Celebrate Welsh Beef with National Yorkshire Pudding Day

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Have you ever watched shows like Master Chef and Great British Bakeoff and imagined what it must be like to cook and bake under such pressure?

Well imagine away because this is how I feel on a daily basis.

Hubster and I have been together ten years this year and I have learnt a lot in those years.

Cooking for a beef farmer (whether they still have cows or not) can only be compared to cooking bread for Paul Hollywood or sticky toffee pudding (with baked bean reduction) for John Torode. It’s a highly pressured environment where life and lunch is on the line.

I’ve made many, many mistakes over the years but, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and I am much more confident in cooking for him now.

In honour of National Yorkshire Pudding Day, I have cooked up my best Welsh roast beef recipe for you.

Wales is famous for its lamb but those lush green valleys also lend themselves to cows and such luscious grass means Welsh beef, like British beef at large, is the best in the world.

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My joint was a thick slab of silverside-perfect for roasting in a pot rather than a roasting dish in my opinion as it benefits from any steam created from a lidded pot.

There are many ways to roast Welsh beef and this is how I did it.

I placed two carrots-I don’t bother to peel or chop, just take the ends off, one to two onions depending on the size and a stick of celery in the bottom of my pot, which is a heavy enamel one I picked up in the supermarket.

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Then I crumbled a beef stock cube over the veg and lovingly placed the Welsh beef on the top.

I then added a splash of red wine (maybe 100 mls) and enough hot water to cover the vegetables-but not the Welsh beef.

I placed it in a hot oven on 200 degrees for 20 minutes and then turned it down to 150 degrees for around two hours.

Some 20 minutes before the end, I looked in the pot, gave the veg a little stir (as much as you can when the beef is on top) and put it back in the oven with the lid off.

If you like your Welsh beef rare, adjust the time but we are a well-done family here. Even Hubster.

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I leave it to rest for around 20-30 minutes which is just enough time to make the gravy, put the Yorkshire puddings in the oven and put some of the vegetables on.

The roast potatoes were already in the oven and I had made the Yorkie batter ahead of time. I apologise now to any Yorkshire Pudding stalwarts here but I add dried herbs to my Yorkshire puddings. Depending on my mood it is either thyme or rosemary or both. I know, I know, I am a Yorkshire pudding cheat.

As any discerning Yorkshire pudding baker will tell you, the fat needs to be hot in the tray before you even think of putting the batter in the oven.

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I did Google Yorkshire puddings and apparently, in the early years they used to be one massive pudding used to soak up any juices from the meat on a spit. I do like to use a whole baking tray for my puddings but Hubster prefers the individual ones so on this occasion, that is what I did.

Horseradish has to be on tap as well as good, hot English yellow mustard. You know the one which burns the inside of your nose? I love both condiments and sometimes have a bit of both for maximum fieriness.

I served the roast on this occasion with cauliflower and carrots, for the simple reason that the children both like them.

I used a hand held mixer to liquidise the juices and vegetables at the bottom of the pan, added pepper and a but of a rue to thicken and heated it up again.*

The verdict?

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Hubster said the Welsh beef was absolutely delicious. We love beef in this house. Having farmed cattle, the taste of a cut of beef really does pay homage to the hard work the farmer will have put in to bring this joint to our table and tables across the country.

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*The next day, I shredded a bit of the beef into some of the leftover gravy and added another stock cube and a bit more water to make a soup for lunch along with roast beef and horseradish sandwiches.

For tea that night, I used the remainder of the gravy, added potatoes, a carrot and some leeks (sticking with the Welsh beef theme) and made a quick and easy stew.

A lot of people are put off by red meat in general because, on the face of it, it seems expensive. However if you think about it, that one joint of Welsh beef provided 14 meals and that is hearty, farmer-sized portions (apart from the baby but even he can shift beef-it must be in the genes).

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Red meat is good for you. Support our British farmers, stop buying cheap foreign imports and start enjoying good food again.

Especially on National Yorkshire Pudding Day.

We were very kindly sent our beautiful joint of Welsh beef for the purpose of this review but all opinions are my own. Especially the passion for British farming.

You can find Welsh lamb on Facebook and Twitter. They regularly share competitions and recipes there.
Why not make this Sunday a Welsh beef day for your family and share your photos with me and the people at Welsh Beef.

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