Sorry, I’ve been OOO
Last week Tess and I took the week off work to explore the Lake District, something that had been on her bucket list ever since we decided to move to the UK. In her words, she wanted to see “the really cute old stone towns with long rolling hills filled with sheep.” So that’s exactly what we did!
We booked a little ‘shepherd’s hut’ on the edge of Wasdale Lake, right in the heart of the mountains. What we didn’t realise was that our hut sat on a lambing field, where lambs were quite literally being born a couple of feet away. When we arrived there was a 1 day-old lamb with its mother, and by day two we were surrounded by three fresh lambs, no older than 24 hours - taking their first wobbly steps. It was fascinating to watch their behaviours up close, a bit like being part of a low-budget David Attenborough documentary. All in all, a very entertaining way to spend an evening with a bottle of wine by the lake. Oh, and I should also mention that the farm was home to a herd of alpacas. Random, but equally as entertaining.
Overall the trip was incredible. There’s something special about revisiting a place you know well, one you might even take for granted, with someone who’s experiencing it all for the first time. You see things through their eyes and begin to appreciate it so much more. It has a way of making you see the beauty in what’s right on your doorstep.
Anyway, before we headed away I made a slow-braised beef cheeks dish that I’d been dreaming about ever since the first time I made beef cheeks. It takes a little time and effort, but the result is incredibly tasty - rich and deeply flavoured. It benefits from something fresh and bright on the side to lift it, like green vegetables or a vinaigrette salad. And it goes without saying that serving it over mashed potatoes or even with fries is a complete no-brainer.
Things to note
Adding beef bones into this recipe adds a depth of flavour that a stock cube simply cannot achieve. If you have a home made roasted beef bone stock then you could swap it off for the bones, otherwise just head to your local butcher and ask them if they would slice up a beef knuckle for you, it costs about £2-3 for a kilogram so it is cheap.
Something I love about recipes like this is that they can be made ahead of time. You could prepare it the day before and, once it's cooled slightly, pop it in the fridge overnight. Then simply take it out and reheat in the oven for an hour before serving. Doing it this way actually makes the beef even more tender and saves you so much time on the day.
