Recipes
Traditional cheese straws - so simple and completely moreish
100g (4 oz) self raising flour
75g (3 oz) grated Cricketer Cheddar or Half Fat Cheese
50g (2 oz) butter
1 egg - beaten
Pinch of salt
Pinch of dried mustard powder
Method
- Mix flour, salt and mustard together, then rub in the butter to make fine
breadcrumbs
- Mix in the cheese, and add enough egg to make a stiff dough
- Roll out very thinly and cut into strips
- Optional: Cut out some circles in the dough, so when everything is cooked you
can thread the strips through to make a display!
- Place on a greased tray, glaze with a little beaten egg and milk and place
into a pre-heated oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 200°C, 400°F or Gas Mark 6
See if you can
let them cool before you eat them!
Jo's cheese straws for cheats!
1 x packet of ready-made / rolled
short crust or puff pastry
140g (5 oz) grated Cricketer Cheddar
or Half Fat Cheese
Method
- Unwrap pastry,
lie on a flat clean work surface
-
Sprinkle
grated cheese on top of the pastry
- Lightly roll
grated cheese into the pastry
-
Cut pastry
into strips
- Lightly twist
strips of pastry and place onto a greased baking tray. Glaze with a little beaten egg and milk mix,
put into a
pre-heated oven for 10-15 minutes at 200°C, 400°F or Gas
Mark 6
Cheesy Pasta
40g butter
40g plain flour
450 ml semi skimmed milk
1 tsp dried mustard powder
100g grated Cricketer Cheese
Pinch of ground white pepper
400g dried pasta shapes
Method
- Gently melt the butter in a
saucepan
- Take the pan off the heat and add
the flour, pepper and dried mustard powder and stir until the mix goes
thick in consistency
- Put the pan back on the heat and
gently stir, once the mix is hot gradually add a little milk, and stir in
- Add more milk and stir gradually,
do not allow the milk or the mix to burn
- Add the rest of the milk this
way, very slowly and gradually stirring all the time so you do not get any
lumps
- Cook the pasta in boiling water and drain
well
- Pour into a heat proof dish, pour
over the sauce and sprinkle with a bit more cheese
- Then place under a hot grill to
melt
- Serve with a fresh green salad,
crusty roll or garlic bread
Cottage Pie with Cheesy Mash topping
Base
A dash of vegetable oil
1 x large onion, peeled and chopped
2 x medium to large carrots, peeled
and diced
1 x clove of garlic - chopped
500g lean minced beef
150ml of red wine
2 tbsp of plain flour
250ml of beef stock
100g mushrooms - sliced
2 tbsp tomato puree
½ tsp of dried herbs
A splash of Worcester sauce
Salt and pepper to season
½ tsp Bovril
Method
- Heat
the vegetable oil in a large saucepan; add the diced onion, garlic, diced
carrots and gently fry until the onions are lightly coloured and softened (approx
8-10 minutes cooking time)
- Add
the mincemeat and the vegetables and stir until the meat is no longer pink in colour
- Add the wine, cook to evaporate the liquid
then stir in the flour
- Gradually
add the beef stock, herbs, tomato purée, Bovril, Worcester sauce and sliced
mushrooms. Add 200ml of cold water and bring to the boil, then simmer gently on
a low heat until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened. Approx 25-30
minutes cooking time. Add more stock as required
- Season
with salt and pepper to taste
Topping
900g medium sized potatoes, peeled and
cut into quarters
40g spreadable butter
3 tbsp of milk
100g grated Cricketer Mature Cheddar
or Reduced Fat Cheese
Salt and pepper to season
- Boil
the potatoes until they are soft, drain well
- Put
the potatoes back into the saucepan or a bowl; add the butter, milk and cheese,
and mash until smooth and lump free (you can use single cream instead of milk
for a really indulgent mash)
- Season
to taste
- Put
the meat mix in the bottom of a large ovenproof dish
- Spoon
the mashed potato over the top of the meat, start around the outside first and
finish in the middle
- Decorate
by smoothing the mash down with a fork and place on a baking tray into a pre
heated oven. Gas Mark 6, 200°C, 400°C for 25 minutes,
or until the topping is golden and the filling is bubbling
- Serve
with green beans, broccoli or peas!
Dee's Cheese Scones
using Half Fat Cheese
225g/8oz self raising flour
Pinch of salt
55g/2oz unsalted butter
55g/2oz Cricketer reduced fat red cheese,
grated
150ml/5fl oz milk
Tsp of paprika or smoked paprika
Method
- Heat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7. Lightly grease a baking sheet
- Mix together the flour and salt, and rub in the butter
- Stir in the cheese and paprika, then the milk to get a soft dough
- Turn onto a floured work surface and knead very lightly. Pat the
dough down to about 2cm / ¾ inch in thickness. Use a 5cm / 2inch cutter to
stamp out rounds and place on the baking sheet. Lightly knead together the rest
of the dough and stamp out more scones to use it all up
- Brush the tops of the scones with a little milk. Bake for 12-15
minutes until well risen and golden
- Cool on a wire rack
Try serving straight from the oven with some farm house butter - delicious!
Or try splitting, and topping with Parma ham or salmon for canapés
Lisa's Mini Cheese Croquettes
Makes 40 mini
croquettes - ideal for nibbles!
Ingredients
2 Eggs
75g (3 oz) freshly grated parmesan
cheese
250g (9oz) grated Cricketer Cheddar
Cheese or Cricketer Half Fat Cheese
2 tbsp plain flour
25g (1oz) Sesame Seeds
1 tbsp freshly chopped chives
Pinch of salt and pepper
2 tbsp wholemeal or brown breadcrumbs
with a handful of sesame seeds for coating
Oil for deep-frying
Instructions
1. Place the eggs, cheese, flour, sesame
seeds and chives in a food processor and mix until well combined. Cover and
refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the
deep fryer to 1800C, 3500F and place the breadcrumbs and
extra sesame seeds on a plate.
3. Shape 2 tsp of the cheese mixture
into a croquette, and then roll in the breadcrumbs to lightly coat. Repeat with
the remaining mixture.
4. Deep-fry the croquettes, a few at a
time until well browned. Drain on kitchen paper. Serve hot.
These can be prepared 2 days ahead. Make
to stage 3 then cover the uncooked croquettes and refrigerate until required.
