers: Toad in the ... Sky?

We all appear to have experienced a little snow and the wintery cold seems here to stay. So return home from work, pop on the kettle, snuggle into your slippers and enjoy this beloved dish which promises to warm you all up.
Toad in the Hole is a traditional and well loved dish; what I am introducing is the most incredible twist on this. It truly is one of my very favourite meals: the perfect concoction of sausages, creamy and moist choux pastry, onions, and mustard. It is called Toad in the Sky, which alludes to the delightfully fluffy and comforting yumminess it offers!

Ingredients: 

500g sausages (or two per person)

275ml milk

50g unsalted butter

150g of plain flour

1 onion

4 eggs

mustard and seasoning

Method

-Preheat the oven to 200°C

-Grill the sausages with the onion in a pan until lightly browned.

-Heat the milk and butter until boiling

-Beat in the flour all at once, until smooth.

-Now add the eggs gradually (let the mixture cool a little so that the eggs don't begin to cook)

-Butter a dish and place in enough batter to cover the bottom. 

-Cut the sausages in half and place them onto the layer of batter with the onions.

-Add in the remaining batter and bake for 40 minutes until golden.

Serve with plenty of vegetables of your choice, and a big dollop of mustard.

If you're in want of a warming and filling meal give this a go and I assure you there will be no turning back!

Do you have any favourite hearty winter meals?

Winter warmers: Leek & potato soup

As a child I was forever requesting this meal. A while ago my Mum let me into her secret. Now it's not necessarily the most artisanal way of getting to the end result, but I can testify that it works and tastes irresistible!

What you will need:
Leeks,
Instant potato,
Spring Onions,
A stock cube,
Cheddar (lots of it),
Bacon,
Seasoning

Method:

• Sweat off the spring onions and leeks ensuring they don't gain colour
• Add in your stock cube and then cover with boiling water

• Now pour into a microwavable pot and cook for 10 minutes- or until the leeks are soft
• Blend the ingredients with a stick blender
• Add in instant potato mash
• Continue blending until smooth
• Season

Make sure to add in more water/ potato as required.I personally like it to be nice and thick, (for a maximum comfort food feeling), but if you're after a thinner consistency then adjust a little. I haven't specified amounts because it genuinely depends on how you prefer it, it's not a recipe concerned with being too precise.

Now here is the very important part: add grated cheese and bacon, (lots of it)
I mean it, don't hold back.
The soup is nice enough on its own, but what really makes it is the combination of these three ingredients together.
Enjoy with a nice thick slice of bread.
Perfect, filling, and a little naughty.


What is your favourite winter soup?