Out of the woods….

Confused by which way to head in 2015 ? No one more so than this pheasant…

I found myself whirling from 2014 into 2015.  I was cooking up in Scotland for a Hogmanay celebration for about 25 guests.  With the help of a sensational sidekick we conjured up feast after feast.  Curry nights, Middle Eastern table spreads, hearty lunches, big breakfasts, game pies and decadent afternoon teas.  The group threw themselves into their weeks celebrations with shooting days, mammoth walks, ceilidhs nights and by even having a piper lead them into supper.

I am delighted to say the job also gave me some record breaking statistics for my ‘this weeks’ section (see below) as well as a stunning setting to see the old year out and welcome the new one in.

Having cooked a lot of game over the last couple of months I have to say I feel a tinge of sadness as the season comes to a close.  Grouse are well ‘out of the woods’, as their season closes early December with some of the more Northern Scottish estates ending it even earlier as frankly no matter how much of an enthusiast  its just too darn cold to stand out on a moor and wait for a bird to fly your way in November or December. Partridge and pheasant still have to be wary but by the 31st they too can sleep sound at night.

You may be thinking that I will wistfully be giving you a game recipe for this postcard…

but I have a far more important list of ingredients to share with you.

I have noticed a trend that seems to have caught on in every house I visited lately and unfortunately it’s not a good one.  Colds, lurgies, coughs and fevers seem to be rife with some places sounding more like infirmaries than households!

So to battle this I decided my first recipe for 2015 should be a juice to help set you all back on track.  Packed full of fruits, vegetables and herbs that will help reboot the system, perhaps not the drink that you were hoping to celebrate the start of the year with but remember it will do you the power of good.

 You can now follow me on instagram by searching for phollowphilippa as well as twitter @phollowphilippa

New Year Job:

306 eggs (yes really)

41 packs of butter (ditto)

Percentage of ‘Auldlang syne’ choruses sang in tune: 50%

Pints of cream used:14

Pipers left to pay : 0

Fire alarms set off: 2

Last year;

Different beds slept in: 32

Food Markets visited: 23

Culinary Triumph :Verveine  cream

Culinary Disaster : gluten free scone attempt

Total numberof fire alarms set off : 4

Toothbrushes left behind : 0

Reboot juice

Serves 2

 Small bunch of Parsley stalks (loads of vitamins and may act as an antiseptic for teeth and gum disease)

50 g Watercress (helps with a healthy complexion)

2 Apples (boosts your immune system)

2 sticks of Celery (soothes the nerves)

2 large peeled Carrots (helps to regulate blood sugar and boost the immune system)

1 finger of Ginger (anti-inflammatory )

40g white cabbage (lowers cholesterol)

Put everything through the juicer and drink straight away and I admit it may not be the tastiest thing you drink this January or the most attractive but it will do you good so get juicing and ‘bottoms up’!

Next stop…. Dublin