THE ROAST BEEF OF OLD ENGLAND

I was, recently lucky enough the purchase a whole brisket with the one in and complete with it'd full compliment of fat,today we all felt like a roast and so beef was decided upon.

Normally I would roast the meat slowly and serve it in the usual way with Yorkshire puddings roasted potatoes and mushy peas,but not today.

I have been feeling rather unwell of late and the amount of pain in my legs means that the less time I spend stamping about the better. With this,and with the preferences of my carnivores I decided to serve the meat in a way which would have been familiar to our medieval ancestors, tasty ,a trifle decadent and much less work.

With the main oven still out of action I heated up the halogen oven with half a pint of water and one it had reaches 185oC I added the beef rubbed with a little oil and with no foil cover at this point.

The wonderful thing about the halogen oven is that is cooks meat in a way very similar to the old method of spit roasting before an open fire,soon the smell of roasting meat was driving both the cats and ourselves to distraction.

An hour and a half later remover the meat and wrapped it in foil before replacing it in the oven along with some carrots and parsnips sliced thickly. In just over an hour the meat was cooked and was left to rest for fifteen minutes while the trenchers(inch thick slices of two day old bread) were cut and a salad of herbs added to the table.

Having poured off the most park of the dripping (fat) the remaining juices and the lovely brown goo was poured on to the trenchers and topped with thick slices of hot roast beef and a little salt.

We all enjoyed our feast and the added attraction of very few dishes to wash up after the meal added a welcome sauce to the dish.

Chocolate and cherry iced cream finished the meal which we all agreed was the best meal of the week.

On a much more serious note I should like to offer my heartfelt condolences to those caught up in last nights terrible events in Glasgow ,and to their relatives. That a group of happy people should be extinguished so suddenly make the event seem somehow even more terrible.