Gordon Ramsay’s Great British Pub Food

handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

4 sage leaves, finely chopped

1 tsp English mustard powder

grated zest of 1 lemon

sea salt and black pepper

TO ASSEMBLE

50g plain flour, sifted

2 large eggs, lightly beaten, for dipping

150g fine white breadcrumbs (made from one- or two-day old bread)

groundnut or vegetable oil, for deep-frying

TO SERVE

HP brown sauce

A good Scotch egg is determined by the quality of the sausagemeat and the cooking. The egg should be cooked until the yolk has just set and there should be no sign of a dark ring around the yolk, which indicates that it is overcooked. These Scotch eggs can be made a couple of days in advance, but they are best enjoyed freshly cooked.

Bring a pan of water to the boil. Lower the eggs into the water and simmer for 8 minutes. Drain and cool under cold running water until the eggs no longer feel hot. Peel away the shells and set aside.

Put the sausagemeat into a bowl and add the parsley, sage, mustard powder, lemon zest and some seasoning. Mix together thoroughly, using one hand, then divide into 8 equal-sized balls. One at a time, flatten each sausagemeat ball on a piece of cling film to a circle, large enough to wrap around an egg. Place an egg in the middle, then draw up the ends of the cling film and massage the sausagemeat to cover the egg evenly. Repeat with the rest of the eggs and sausagemeat.

Have the flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs ready in three separate bowls. One at a time, roll each Scotch egg in the flour, then dip into the beaten egg and then into the breadcrumbs to coat. Dip into the egg and breadcrumbs once again for a really thorough coating. Repeat with the rest of the Scotch eggs.

Heat an 8cm depth of oil in a deep-fryer or heavy-based saucepan to 150°C. To test if it is ready for frying, drop a piece of bread into the oil; it should sizzle and turn light golden and crisp in less than a minute. Deep-fry the Scotch eggs two at a time. Lower them into the oil and fry for 4-5 minutes, turning once or twice to ensure they brown evenly.

Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Keep warm in a low oven while you fry the rest. Serve with HP sauce for dipping.

Spiced nuts

SERVES 6-8

350g mixed whole, blanched (unsalted) nuts, such as cashews, hazelnuts and peanuts

2½ tbsp icing sugar

¾-1 tsp fine sea salt, to taste

1 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste

black pepper

Along with potato crisps, salted nuts are essential bar nibbles. Our irresistible spiced nuts have a slight kick from cayenne pepper and a mild sweetness from caramelized sugar. They are incredibly more-ish, as you’ll discover.

Preheat the oven to a low setting, about 140°C/Gas 1. Heat a large, heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat.

Mix the nuts, icing sugar, salt and cayenne pepper together in a wide bowl and grind over some black pepper. Tip the seasoned nuts into the hot pan. Sprinkle over a little water (about 1 tbsp) to help the sugar caramelize. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring or tossing the nuts around the pan constantly, until they start to release their oils and begin to take on some colour.

Tip the nuts onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and spread them out in a single layer. Pop the tray into the low oven and leave the nuts to dry out for 30-40 minutes, tossing them a few times to make sure they colour evenly and don’t burn.

Leave the nuts to cool completely. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place and use within a month.

Homemade pork scratchings

SERVES 4-6

200g pork skins (we generally use skins from the belly)

coarse sea salt

groundnut or vegetable oil, for deep-frying

We are probably one of very few nations in the world who eat snacks with hairs protruding from them! If you happen to be cooking pork belly and won’t need the skin, remove and freeze it until you have time to prepare these savoury scratchings. Otherwise, your local butcher should be only too happy to sell you some pork skins. The crunchy pork scratchings keep well in an airtight container so you might want to double up the recipe.

Cut away or scrape off the excess fat from the pork skin, leaving an even layer attached to the skins, about 3mm thick. Rub or massage the skin with sea salt, place on a baking tray and chill in the fridge for 24-48 hours, to draw out excess moisture.

Dab off the beads of moisture with kitchen paper, then cut the skin into neat strips, about 1cm wide and 10cm long. Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or a heavy-based pan until it reaches about 120°C; the pan should be no more than half-full. Fry the skin strips in batches for about 8-9 minutes until they are cooked through and firm. Remove and drain.

Increase the heat and bring the oil to 195-200°C. Re-fry the pork skins in batches for another 2-3 minutes until they are golden brown and crisp; the skins may curl and bubble as they fry. Remove and drain on a tray lined with kitchen paper. The skins will continue to crisp up as they cool. When completely cooled, store in an airtight container unless you are serving the pork scratchings straight away.

Angels and devils

on horseback

SERVES 4

ANGELS

12 fresh native oysters

freshly ground white pepper

6 smoked streaky bacon rashers, derinded and halved lengthways

olive oil, to drizzle

DEVILS

12 soft d’Agen prunes

6 unsmoked streaky bacon rashers, derinded and halved lengthways