In this section we celebrate well-balanced plates of food as well as roasts, casseroles or bakes that could be shared at a family dinner.
STEVE As a kid when I’d get home from school the first words out of my mouth were ‘Mum, what’s for dinner?’ Occasionally both my parents would work late and there was nothing for dinner until Mum got home. That didn’t sit well with me, so if there were things I could start, vegetables to chop up or potatoes to be peeled, I got on with it so dinner could be fast tracked when Mum arrived home. This is where I really began to learn the ropes in the kitchen, fending for myself and helping out. The more I helped out, the more I began to learn and that’s when I started experimenting with different ingredients on my own. I think my natural ability with food stems from those times.
WILL I didn’t really experiment that much but I certainly enjoyed making a few dishes alongside my mum, such as shepherd’s pie and spag bol. Both my brothers were great in the kitchen and were far more inquisitive. I guess I started to learn more as a by-product of their curiosity. My mum was always willing to share her knowledge with us kids and my grandparents were brilliant when they looked after us all when my mum wasn’t well.
STEVE Yeah, my nan on my mum’s side was incredible. Everything she made was from scratch. Chips were made from the garden’s potatoes, pulled and peeled that day, then cooked in the permanent chip pan that was on the stove. Gravies were something that I remember vividly: glossy and thick, incredibly rich … People would eat it by the spoonful if we were allowed. I remember Christmas when there would be 25 people around a huge table. There would be production lines in the kitchen headed up by Nan, my mum and her sisters would all work together and when the plates finally hit the table, the food would be piping hot. To do that for 20 plus people was no mean feat.
What you’re getting in this chapter is a mixture of the new and old, our version of some English classics we were brought up on, some of our favourite treats and dishes that have evolved since we have been working together in the kitchen. And of course, when two guys sit down to write a cookbook, you really can’t be surprised when they dedicate several recipes to roasting meat. We are English after all and magnificent roast dinners were a huge part of our family lives when we lived at home.
WILL This is my favourite section of the book. These big hunks of meat are such a celebration of food and family, and we are really going to a lot of effort to give them the love and attention they deserve to make sure they are beautifully cooked.
STEVE Not only are we making sure people can learn how to cook these kinds of meat but we are also pairing them with homemade sauces, some of which are traditional, others you might not expect, but all are absolutely delicious.
What we demonstrate is that although roasts can often take a long time to cook, they are actually fairly straightforward. Once the meat is in the oven you can pretty much forget about it as long as you have a timer set and you are comfortable with the temperature that you’re roasting at.