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So, how did all our Big Feasts go then?

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Re: So, how did all our Big Feasts go then?

Postby strictlysalsaclare » Sun Dec 31, 2017 4:20 pm

Well, I thought our two pheasants would make 12 meals - some of them have been eked out with ham and vegetables. Now I've made the stock and picked the meat off the carcass, this will now make 14 meals. Not bad return for the £6.00 I paid for them!

We are having pheasant risotto tonight, and I've currently got a beef, Ale and mushroom casserole in the oven, which will be tomorrow's pie filling.

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Re: So, how did all our Big Feasts go then?

Postby Sakkarin » Mon Jan 01, 2018 12:52 am

strictlysalsaclare wrote:Well.... our two pheasants... will now make 14 meals.
I eked my chicken out to make 16 meals. Here's today's...

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(Didn't really, I had the rest of the wing portion and the rest of the veg too for a proper sized meal, just made this little plate up because it's what crossed my mind when you said the pheasant had made 14 meals!...)

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Re: So, how did all our Big Feasts go then?

Postby Lusciouslush » Mon Jan 01, 2018 10:55 am

Ahhaaaaa! You had me worried there for a second - I thought the NY detox we will inevitably be nagged about had come early!

Yes - wots all that about Strictly? were your pheasants on steroids? I find one pheasant only serves two.

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Re: So, how did all our Big Feasts go then?

Postby strictlysalsaclare » Mon Jan 01, 2018 11:38 pm

Hi all

When I say 14 meals,I probably mean 14 individual portions, so sorry for the confusion!

I pot roasted the pheasants so they didn't shrink down very much. Also, as I said in my earlier post, the addition of home cooked ham and vegetables did make the meat go a bit further. We are not that big meat eaters either. This is what I made from our two birds, which must have been hen pheasants; each meal for two unless otherwise stated.

Christmas Dinner
Boxing Day hash (with ham and veg in it as well)
Jellied Ham and Pheasant Terrine - cheese and various pickles were served alongside. This made 3 portions, despite it being set in an individual pie dish
Festive Minestrone - again the pheasant was eked out with pasta, veg and ham this time
1 large pheasant, ham and cranberry pasty-with additional leeks and mushrooms
pheasant risotto, with home made stock made from the carcasses.
As I managed to pick off so much meat from the carcasses once the stock was made, I got enough for 4 modest portions of a pheasant and veg noodle soup

I do seem to have inherited my granny's skills in making a little bit of food go a long way.

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Re: So, how did all our Big Feasts go then?

Postby Petronius » Tue Jan 02, 2018 9:29 pm

On Christmas Day we baked a marmalade glazed ham (boiled the previous day), a turkey crown, a turkey and a gorgeous piece of top side. In Downham market was a greengrocer selling stalks of sprouts - a top third of the stalk was used as part of trivet of veg for the beef to sit on and made gravy. That worked well.

Plus roast potatoes and parsnips, red cabbage, sprouts with bacon and chestnuts, carrots and various sauces. We came so close to disaster more than once. One of the family is vegetarian; cooked some roasties in goose fat and a few others in veg oil and once cooked put aside. Someone, being very helpful, tipped one into the other to save room! (no, it wasn't me) fortunately the small lot were tipped on top of the goose fat one so we managed to find four to save the day.

The plan was to par boil carrots (me) sprouts (daughter) early, place in iced water etc. In the chaos of the kitchen - amazing how many houses everyone congregates in the kitchen - they were over cooked but we managed to save them.

The turkey crown took ages to cook, no meat thermometer - stuck a knife in - just as daughter was finishing the sprouts in the frying pan, she looked at me, said a rude word, we'd both forgotten the turkey stuffing - then she smiled, 'but no-one will notice, will they?' They didn't. Nanna used it the following day with bubble and squeak. :thumbsup

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Re: So, how did all our Big Feasts go then?

Postby karadekoolaid » Wed Jan 03, 2018 2:25 am

I have to admit we had the weirdest, intercultural fusion meal I have ever eaten. I think the only thing missing was a plate of Mexican Sushi....
Hallacas (tamales Venezuelan style), ham bread (Venezuelan), mini capressas-on-a-stick, blue cheese shortbread, chorizo-stuffed mushrooms, lentil soup, roast turkey breast, roast potatoes, Russian salad with chicken, chocolate cake....my goodness, I don't even know what to do with the leftovers!

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Re: So, how did all our Big Feasts go then?

Postby Gillthepainter » Wed Jan 03, 2018 2:34 pm

Had a planned buffet with my sister and family in Doncaster.
I said I'd bring the salads. One puy, mint and feta (feta to be added at last minute)
One rice noodle.
And one tomato with sumac.

Plus spanish omelette etc. Other nibbles.

Lucky, as my sis was poorly, and I'd made the majority of the food.

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I made life easy for transporting, by getting cheap bowls from a cheapO shop, where I simply removed my clingfilm, and popped the dishes onto the table.
I now have some extra mixing bowls for my kitchen.

My family are real meat eaters, and felt positively virtuous eating the salads.

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Re: So, how did all our Big Feasts go then?

Postby Gillthepainter » Wed Jan 03, 2018 2:35 pm

Sakkarin, that dinky plate looks darling!

mini capressas-on-a-stick

such a good idea.

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Re: So, how did all our Big Feasts go then?

Postby karadekoolaid » Wed Jan 03, 2018 5:23 pm

Good thing is, Gill, that Mexican shops always seem to have red cherry, grape, tiger and yellow tomatoes. Wonderful colour contrasts!

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Re: So, how did all our Big Feasts go then?

Postby Petronius » Sun Jan 14, 2018 6:40 pm

A few more (and the last) insights into our Christmas.

Downham Market has a weekly market (Friday and Saturday) that I would love to have in our town. Greengrocer, Fishmonger, Baker, Butcher, Dairy as well as all sorts of other goods of little interest to me at the time. Just in case any of you travel that way.

Because of travelling on the Thursday we decided to order in a takeaway. It's then I realised there is a food snob in my soul somewhere. The crispy pizza I'd ordered was no longer crispy on arrival, partly because of distance and partly because the square of dough had been covered with topping right to, and over, the edge. Those who had chilli type meals thought them very good.

The Saturday evening we had an outside caterer as we'd planned a posh night, everyone looking their best and cocktails (grandchildren have jobs in bars) and nibbles to start. Wonderful. All organised by one of the family - adult.

My steak and ale pie was delicious, I'd love to be able to get that amount of flavour and cabbage the same, but, and it was
a big BUT,


this was placed in front of me



steak pie.jpg
steak pie.jpg (161.61 KiB) Viewed 2265 times




on a cold plate, mashed potato barely warm, nearly cold.

What do you think? I had to button my lip because the lovely person who organised it was equally horrified so … kept stum.

For dessert, I chose apricot brioche bread and butter pudding – out of this world, I'd get close but not that good.

We'd asked to eat at 7.30pm and he said he'd be there for 5.30, we made sure the kitchen was clear.

At about 6.30 he said he was on his way but OK because everything was prepared – as someone said, so he's not cooking from scratch then. It was served at 8.15. His wife was lovely, but run off her feet.

I wanted to have a chat with the chef about presentation, but decided not to spoil the atmosphere - sometimes us foodies have to recognise that not everyone sees the world as we do, or as I do. :thumbsup

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Re: So, how did all our Big Feasts go then?

Postby Gillthepainter » Mon Jan 15, 2018 10:13 am

cripes! You did well to keep it buttoned.
And a wise move too. You would have been remembered for having said something. The meal would have become insignificant.

You know in the future, not to have it catered.

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Re: So, how did all our Big Feasts go then?

Postby Petronius » Mon Jan 15, 2018 11:50 am

For once I made the right decision! As you say, the quality of the food was remembered not Pops doing his nut -again!

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