Homemade Archives | National Dish https://www.nationaldish.co.uk/keyword/homemade Recipes and Restaurant Reviews Fri, 10 Oct 2025 17:21:02 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 https://www.nationaldish.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/cropped-National-Dish-Round-Logo-32x32.png Homemade Archives | National Dish https://www.nationaldish.co.uk/keyword/homemade 32 32 Thirty-Hour Shepherd’s Pie | Recipe https://www.nationaldish.co.uk/recipe/thirty-hour-shepherds-pie-recipe https://www.nationaldish.co.uk/recipe/thirty-hour-shepherds-pie-recipe#respond Fri, 10 Oct 2025 17:00:19 +0000 https://www.nationaldish.co.uk/?post_type=recipe&p=4176 There are few dishes that reward patience quite like a traditional shepherd’s pie. This slow-cooked lamb version is stripped back to its essentials — two days, one pot, and a handful of good ingredients that build quietly into something remarkable. Often, shepherd’s pie was a …

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]]> 30 Hour Slow Cooked Shepherds Pie Recipe
Shepherd’s Pie is a British Classic

There are few dishes that reward patience quite like a traditional shepherd’s pie. This slow-cooked lamb version is stripped back to its essentials — two days, one pot, and a handful of good ingredients that build quietly into something remarkable.

Often, shepherd’s pie was a way to use up leftover roast lamb — simple, thrifty cooking at its best. In this case, we’ve gone all in from the start, braising lamb shanks for depth and richness. Both approaches are preferable to the shortcut of mince, which can never quite replicate the texture or flavour of true slow-cooked lamb.

The dish has its roots in the rural kitchens of the British Isles in the late 18th century, when the potato became a staple and leftover meat needed a second life. Whether from England, Scotland or Ireland, the idea was the same: nothing wasted, everything transformed — and few comfort foods speak so directly to home cooking.

I made this during a rare weekend off from coaching girls football, be assured, this Shepherd’s Pie is incredible but not nearly as good as my football team!

Thirty-Hour Shepherd’s Pie | Recipe
A slow-cooked lamb shepherd’s pie recipe made with lamb shanks, homemade stock and buttery Maris Piper mash. Traditional British comfort food, perfected over 30 hours. Don't worry, you won't need to shepherd it for 30 hours. Start with a casserole to braise the lamb and make stock.
Servings4 People
Prep Time1 Hour
Cook Time30 Minutes
Passive Time28.5 Hours
Ingredients
For the Stock
For the Pie Filling
For the topping
Instructions
  1. The Stock and pulled lamb (Day 1) Place the lamb shanks, carrot, onion, celery and peppercorns in a heavy casserole. Add water to come three-quarters up the sides of the shanks. Don't brown the meat, it'll catch a tiny bit if gnarl, but when it's in the pie, you want it soft and silky. Cover and roast in the oven at 130 °C for 6 hours. The meat should fall from the bone and the liquid should have turned into a rich, gelatinous stock. Lift out the shanks, strain the stock, and refrigerate both overnight. Discard the spent vegetables.
  2. The Filling (Day 2) Skim and discard any fat from the chilled stock. Shred the lamb from the bones and set aside, be careful to pick out any small bones. There's a particularly pin like bone in each shank, make sure you find those. In a clean pan, melt a little butter or dripping. Gently sweat the fresh carrot, onion and celery until soft and aromatic, avoid any colour. Stir in the flour to make a light roux, then add the shredded lamb. Gradually pour in enough of the reserved stock to form a thick, glossy mixture. Add the Worcestershire sauce and simmer until the sauce clings to the meat. Season generously to taste with salt and black pepper. Spoon into a deep baking dish and leave to cool slightly.
  3. The Mash Boil the Maris Piper potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain well and return to the pan over low heat to steam off excess moisture. Mash with all of the cream and the egg yolks until smooth and rich, add a little milk if you need to loosed it up, you don't want it runny at all though - so be careful. Season well, taste it. With a spatula gently scoop it into the roasting dish, creating a layer on top of the filling. Rough up the surface with a fork, I made a Union Jack - the texture will crisp beautifully in the oven.
  4. Bake Bake at 200 °C for 30–35 minutes, until the top is golden and the filling bubbles at the edges. There’s no need for cheese — the richness of the lamb and stock speaks for itself. You choose the colour as it bakes, you want a few burnt peaks for sure.
  5. Serve I served it with a big spoon full of peas, but any green vegetable loves sitting beside a Classic Shepherd's Pie. Enjoy

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]]> https://www.nationaldish.co.uk/recipe/thirty-hour-shepherds-pie-recipe/feed 0 How do you make Pink Grapefruit Gin | National Dish Recipe https://www.nationaldish.co.uk/recipe/how-do-you-make-pink-grapefruit-gin https://www.nationaldish.co.uk/recipe/how-do-you-make-pink-grapefruit-gin#comments Tue, 05 Jun 2018 20:55:15 +0000 https://www.nationaldish.co.uk/?post_type=recipe&p=3334 I’ve been dying to make Pink Grapefruit Gin, I think the colour would be attractive and relate completely to the flavour – Pink Grapefruit is a real treat just as grapefruit. As with all our Gin recipes, you need to sterilise everything thoroughly, I mean …

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]]> Look at the colour when making grapefruit gin
Love this, the blue of the juniper berries that make the gin shows up against the pink grapefruit – amazing.

I’ve been dying to make Pink Grapefruit Gin, I think the colour would be attractive and relate completely to the flavour – Pink Grapefruit is a real treat just as grapefruit.

As with all our Gin recipes, you need to sterilise everything thoroughly, I mean it – don’t piss about here, you could be wasting good Gin.

This is easy to prep and nurture.

How do you make Pink Grapefruit Gin | National Dish Recipe
So, we're not actually distilling the Gin, we're infusing it with other flavours. What you need is a good Gin, a 1ltr Kilner jar, the fruit itself, some sugar, a clean mind and patience.
Servings1 Litre
Prep Time30 Mins
Passive Time3 Months
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. First, we need to sterilise. Boil the kettle and immerse the Kilner jar and lid in boiling water for about 10 minutes, then remove to cool. Don't touch the rim or inside of the lid - NO BACTERIA ALLOWED.
  2. Peel the grapefruit, avoid any pith and slice into segments. Place in the jar along with all the sugar.
  3. Pour in the gin and then put the lid on an tighten. Give it a shake to help dissolve the sugar.
  4. Store in a cool dark cupboard for 3 months. In the first few days give it a gentle shake to make sure all the sugar dissolves.
  5. When ready, through a sterilised jam strainer (not sieve) drain the gin into a sterilised jug, and then transfer to a sterilised bottle or jar.
  6. That's it - it's gorgeous. If anyone want to suggest a Pink Grapefruit Gin recipe, let me know below or on social media. Enjoy!

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]]> https://www.nationaldish.co.uk/recipe/how-do-you-make-pink-grapefruit-gin/feed 8 How do you make Plum Gin? | English Plum Gin | National Dish of England https://www.nationaldish.co.uk/recipe/how-do-you-make-plum-gin https://www.nationaldish.co.uk/recipe/how-do-you-make-plum-gin#comments Sun, 07 Jan 2018 08:02:18 +0000 http://nationaldish.co.uk/?post_type=recipe&p=2199 The time of year is late August and my two Plum tree varieties – Mirebelle and Victoria are ready to harvest. I could make Jam but that means eating bread and that ain’t gonna happen. So I’m making Gin! How do you make Plum Gin? …

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]]> How do you make Plum Gin? National Dish of England
You can use any variety of Plum, I’m using Mirrabella and Victoria
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The time of year is late August and my two Plum tree varieties – Mirebelle and Victoria are ready to harvest.

I could make Jam but that means eating bread and that ain’t gonna happen. So I’m making Gin!

How do you make Plum Gin? This recipe will have it ready for Christmas.

How do you make Plum Gin? | English Plum Gin | National Dish of England
This isn't really a recipe, it's a process - a little bit of work up front, especially around sterilising your Kilner Jar, give it a shake for a week and then leave it the hell alone for 3 months - simples...
Servings1 litre
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time0
Passive Time3 months
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Sterilise your Kilner Jar, wash your plums and measure out your ingredients.
  2. Get a clean fork and stab your plums all over, this will release all the juices into the Gin. Any plums that look a little ropey throw away, we want to avoid excess nasty bacteria.
  3. Now add all the ingredients to the jar and give it a shake and seal - place in a cool, dry and dark cupboard.
  4. For the next week, shake on a daily basis to dissolve the sugar and then leave alone for at least 3 months. Should be perfect for Christmas. If you want to make more, just double all the ingredients.
  5. After three months and you were good at sterilising you'll have some kick ass plum gin. Just look how much the colour changes and I promise you, this goes in to the flavour.
  6. You'll need to filter the sediment out, I used a jar with a tap and ran it through clean muslin into a pan.
  7. More sterilising, hopefully you had the sense to keep some old gin bottles, or any bottle, in anticipation of this day - make sure they are ultra clean. Fill em up and cap it off. You might want to sellotape the lids, as if they were bought from a shop - further fermentation could force the them off.
  8. My homemade Plum Gin made great Christmas gifts - not all of it though...
  9. Thank you England United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Recipe Notes
I'm sorry, I know this looks like an old man having a wee - although, he's got issues if it's that colour, tastes good though. But, I filmed it so I might as well post it. If videos of gin filtering into a pan gets you going, sit back, grab some Kleenex and enjoy...

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