Serret Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

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In this classic Italian combination, a herby anchovy paste is used to coat tender roast lamb, adding a savoury flavour that blends beautifully with the meat juices and white wine.

Serves 6

Total time: 1 hour 40 mins
Cooking time: 1 ¼ hours (or more), plus resting

Ingredients

1.8kg leg of lamb
4 large garlic cloves, each sliced lengthways into 3
100g anchovy fillets, drained and halved
small bunch of rosemary
75g butter, softened
juice of 1 lemon
½ bottle dry white wine

1. Preheat oven to 220ºC/Gas 7. With a sharp knife, make 12 incisions 5cm deep in the fleshy side of the lamb. Insert a piece of garlic, half an anchovy and a small sprig of rosemary into each incision, pushing them right in.
2. Cream the butter with any remaining anchovies and smear it all over the surface of the meat, then sprinkle all over with freshly ground black pepper. Place the lamb in a roasting tin and pour over the lemon juice and wine. Put in the oven and roast for 15 minutes.
3. Turn the oven temperature down to 180ºC/Gas 4 and roast the lamb for a further hour or slightly more, depending on how you like your meat cooked. Baste from time to time with the wine and juices. Take the meat out of the oven and leave to rest in a warm place for at least 15 minutes before carving.
4. Taste the juices to see if salt needs to be added. The anchovies are salty so this may not be necessary. During roasting, the wine should have reduced and mingled with the meat juices and anchovy butter to make a delicious gravy. If it’s too thin, reduce on the hob before serving.

Top tip

The lamb can be left to marinate at the end of Step 1, covered, for up to 5 hours in the fridge. Bring to room temperature about 1 hour before roasting.

Perfect partner

Collezione di Paolo Chianti 2008 - Keep the Italian theme running through the wine too, with this cherry-scented favourite.

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The cider in this dish enhances the salty ham. A mustard glaze and creamy lemon sauce turns it into a flavoursome dish that’s a wonderful excuse for gathering friends and family.

Serves 16

Total time: 3 hours 20 mins, plus soaking
Cooking time: 3 hours

Ingredients

4kg smoked gammon
400ml cider
3 tbsp English mustard
90g soft light brown sugar
4 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp caster sugar
2 tsp wholegrain mustard
150ml crème fraîche

1. Put the gammon into a large container, cover with cold water and leave in a cool place to soak for at least 12 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 160ºC/Gas 3. Drain and rinse the gammon. Arrange 2 pieces of heavy cooking foil, long enough to cover the gammon, across a large roasting tin. Pour the cider into the foil. Stand a wire rack on the foil and put the gammon on the rack. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat.
3. Wrap the foil loosely over the gammon, leaving plenty of space for air to circulate. Place the gammon just below the centre of the oven and cook for 2 hours 40 mins, or until the meat thermometer registers 75ºC. Remove the gammon from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes.
4. Increase the oven temperature to 230ºC/Gas 8. Transfer the gammon to a board, discarding the cooking juices. Mix together the English mustard and sugar and spread over the ham. Return the gammon to the rack in the roasting tin. Cover any lean parts of the gammon with foil, return to the oven and cook for 15–20 minutes, or until the glaze is golden brown all over.
5. Meanwhile, make the sauce: put the olive oil, lemon juice, caster sugar, wholegrain mustard and salt and pepper to taste into a screw-top jar and shake vigorously. Put the crème fraîche into a bowl and stir in the lemon mixture. Chill until needed.
6. Remove the ham from the oven, carve into slices and serve, hot or cold, with the sauce on the side.

Variation

For a deliciously different flavour, score diamond shapes in the fat in Step 4 and stud each diamond with a whole clove. Heat some marmalade and a little lemon juice in a pan for a few minutes, until it thickens to a sticky glaze, and use instead of the mustard and honey. Omit the lemon mustard sauce.

Perfect partner - XV du Président 2008 - This is a big red, so perfect with an impressive roast. Just add good friends!

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An elegant way of cooking a whole chicken for a special Sunday lunch, with the honey creating a lovely brown glaze and the lemon grass and rosemary infusing the meat with loads of flavour.

Serves 4–6

Total time: 1 hr 50 mins
Cooking time: 1½ hours, plus resting

Ingredients

1 small lemon, pips removed and finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed
100g butter, softened
1 x 1.7kg chicken
1 lemon grass stalk, roughly crushed
1 sprig rosemary
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp honey

1. Preheat the oven to 190ºC/Gas 5. Combine the lemon, onion and garlic with the butter. Push half of the mixture under the skin of the chicken, working it carefully under the skin of the breast and trying not to tear the skin. Put the remaining lemon butter into the cavity of the bird, along with the crushed lemon grass and the rosemary. Secure the skin over the neck with a skewer and put the chicken in a roasting tin.
2. Combine the oil and honey in a pan and heat gently, stirring, until the honey liquefies, then pour over the chicken. Season well. Roast for 45 minutes per kg plus 20 minutes, basting every 20 minutes or so. If the chicken seems to be browning too quickly, cover it with foil halfway through cooking. To test whether the chicken is cooked, pierce it with a skewer in the thickest part; if the juices run clear, it is cooked.
3. Leave to stand, covered with foil, for 20 minutes before carving. Serve with the pan juices poured over.

Serving suggestion

Any leftovers are great served cold in a salad. Combine an assortment of tender leaves with thin slices of cucumber and dress with a vinaigrette made with lemon juice instead of vinegar and sweetened with a little honey.

Perfect partner

En Beauvoir Bourgogne AOC 2006 - Serve this rich and buttery white Burgundy with this special roast chicken and you’ll be rewarded with lots of compliments.

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There’s nothing better than tender roast beef served with a rich gravy. This one has the smooth flavour of red wine and the kick of a little horseradish and mustard. It’s served with golden Yorkshire puddings for a roast to remember.

Serves 8

Total time: 3 hours
Cooking time: 2 hours 20 minutes, plus resting

Ingredients

3kg matured rib of beef on the bone, or matured sirloin on the bone (allow 300g–375g per serving, including the bone)
120g flour
1 egg, beaten
250ml milk
3 tbsp vegetable oil or beef fat
1 small onion, finely chopped
200ml red wine
500ml hot beef stock
1 tbsp horseradish sauce
1 tbsp French mustard

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/Gas 4. Place the joint, bone side down, in a roasting tin, season the fat lightly and roast for 2 hours 20 mins for medium, or to your liking.
2. Meanwhile, make the Yorkshire puddings. Sift 100g flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Make a well in the middle, pour in the egg and milk and gradually stir into the flour to form a thick, smooth batter that coats the back of a spoon. Cover and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. About 5 minutes before removing the beef from the oven, pour 1 tsp oil into 8 holes of a 12-hole muffin tin and place in the oven for 5 minutes to heat up.
3. When the beef is cooked, transfer it onto a warm plate, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the muffin tin from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 220ºC/Gas 7. Pour the batter evenly into the oil-filled holes and bake the puddings for about 20 minutes, or until golden and well risen.
4. To make the gravy, place the roasting tin with the meat juices on the hob, add the onion and fry gently for 5 minutes, or until softened. Spoon off any excess fat and stir in the remaining flour. Turn up the heat, then gradually stir in half the wine and stir. When the wine has nearly evaporated, add the remaining wine and simmer, stirring in any crusty bits from the bottom of the tin. Finally, stir in the hot stock, horseradish sauce and mustard. Simmer for about 5 minutes, then serve in a sauceboat with the beef and Yorkshire puddings.

Top tips

Leaving the meat to relax after roasting and before carving makes a vital difference to the final tenderness of the meat, and also makes it easier to slice.

Perfect partner

Porta Dos Cavaleiros Reserva 1997 - A wine aged to mellow perfection is a great match for traditional beef and Yorkshire puds.

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Served with a fresh apple sauce and a simple, tasty gravy, this succulent roast with its perfect crackling will be appreciated by even the most discerning guest.

Serves 6–8

Total time: 2½–3¼ hours, plus standing
Cooking time: 2¼–3 hours, plus resting

Ingredients

1.5-2kg joint of pork – leg, loin or shoulder
vegetable oil
500g cooking apples
25g butter
3 tbsp caster sugar, or to taste
2 tsp flour
450ml chicken or vegetable stock

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/Gas 4. Rub the skin of the pork all over with kitchen paper. Leave for half an hour for the skin to dry, as if the skin is moist it will not crisp up. Score the skin evenly with a large, very sharp knife.
2. Brush the skin very lightly with oil, rubbing off any excess with kitchen paper. Sprinkle the skin evenly with salt and pepper. Place the pork in a roasting tin and roast, allowing 35 minutes per 500g, plus an extra 35 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make the apple sauce. Cut the apples into quarters using a small, sharp knife. Peel, core and slice, then place in a pan with 3 tbsp water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 6–8 minutes, until the apples are soft and pulpy.
4. Remove the apples from the heat and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth, then beat in the butter and sugar. If the sauce is too thin, return it to the heat and cook gently, stirring, until it thickens slightly. Transfer to a serving bowl. When the pork is cooked, remove it from the oven and transfer to a serving platter, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, make the gravy. Using a large spoon, remove the surface fat from the pan juices. Place the roasting tin on the hob and reheat the juices, stirring up the crusty bits from the bottom of the tin. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Gradually add the stock, stirring constantly, until the gravy is slightly thickened. Simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Steadying the meat with a fork, use a sharp carving knife to remove the crackling from the joint and place on a board. Cut the cracking into pieces with kitchen scissors. Carve the pork into thick slices and serve each portion with some crackling, gravy and a generous spoonful of apple sauce.

Top tip

The secret to perfect crackling is having a good layer of fat underneath the rind and ensuring that the rind is scored evenly all over.

Perfect partner

Beaton Track Pinot Noir 2008 - Choose this silky wine to go with your pork joint and you’re sure to impress!

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A sauce of apples and prunes perfectly enhances the flavour of a crisp Gressingham duck cooked with a superb herby stuffing.

Serves 4

Total time: 3¾ hours
Cooking time: 3 hours 10 mins, plus resting

Ingredients

50g fresh breadcrumbs
2 dessert apples, cored and roughly chopped
1 small onion, roughly chopped
2 tsp chopped fresh sage
4 tsp chopped fresh parsley
1 duck liver, finely chopped
175g sausage meat
1 x 2.5kg Gressingham duck (weight with giblets)
½ onion, cut into 2 wedges
150g pitted prunes
4 shallots or baby onions, cut into wedges
275ml cider
50ml cider vinegar
1 tbsp dark brown soft sugar
¼ tsp ground cloves
1 tbsp flour
750ml duck or chicken stock

1. To make the stuffing, put the breadcrumbs, a third of the chopped apples, chopped onion, sage, parsley and duck liver into a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add the sausage meat and a good seasoning of salt and pepper and briefly process again until roughly blended. Preheat the oven to 230º C/Gas 8.
2. Use a small skewer to prick the fatty bits of the duck’s skin, particularly between the legs and the breast. Pack the stuffing loosely into the body cavity, then place the duck on a rack in a roasting tin and season. Put the onion wedges in the bottom of the roasting tin, then place the tin on the centre shelf of the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 180º C/Gas 4 and continue to roast for 2½ hours, or until the duck is cooked to your liking, draining the fat from the corner of the tin a few times.
3. Meanwhile, make the confit. Place the remaining apples, prunes, shallots or onions, cider, vinegar, sugar and cloves in a saucepan and bring to simmering point. Turn the heat down to very low and cook for 45–60 minutes, or until thick, stirring gently once or twice.
4. When the duck is cooked, remove it from the oven and leave it to rest for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, make the gravy. Spoon off the excess fat from the roasting tin and place over low heat, then stir the flour into the juices remaining in the tin. Gradually whisk in the stock until smooth, stirring in the crusty bits from the base of the tin. Simmer until slightly reduced, then pour into a sauceboat.
5. To serve the duck, remove the stuffing to a warm bowl. Divide the duck into portions and serve with the stuffing, gravy and confit.

Top tips

The duck should be very dry, so buy it the day before you plan to cook it. Remove the giblets, dry the bird with kitchen paper and leave on a plate, uncovered, in the fridge.

Keep the drained fat from the roasting duck, as it is great for roasting potatoes.

Make a roasting rack yourself by crumpling some kitchen foil and placing it in the bottom of the roasting tin.

Perfect partner

Cordone Baralo 2004 - This sumptuous wine is more than a match for the rich flavours of this duck and its fabulous stuffing.