As the first-ever chef ambassador for 24 Hours in Farming, Tom Aikens is passionate about encouraging more people to cook from scratch and better understand where their food comes from.
In his own restaurants, Tom grows what he can and sources the rest from British farms.
"The journey starts from the ground up," he says.
"We must be more supportive of our British farmers, and more conscious of the monumental effort that goes into producing food."
British food
This year's #farm24 campaign focuses on building a nation on healthy British food.
In a recent podcast with Farmers Guardian, Tom encouraged people to get back into the kitchen and cook things from scratch.
He said that even if you're short of time, there are lots of ways to connect with food and British farming.
To help get people started, Tom has shared three simple recipes designed to encourage cooking from scratch.
Recipes
ROAST CHICKEN, LEEK AND BACON PIE
Serves: 1 x 8-inch pie dish
Ingredients
- Puff pastry – approx. 290g, rolled to 3mm thick
- 140g for the base (rolled slightly thicker)
- 160g for the lid (rolled thinner to cover a larger surface area)
- You can use just a top, or both a base and a top. Have them rolled and rested in the fridge ahead of time - 260g chopped leek, washed in cold water
- 120g finely diced onion
- 40g butter
- 100g smoked bacon lardons
- A pinch of dried thyme leaves (or 1 tsp fresh thyme)
- 2g salt
- 12 turns of milled pepper
- 8g plain flour
- 150ml chicken stock
- 150ml double cream
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 250g cooked leftover roast chicken (leg or breast, roughly flaked into large pieces)
Method
Place a shallow pan onto a low med heat and add the butter - when it has melted add the onion, thyme, salt, pepper and cook with a lid on the pan so the onions sweat and they don't colour.
Cook them for 4-5 minutes slowly with no colour, stirring them now and again.
Add the leek and bacon and cook for 3-4 minutes slowly still with the lid on the pan, remove the lid and add the flour cook out for 1 minute stirring then add the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, cook for 2-3 minutes then add the double cream.
Bring to a simmer and add the chicken pieces and cook for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave to cool, add the chopped parsley and place this in to your pie dish.
Then if you have a base, seal it with the top around the edges by crimping it with a fork or your fingers, or just place over the lid.
Brush on a little egg wash and place into the oven for 35 minutes at 180c.
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DRY ROAST PORK BELLY WITH CREAMED POLENTA
(1) Dry Roast Pork Belly
Ingredients
- 1 x 1.5-2kg pork belly (Score and then cut the pork belly)
- 4 garlic cloves, bashed
- Few sprigs of rosemary
- Few sprigs of thyme
- ½ tsp crushed black pepper
- 4 tbsp of coarse salt or Maldon
Method
Mix all the above together and then rub onto the belly for 12 -24 HRS
Then remove the salt mix, wipe off with kitchen paper, rub in olive oil, sprinkle on more coarse sea salt, place onto a wire rack and cook at 220c to crisp up for 15 mins then slow bake at 140c for approx 2.5 hours till tender, then let it cool for 15 mins, and slice it up, serving the polenta with it and any cooking juices.
(2) Creamed Polenta
Ingredients
- 200g fine polenta
- 600ml white chicken OR VEG stock
- 1 /2 tsp chopped rosemary
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice & lemon zest
- 20g sour cream
- 50g grated parmesan
- 20g butter
- 50ml olive oil
Method
Put the stock and rosemary into a pan and bring to a low heat, slowly whisk in the polenta until it starts to thicken.
Add the butter and whisk this in with the olive oil, check the seasoning add the parmesan lemon juice & zest, any fresh herbs that you have Cover with a sheet of greaseproof paper.
24 Hours in Farming: Support this year's campaign
TREACLE & MARMITE MARINATED BEEF SHORTRIB WITH ROAST BEETS
(1) Brine for the beef
Ingredients
- 1 large beef short rib (Jacob's Ladder)
- 2L water
- 2kg ice
- 200g salt
- 100g honey
- 30g sugar
- 6 bay leaves
- 2 heads garlic, peeled and bashed
- 15g black peppercorns
- 2g cloves
- 12g thyme
- 12g sage
Method
Bring all the above ingredients to a low simmer, then turn off the heat. Leave to cool completely, then place the beef into the cooled brine in a large bowl or deep tray. Brine for 2 hours.
After brining, remove the beef and place it on a tray with a cooling wire to air dry in the fridge.
(2) Short Rib Marinade
Ingredients
- 200g malt extract
- 150g dark treacle
- 100g Marmite
Method
Mix all marinade ingredients together.
Line a roasting tray with double-folded parchment paper and place the brined beef inside. Rub the marinade thoroughly onto the beef, then add 250ml water to the tray.
Cover the beef with a second sheet of double-folded parchment, then seal tightly with double foil to retain moisture.
Slow cook overnight at 120°C for approximately 12 hours, or until the meat is tender.
Once cooked, portion the beef by slicing between the bones. Serve with all the cooking juices.
(3) Pickled & Roasted Beets
Preparation
Use small beetroot (approx. 2.5 per portion). Trim tops and place into a pan of cold salted water. Simmer for 10 minutes until skins loosen. Refresh in iced water and peel.
Cut all the beets in half and proceed with the pickle below.
Pickling Liquid
Ingredients
- 400ml water
- 200ml red wine vinegar
- 400ml beetroot or apple juice
- 50g brown sugar
- 10g salt
- 12g thyme sprigs
- 10 black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
Method
Reduce port or red wine (if using) with the herbs and peppercorns to a glaze.
Add beet juice and reduce to 200ml, then add the rest of the ingredients.
Bring to a simmer and infuse for 15 minutes.
Add the halved beets, simmer for 5–7 minutes until lightly pickled, then cool in the liquid.
To Finish the Beets
Ingredients
- 30ml olive oil
- 25g butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Drain the cooled beets. Heat a frying pan, add olive oil, then butter.
Add the beets and season. Caramelise for approx. 10 minutes. Deglaze with reserved pickling liquor, reducing to a glaze so the beets are shiny and well-coated.
(4) Assembly
Place the sliced beef onto a large serving dish. Arrange the glazed beets around the meat and spoon over all the rich cooking juices to serve.
You can follow Tom on social media @tomaikens
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