Bubble n’ Squeak

This is late breakfast on Boxing day as everyone is still nursing a hangover.

In a large frying pan over the stove cook up some bacon as you normally would (proper British bacon). Take out the bacon and leave all the bacon fat in. Take Christmas dinner leftover mashed potatoes (if you had roasted potatoes cut them up) carrots, parsnips, brussels sprouts, stuffing (basically all your side dishes no meats or cranberry sauce) My sister and I have spent many hours debating on whether or not gravy goes in but since this is my blog, no gravy! Make sure all the vegetables are chopped up and cook over a medium heat until it heats up. Make sure you eat it with doorstep bread and lots of butter.

Siegerrebe Jelly

  • 5 cups of prepared juice
  • 1 box of CERTO pectin Crystals
  • 7 cups of granulated sugar

Stem and crush 4 lbs (1.8 kg) grapes one layer at a time; creating a mess in the kitchen that any 5 year-old would be proud of. Place in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; as it reaches the top; panic slightly as it might go over the top making a sticky mess all over the stove; reduce the heat and then cover. Simmer 10 min. Extract juice.

Place prepared fruit in jelly bag try not to drip it on the floor, but you know it will; hang and let drip into bowl until dripping stops. Press bag gently to remove any remaining juices. Get slightly annoyed about how easy it sounds to do, and realize that is more difficult than it sounds. Then just twist and mash the bag as best you can. You can always strain it a second time if some of the seeds fall in (as they inevitably will)

After juice is extracted mix prepared juice and CERTO pectin crystals in a large saucepan.

Bring to a boil. Panic slightly. Stir in sugar. Return to a boil; cook 1 min.

To test if the liquid will set. You may drip it on ice to see if it will congeal if this does not work and you have a cold metal surface such as a table you can drip it on there too. After it has congealed taste it, just in case. At this point you should probably lick the spoon you did the test with, just to make sure and put the spoon to be washed.

Remove from heat.

Pour into warm sterilized jars, filling up to ¼ inch from its rims and dripping all over the counter tops. Cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours or until set. When the jelly does not set keep waiting in anticipation. After a week empty all the jars into a pot and repeat the process (do not add more sugar but add some lemon juice this time and it should congeal) If it does not congeal give up and use it as topping for vanilla ice-cream.

Sherry Trifle

Find a glass bowl as this dish is layered, as it looks quite pretty when done nicely.

Make a layer of sponge cake – light coloured – yellowish not dark. Add a tin of Del Monte fruit (the fruit salad the kind that only has one cherry.) Make sure you sure you save the cherry for the top, the rest gently place fruit on top of the sponge cake and spread around in the bowl (don’t pour the juice in as you are going to use it to make the Jello). Make sure you sample a couple pieces of fruit just in-case. Get some proper British Jelly in cubes (not the powder that you get here), but since you can not get the British Jelly here you will have to use the powdered stuff. Make up the Jello using the using the juice from the tinned fruit and a shot of sherry or what every alcohol you have lying around. Pour the liquid over the cake and fruit layers. Put it in the fridge to let the Jello set making sure you cover it with something so that nothing accidently drops into it. Traditionally people use the custard as the next layer but since I don’t like custard we just leave that out and just fill it with whipping cream and sprinkles on top and don’t forget the cherry that you saved.