We are delighted to share this recipe with you for Bonfire Bangers which is the perfect autumnal recipe for our Copper Tri-Ply Sauté Pan. The free-range pork from field&flower is reared outside all year round. Simon Price, a fourth-generation farmer practices the highest animal welfare standards and is recognised by RSPCA Freedom Foods. His pigs are allowed to grow slowly in a natural environment which gives exceptional tasting pork.
Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/Gas Mark 5. Toss the sausages in a little olive oil and spread out on a baking tray. Cook for 30 minutes until browned all over, turning occasionally.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan. Add the onion, celery, red pepper and bacon and cook for 5-10 minutes until the onion is softened and the bacon is cooked. Add the garlic and chilli flakes and cook for a further 1-2 minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes, passata, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves and sugar. Bring to the boil and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Add the beans and simmer for 15 minutes longer, topping with a little boiling water if the mixture reduces too much.
Nestle the cooked sausages into the bean mixture and place into the oven, cooking for 30 minutes more. Once cooked and bubbling all over, remove from the oven.
To serve:
Sprinkle with parsley (if using) and serve with crusty bread.
As the Autumn weather creeps in and our minds turn to soups and stews, it’s easy to forget the comfort to be had from a good piece of fish. Delicate flavour in a rich and creamy broth, a generous spoon of chilli and pleasing undertones of heat, our fish chowder has all the substance we crave in the winter months.
Also, if you’re interested in entering a competition to win one of our Copper Tri-ply 24cm Stockpots and a fabulous 3-month field&flower subscription, make your way over to their website. Link here.
Heat the oil in a stockpot or large saucepan over a medium heat, then add the onion, bacon and garlic. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the onion is soft and the bacon is cooked. Stir regularly to avoid burning the garlic. Stir in the flour and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Pour in the fish stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the potatoes, cover, then simmer for 10-12 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through.
Add the chilli powder, milk and seasoning to taste.
Tip in the fish pie mix and gently simmer for 4 minutes. Add the cream and sweetcorn and simmer for 1 minute more.
To serve
Check the seasoning and serve with the spring onions on top.
We are delighted to bring you this comforting main course recipe of Artichoke Orzotto with Toasted Pine Nuts. It’s so easy to prepare and the orzo is a wonderful alternative to rice.
280g of artichoke hearts, (approx. 1 jar of marinated artichokes in oil)
70g of unsalted butter
1 leek, finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, sliced
150ml of white wine
300g of orzo
800ml of vegetable stock
1 handful of soft herbs, chopped (we used parsley, chives and tarragon)
80g of Parmesan, grated
1 lemon, zested
Cooking Method
Melt 20g of the butter in a saucepan and sweat the leeks and garlic until soft but without colour. Add a pinch of salt.
Add the orzo to the pan followed by the wine. Reduce by half.
Once the wine has reduced, add the warm stock, a ladle at a time, until the orzo is cooked through. Wait for the stock to be absorbed by the orzo before adding another.
As the orzo is cooking, place two-thirds of the artichokes in a blender along with the oil. Reserve the remaining third to fold through at the end. Blend the the artichokes to a smooth and creamy purée, adding a splash of water if needed. Taste and season with salt.
Once the orzo is just cooked, fold through the puree and stir through until warmed.
Turn off the heat and fold through the Parmesan and remaining butter. Place a lid on the pan and leave to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
As the risotto rests, toast a handful of pine nuts in a hot dry pan until golden.
To serve
To finish, stir through plenty of fresh herbs and some lemon zest and garnish with the toasted pine nuts.
The recipes we brought to you by Mark Dodson and Great British Chefs for our summer feature have been so enthusiastically received that we thought we would ask the experts at Amathus Drinks to recommend three wines to accompany each of the dishes.
The wines have been carefully selected to compliment each of the dishes and also to fit any budget.
This wine has a powerful smell with aromas of eucalyptus, black fruits and toased notes. It’s around and concentrated wine, with a nice balance of spice and fruit, a woody nuance and good length.
Golden delicious apple, pear, pineapple, honey, graham cracker. biscotti. almond and vanilla with citrus, lemon cream, green apple, pear, mineral, toasty oak and vanilla.
Fresh and intense. Mineral aftertaste, vibrant acidity and salinity that, along with the carbonic remains, make the wine fresh and young without being aggressive.
Château De Chausse AOP Côtes De Provence Rosé 2017 – £19.95
Pale pink colour. This very beautiful cuvée reveals elegant aromas of white fruit, enhanced by pure minerality. Delicate and aromatic.
Vintages with hotter conditions stand out for the honey-like, floral and muscatel aromas. However, in fresher vintages, the characteristics of the wine remind of tropical fruits, white flowers and high acidity.
This delicious sweet wine balances flavours of baked peach, vanilla and grapefruit with a delicate, lingering sweetness that never overpowers.
Château Hout-Mayne Sauternes 2011 – £38.80
The nose is mineral with a hint of citrus fruit. The mouth is rich but well- balanced with candied fruits and peach aromas. Long length with subtle spices flavours.
We have all been there, standing in the wine aisle at your local supermarket, hundreds of different bottles staring expectantly back at you, beckoning for your attention. You glance in your basket for inspiration. ‘Prawns… a white then… that one is on offer… it’ll do’. You get home and find the juggernaut of a Californian chardonnay you bought because it was a quid cheaper than usual, stomps all over your fresh, fragrant bowl of prawn linguine. It’s too big; rich and creamy on the palate, with enough oak to build an ark it leaves your dinner crushed and cowering in it’s wake. Evening ruined.
This, however, needn’t happen. We have come up with a few simple rules to help you pick a wine that will compliment what you are eating and lift it to unprecedented heights. Take note and enjoy!
The Rules
Match the wine to the sauce, not the protein.
The protein in a dish is often the star of the show and is therefore important. However, when trying to pick a wine to compliment what you are eating, consider the sauce in which the protein is served. For example, with baked cod in tomato and chorizo sauce, try a juicy pinot noir. Soft, well rounded and not too heavy with medium levels of tannin. This will be able to stand up to the sauce without overshadowing the fish. Likewise, a juicy sirloin with a generous helping of béarnaise sauce can work wonderfully with a robust, layered white. A weighty chenin blanc with well-balanced minerality and a vibrant streak of acidity to cut through the richness of the sauce will work a treat.
Read the label This sounds obvious but winemakers often provide tasting notes and pairing guidelines on the bottle (supermarkets are have begun to do this on price labels too). When browsing the supermarket shelves it can be easy to get sucked in to buying a marked down bottle or simply grabbing one with a pretty label but if you take a moment to read the information given to you it can often result in a better decision.
Match like with like Put simply, match the characteristics of the food with that of the wine. With a light hors d’oeuvre such as salmon mousse blinis go for a delicate, crisp and dry sparkling rosé. Earthy foods like wild mushrooms work well with earthy wines such as cabernet franc. Rich, sweet foods like dark chocolate go beautifully with a rich, sweet crusted port. You get the idea.
Making a Start
To give you a rolling start, we have selected three recipes from our blog and paired them up with a great bottle of vino, any of which would make for the perfect night in.
This little known grape has been hailed as “Sicily’s answer to Malbec” by The Guardian’s Fiona Beckett and this example is fresh and vibrant with a savoury kick of black pepper. A solid, fruity red that would work well with almost all tomato based dishes that represents outstanding value for money.
Staying in Sicily, this time an organically cultivated blend of Grillo (70%) and Chardonnay (30%) that produces aromas of lemon and pineapple. The combination of grape varieties gives this wine a weight that allows it to handle a stew (albeit a light one) without loosing any of that clean acidity that marries so well with the fresh tomato salad.
This Californian red is a blend of four grape varieties; Zinfandel, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Velvety on the pallet with ripe dark fruit and hints of vanilla giving a touch of sweetness make it a perfect tipple with chocolate.
waitrose.com
One more thing…
You don’t have to spend a lot for quality This is not specific to paring wine with food but it’s good to know. A common approach to buying wine is that you get what you pay for. Sometimes true. I once had the pleasure of tasting a 2006 Krug Brut (to save you from asking, around £200) and the only way I can describe it was like walking in to a Parisian bakery on a sunny Saturday morning and hitting a wall of toasty brioche gorgeousness. That said, you can often find good solid wines without breaking the bank. With supermarkets really upping their game in recent years it is easily achievable to get something really special for less than a tenner (£8 if you look hard enough).
If you love cooking, there’s nothing like the lure of a new set of pans to make you want to hotfoot it to the kitchen!
The copper base pans are one of our most popular ranges and we’d like to share the things we love about the collection with you. Read on to find out why cooking with copper-based pans makes perfect sense…
1. Lighter Construction, Efficient, Durable and Great Value for Money
The copper base range is made from a single sheet of stainless steel which has been deep drawn before sheets of aluminium and copper have been impact bonded onto the base. This construction makes them noticeably lighter than our other ranges. The combination of copper and aluminium in the base of the pan means that heat spreads evenly and efficiently throughout the base for an even cook.
The pans use less material than their triple layer counterparts and so they cost less but, just as with the other ranges, the pans have been carefully specified and engineered and they have been put through their paces in the test-labs and kitchens. As such we are proud to offer a lifetime guarantee on everything except the milkpan (which carries a guarantee against manufacturing fault but unfortunately not on the non-stick coating).
2. Glass Lids
There are so many reasons to use a lid – from heat efficiency which achieves a quicker boil to keeping the walls & hob top clean! This is our only range with vented, glass lids meaning that you can easily keep an eye what you’re cooking.
3. Great Capacities
Unlike competitor items our copper base pans are nice and deep so you really can cook for a crowd (or just a hungry family!). The milkpan holds over a litre; the 16cm saucepan holds just shy of 2 litres; the 20cm holds over 3.5 litres; and the stockpot holds a massive 6 litres!
4. Thoughtfully Designed
The comfortable soft grip handles are extremely practical and easy to handle. The silicone wrap means that they will withstand exposure to high temperatures (e.g. in the oven). A steep arch in the handle helps to keep it away from the heat source; and allows the pans to nest efficiently in cupboards or drawers. An eyelet where the handle meets the pan body disperses heat to ensure handles don’t get too hot and there’s a hanging loop if you want to make a feature of them. We also know that larger pans can be very heavy when full so we’ve added helper handles to the 18cm and 20cm saucepans, and the 24cm sauté pan.
5. All-Rounder
These pans work on every hob type except induction; they can go in the oven up to 200ºC; and the fact that they are dishwasher safe means that they are very easy to keep clean.
6. What’s Cooking Good Looking?
Sure, your pan has to be practical. But what if it could look great, too? You’ll be pleased to know our copper base pans more than look the part. The contrast of their copper bases and the stainless steel makes for an eye-catching set of cookware. Well, who said pans had to be tucked away in the cupboard, anyway?
Do you really need an excuse to treat yourself to a new pan collection? We say ‘no’, since when you have all the right gear in the kitchen, you’re much more likely to spend the time whipping up something delicious.
So, to help you make an informed buying decision, we’re sharing what we love about one of our most popular pan collections. Say hello to the copper tri-ply range and discover why professionals wouldn’t be without it…
1. Carefully Engineered
Copper tri-ply cookware starts life as three sheets of high-grade metals: copper, aluminium and stainless steel. The metals are bonded together and deep drawn into a single piece body, meaning that each material delivers it’s benefit throughout the entirety of the pan.
The cast stainless steel handle is attached using stainless steel rivets, inserted under 600 tonnes of pressure – so you can be sure that you will never again have a wobbly handle!
2. Made for Efficiency
If you want efficiency in the kitchen, this range of pans certainly offers it. Working together the copper exterior and aluminium core distribute heat efficiently and evenly. The construction allows you to moderate the heat settings you use during cooking, reducing the amount of energy required to achieve a rolling boil. As a result of the even cook they really are the ideal range for more intricate cooking -they work beautifully for preparing gravies, reducing jus or caramelising sugars.
3. Performance is Guaranteed
The pans in this range are so robust and deliver such great results that professional chefs love using them. With its timeless aesthetic and practical design, the copper tri-ply collection is a great choice for anyone who takes preparing food seriously.
As a result of the selection and management of materials and production; our extensive in-house testing and our real life experience we are confident to offer a lifetime guarantee. This cookware will see you though a life time of cooking and could even be passed on as heirlooms.
4. Versatile
The copper tri-ply range offers optimum versatility and practicality as the pans are all oven and dishwasher safe. This makes them perfect for transferring from hob-to-oven and even oven-to-table (well, they are such handsome devils!). Dishwasher suitability makes the tidy-up so much simpler too.
We have incorporated several design aspects in to these pans to make them not only beautiful but dynamically functional. A steep arch in the handle makes the items easier to handle; it keeps the handle away from the heat source; and, allows the pans to nest efficiently in cupboards or drawers. An eyelet where the handle meets the pan body disperses heat to ensure handles don’t get too hot and a hanging loop enables the pans to be elegantly displayed in your kitchen. We also know that larger pans can be very heavy when full. That’s why we have added helper handles to the 18cm and 20cm saucepans, and the 24cm sauté pan.
6. Simply Stunning
So many of our customers tell us they can’t wait to display their pans as soon as they get them home. The great thing about making the range a feature of your space is that you can either let the copper age naturally, admiring the beautiful character develop or, you can use Brasso or a salt and white wine vinegar solution to restore the copper to its fabulous, warm glow.
The copper tri-ply is our biggest range. From the mini pans through to the sauté pans and 24cm stockpots – there is something for everyone. Each and every piece is an absolute showstopper and if you are considering these as a gift for new home-owners, newly-weds or a keen home cook, they are sure to raise a smile and deliver a lifetime of kitchen bliss ( … OK, we can’t guarantee that bit!).
This is a phrase that is thrown around all over the place these days. Whether its chocolate bars getting smaller or washing machines packing in after just a few years, it is becoming more evident that everyday items are gradually transforming into shadows of their former selves.
The cost of raw materials is increasing. As is the pressure to be competitive in a market saturated with products and outlets. It is therefore understandable that companies are de-spec’ing their products in order to make their production viable and profitable. An unfortunate downside of this is that product quality and longevity suffer, making items less durable in a society that is becoming increasingly throwaway.
Brands that continue to manufacture a product designed to last, who are unwilling to sacrifice quality to participate in a race to be cheapest and are now something of a rarity. We believe ProWare to be an example of such a brand.
Our cookware is used daily in professional kitchens
‘What would we want in our own kitchen?’
When developing our products, we wanted the result to be something we would be willing to buy ourselves, that would satisfy our appetites for quality and value.
For this reason, we went above and beyond when specifying our cookware. The Tri-Ply ranges have a minimum wall thickness of 2.5mm (up to 3mm in the Copper Tri-Ply). This is more than six times that of some commercially available items. The handles on all our pan ranges are cast stainless steel, as are the rivets used to attach them. Securing the handle with stainless steel rivets requires 200 tonnes of pressure and ensures the handle will never loosen. Most manufacturers use aluminium rivets, which are fastened using only 45 tonnes of pressure due to aluminium being a softer metal than stainless steel. This is considered a more cost effective choice but aluminium can deform as a result of sustained stress or frequent jarring. This can cause handles to loosen with time.
Perhaps the most vunerable part of any pot or pan is the interior. It is this surface that will be exposed to the most hostile conditions. The interior of a pan will regularly come in to contact with three potentially destructive elements; moisture, heat and acidity. These can combine to become detrimental to some metals over time so it is essential the correct ones are used. That is why we use 18/10 grade stainless steel for the interiors of all our pans. The name refers to the chromium and nickel contents of the steel. This is considered the highest grade of stainless steel in domestic use and is noted for its excellent resistance to corrosion.
You can find out more about the construction of our pans here.
Buy well, buy once
We are confident in the knowledge that we have done everything possible to make our pans as good as they can be. It is this which allows us to offer a lifetime guarantee across all ranges with the exception of our non-stick items. The non-stick we use is Teflon Platinum Plus, a market leader renowned for its toughness and longevity. As good as it may be, it will not last forever.
We hope you can share our faith in the cookware we produce and that you can make a purchase knowing it will stay with you through decades of use to be passed on to future generations.
It is no secret that copper is currently experiencing a huge upsurge in popularity. This is mainly thanks to its beautiful colour featuring heavily in the ranges of countless homeware retailers. There is, however, far more to this lustrous metal than just its appearance.
For example, it has a greater level of thermal conductivity than any other metal (except silver); roughly 60% higher than aluminium and 3000% higher than stainless steel. This means copper is capable of heating up very quickly when compared to other metals.
Perhaps a less commonly known property of copper is it being inherently antimicrobial. A wide range of harmful microbes are unable to survive for more than a couple of hours when in contact with a surface made of copper or one of its alloys (brass and bronze). This has led to it often being used for frequently touched surfaces such as door knobs, push plates and taps.
A seemingly perfect material for cooking, it is therefore no surprise that it has been used in kitchens for millennia. But exactly when did we learn to utilise copper and its valuable assets?
Origins
It is hard to pin down an exact date when copper cookware was first introduced. Pieces discovered in regions of the middle east were dated as far back as 9000BC, suggesting cooking with copper began during the Neolithic period (≈10000-2000BC). As civilisations became increasingly capable in metallurgical techniques, metals such as copper became more widely used. It would have been around this time that copper replaced stone as the material used for making tools and cooking vessels.
The use of copper is also well documented in Ancient Egypt. Not only was it used to produce water and oil containers, but it was also used to in medical practices. The antimicrobial nature of copper was exploited long before the concept of microorganisms was fully understood. The Smith Papyrus, a medical text written between 2600 and 2200BC records the use of copper in sterilising wounds and drinking water.
Tin Lining
Although copper is essential to many processes within the human body, it can become toxic if consumed in excess. It was this knowledge that gave rise to lining cookware with tin, a technique used for hundreds of years to prevent copper leaching in to food.
These tin linings would eventually wear out and during the 18th and 19th century, it was common for people to send pans away to be re-tinned. This practice is becoming increasingly rare, as are the craftsmen who perform it. Despite this, there are still manufactures producing tin-lined copper cookware who also offer a re-lining service. Perhaps the best known of these is Mauviel, a French manufacturer who have been making this type of cookware since 1830.
Tin has now largely been replaced by stainless steel as an interior cooking surface. Not only is it more cost effective, but the high grade of stainless steel used in premium cookware (typically 18/10) is highly resistant to corrosion and more durable than tin.
Copper Base
Another way in which the virtues of copper have been combined with those of stainless steel is in copper base cookware. A base plate made from a layer copper and aluminium is fused to a stainless steel body. This is done using a process called impact bonding using 600 tonnes of pressure.
The high conductivity of copper means the base of the pan will heat much more evenly, reducing the formation of hot spots. Modern 3 ply copper cookware effectively extends this base construction up the sides of the pan also.
As manufacturing processes advanced it became possible to combine different materials to produce cookware made up of three distinct layers, each possessing their own unique properties. These are as follows;
1st Layer – Copper
Very high thermal conductivity allows the entire outer surface to heat rapidly and evenly.
2nd Layer – Aluminium
Provides a lightweight core with excellent thermal retention.
3rd Layer – Stainless Steel
An inert and highly durable cooking surface.
It is this type of construction that is used by ProWare to produce our Copper Tri-Ply cookware. You can find out more about how these pans are made here.
Spice Kitchen are an award-winning artisan producer of tea and spice blends based in Walsall. They have a excellent range of small batch, freshly ground spices great for keen home cooks. In addition to this they sell products for tea aficionados and have some wonderful gift ideas.
They were kind enough to send us two of their spice tins (Gift of the Year 2018), containing 10 Indian spices with 7 individual spice pots, wrapped in a beautiful handmade silk sari wrap.
We have used the spices from their Indian Spice Tin to make a fantastic Lamb Rogan Josh. Lamb Rogan Josh is an old family favourite of ours and for the longest time the version in Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cookery was our go-to dish for an easy Saturday night.
The dish originates from Kashmir and can be made using beef or lamb. In researching this version, we saw a suggestion that the meat could be substituted for cauliflower – though cooking times would obviously be significantly reduced!
Part of the faff of making this dish was sorting through the spice cupboard or having to pop out to the supermarket. Thanks to Spice Kitchen almost all of the ingredients were easily to hand in the spice tin.
The dish is even better if it is prepared ahead of time and the sweet yellow rice is a perfect accompaniment if you have the time!
Using a blender, combine the ginger, garlic and 4 tbsp water into a smooth paste.
Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pot over a medium-high heat and brown the meat in several batches. Set to one side.
Add the cardamom, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon to the hot oil, stir once and wait until the cloves swell and the bay takes on colour. Then add the onions and fry for 5 minutes until they brown.
Add ginger paste and fry for 30 seconds. Mix in the coriander, cumin, paprika and cayenne; then add the fried meat and juices and stir for 30 seconds.
Add 1 tbsp of the yoghurt and stir until it is well blended. Add the remaining yoghurt, a tablespoon at a time, stirring in between.
Cook for a further 3-4 minutes then add 425ml water and bring to the boil.
Cover and turn heat to low. Simmer for 2 hours or until meat is tender. Alternatively, cook in oven at 180C. Stir every 15 minutes or so.
When the meat is tender, turn the heat up, remove the lid and boil off some liquid.
Before serving, skim off as much fat as you can from the top and sprinkle with garam masala and some freshly ground black pepper.
Using a frying pan, toast the saffron over a medium heat until the threads turn slightly darker.
Put the milk in a cup and crumble in the saffron. Set aside for 3 hours.
Wash the rice, changing the water 3 times, then drain. Leave it to soak in 1.2 litres of water for 30 minutes. Drain and leave in the colander for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2.
Heat the ghee over a medium heat in a wide, oven-proof pan. When it’s hot, add the cardamom and cinnamon and stir. Add the rice and stir.
Sauté the rice gently for about 3 minutes, reducing the heat slightly if it begins to catch. Add 325 ml of water and the salt.
Increase the heat back to medium and gently stir. Cook the rice until all the water is absorbed.
Pour in the saffron milk and stir in the almonds, sultanas and sugar. Cover very tightly and put the pan in the oven for 30 minutes.
Remove the rice from the oven and stir. Remove the cardamom and cinnamon. Sprinkle with the extra sultanas and almonds to serve.
