Celebrate Love British Food Fortnight with Yelvertoft cooking guru's mouth-watering recipe

Yelvertoft mother Milly Fyfe is a farmer’s wife and writer of our Countryside Kitchen feature.

She lives on a livestock and arable farm with her husband and two young boys.

British Food Fortnight falls between September 16 and October 1 which also coincides with the traditional celebrations of the harvest. A time when hopefully all of the crops have been gathered safely in to enjoy throughout the colder months.

I’ve been a Love British Food Ambassador for over 10 years and enjoy promoting the benefits of buying British and shopping locally which include:

- Lowering food miles and our impact on the environment

- Sustaining rural and small businesses (whether that be farmers, butchers, small independent outlets or family concerns)

- Eating seasonal, fresh food which is delicious and has numerous health benefits

By spending our hard-earned money closer to home, we can really help to improve our local economy. According to a study conducted by the University if Warwick, if we all bought just 15% more homegrown fruit and vegetables, the UK economy would be £500 million a year better off – food for thought, literally!

So why not head down to your local farm shop or butchers this British Food Fortnight and enjoy the produce that is on display. A brilliant example of this is Manor Farm Shop at Catthorpe, just off the A5 between Rugby and Daventry.

A family run business which prides itself in supplying food grown, produced and reared on the farm as well as stocking other independent local businesses goods with items such as fresh milk, cheese, yoghurt and freezer meals.

Manor Farm Shop also has a well-run café with delicious breakfasts, cakes and main meals.

So if you don’t have time to cook one day, you can be sustained with delicious food prepared and served by their team, coming away with a few lovely goodies to enjoy at a later date too.

So to celebrate Love British Food Fortnight in style, have a go at this recipe for a tasty shepherds pie using lambs mince and lots of hidden vegetables, which I shared on the simply beef and lamb website recently. It’s a real crowd pleaser in our household.

Ingredients:

- 675g lean lamb mince

- 1 tablespoon of rapeseed oil

- 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped

- 150g frozen chopped carrots

- 150g frozen peas

- 6 chopped tomatoes

- 2 tablespoons of gluten free plain flour

- 2 tablespoons of tomato ketchup

- 2 tablespoons of brown sauce

- 2 tablespoons of dried rosemary

- 1 gluten free stock cube crumbled

- 350ml hot stock (gluten free)

For the topping:

- 675g floury potatoes, unpeeled and cut into medium chunks

- 450g parsnip, unpeeled and cut into small chunks

- 100ml of milk

- 50g salted butter

- 50g grated cheddar cheese

Method:

Heat the oil in a large pan and brown the lamb mince, turning frequently and mashing any large lumps, then cook the diced onion until soft. Add in the

frozen carrots and peas, followed by the chopped tomatoes.

Stir in the flour, then add the ketchup, brown sauce, rosemary, stock cube and liquid stock. I use gluten free products as I am gluten intolerant but you can use the usual ingredients if you don’t have to be mindful of food intolerances.

Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 mins.

As I cook on an Everhot, my over is on all the time, set at 210c. Most fan ovens will need to be preheated to 190c-200c

Meanwhile prepare the potato and parsnip topping.

Place the chopped potatoes and parsnip into a large saucepan with boiling water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Drain and mash together with milk and butter.

Spoon the meat filling into a 1.7l oven proof pie dish and spread the mash on top of the mixture. Run a fork across the top of the mash, then sprinkle the

cheese on top. Place on a baking tray (to avoid any juice bubbling over into the oven) and bake uncovered for 30 minutes until golden brown and crispy on top.

Serve with chopped french / runner beans and some gravy.

At this time of year we have an abundance of fresh produce in our kitchen garden and our beef, sheep and arable farm. This recipe is a firm family

favourite and includes homegrown lamb mince, onion, tomatoes and French beans. We pride ourselves on having a short supply chain from field to fork,

eating with the seasons and using as much as the produce as we can.

Enjoy having a go at replicating this recipe. For more mealtime suggestions, you can follow my food blog called No Fuss Meals for Busy Parents here:

https://nofussmealsforbusyparents.com/

For more information on Love British Food Fortnight, visit: https://www.lovebritishfood.co.uk/