Here are some delicious dishes that can be created using store cupboard ingredients. We have picked recipes that can be easily tailored to your personal taste, ingredient availability and your level of culinary creativeness.

Cooking – it’s a marmite activity, but whether you love it or typically avoid it at all costs – in these unusual times it’s an activity that can pass the time and bring us together. Children home from school and bored? Why not get them involved and impart some useful skills in the kitchen? If you are isolating alone, why not agree on a recipe with a friend and Facetime/Skype/Zoom whilst you cook? Whatever your situation, we hope that these recipes can inspire some store cupboard creativity…

Mac & Cheese

Ingredients

• 350g Macaroni or other tubular pasta
• 1 Tblspn Vegetable oil
• 50g Butter
• 35g Plain flour
• 200ml Thatchers Vintage Cider
• 400ml Semi-skimmed Milk
• 1 Tspn English Mustard
• 250g Wyke Farms Extra Mature Cheddar, grated (save half for the topping)
• Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 25g Fresh Breadcrumbs
• Few Sprigs of Thyme

Method.

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4
2. Cook the macaroni in a pan of boiling water for 8-10 minutes, until just cooked. Drain and place into an oven proof dish.
3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and saute the leeks for 2-4 minutes until soft. Add the butter and stir until melted before adding the flour.
4. Keep stirring until the mixture starts to bubble and then slowly add the cider followed by the milk.
5. The mixture will start to thicken, so keep stirring until you have a smooth sauce. Add the mustard and half the cheese and season with salt and pepper.
6. Pour the sauce over the macaroni and stir together well. Sprinkle over the rest of the cheese and then the breadcrumbs and thyme.
7. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes until golden and bubbling and serve with a green salad.

Cheesy Bubble and Squeak Cakes

Ingredients

• Leftover mashed potatoes (for 8 cakes, about 16 tablespoons)
• Leftover cooked cabbage and carrots (for 8 cakes, about 8 tablespoons)
• 150g grated mature cheddar cheese (Wyke Farms Mature works well for this recipe)
• 1 teaspoon English mustard powder
• Chopped chives (about 2 tablespoons plus extra for garnish)
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• Butter (to fry the cakes)
• Baked beans (to serve, with extra grated cheese)
• Poached or fried egg (to serve)

Method

1. Mix the finely chopped cabbage and diced carrots with the mashed potato and season to taste with salt and black pepper.
2. Add the grated cheddar cheese and mustard powder, and mix thoroughly.
3. Divide the mixture into 16 cakes/patties, shape them and allow to chill in the fridge for between 3o minutes and 1 hour to firm up.
4. Melt the butter in a large frying pan and when the butter is bubbling, add the cakes in a single layer. Do NOT overcrowd the pan.
5. Cook over a low to medium heat for about 5 minutes each side, keep them warm in the oven whilst you cook the remaining cakes.
6. When you are ready to serve them, allow 2 cakes per person and serve with baked beans with grated cheese, fried or poached egg(s) and extra chopped chives and sprinkle some grated cheese.
7. Add crispy fried bacon for non-vegetarians.
8. Once cooked, the cakes can be frozen. Allow to cool before putting them into a container with sheets of grease-proof paper in between each cake to stop them sticking together.
9. Allow to defrost at room temperature before reheating in the microwave or by frying for a few minutes on each side.

Champflower Cheddar and Kale Pasta Bake

Ingredients

• 350g Penne pasta
• 180g Kale, trimmed and roughly chopped
• 125g Wyke Farms Salted Farmhouse Butter
• 125g Plain Flour
• 1L Milk
• 1 Teaspoon English Mustard
• 350g Wyke Farms Mature Cheddar Cheese, grated
• Sea salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• Handful fresh chives, chopped
• 2 Medium Tomatoes, sliced

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 6
2. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook your pasta for 9 minutes.
3. Meanwhile rinse and drain the kale. When the pasta is ready, add the kale, leave for 30 seconds and then drain into a colander.
4. Tip the pasta and kale into a large oven-proof dish and set aside.
5. While the pasta is cooking, place the butter, flour and milk into a medium-sized saucepan on a low heat.
6. Stir the contents continuously (or it will go lumpy) for about 4-5 minutes until it is thick and bubbling.
7. Stir in the mustard and  most of the cheese (save some to sprinkle on top).
8. Season with salt and pepper and then add the chives.
9. Pour this sauce over the pasta and kale, spreading evenly to coat the pasta.
10. Sprinkle over the rest of the cheese (saving a tiny bit), arrange the tomato slices on top and then add the final flourish of cheese.
11. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until golden and bubbling.

March 2021