It’s a rivalry which stretches back centuries.
Whether it was Emperor Hadrian (not even English!) building a wall to keep the marauding Scots out, the invasion of King Edward the First’s army which led to the legend of ‘Braveheart’ William Wallace and the subsequent defeat of the English at Bannockburn by Robert the Bruce, it’s fair to say there has never been much love lost between the two countries.
Thankfully, there’s been some mellowing over the years, although when it comes to football, the bets are definitely off.
The England–Scotland football rivalry is a sports rivalry which is almost unmatched, perhaps because it’s the oldest international fixture in the world, first played in 1872 at Hamilton Crescent, Glasgow.
There have been some memorable games between the two. Who could forget, for instance, Wembley 1977 when the Scots invaded again, this time to see their team beat England 2-1 and the scenes that followed, including the crossbar being snapped by jubilant away supporters.
Or when England took revenge at Wembley at Euro 1996 thanks to a piece of Gazza magic and Uri Geller, who when flying above the stadium in a helicopter apparently caused Gary McAllister to miss a crucial penalty by harnessing that same energy and moving the ball using the power of psychokinesis. Or it was just a great save from David Seaman.
So we’re excited to see how tonight’s Euro 2021 group game goes between the two teams. Whilst it won’t be a full stadium, it’s great that fans from both sides will be able to be present for what we hope will be a great spectacle and may the best team win – we’re definitely hedging our bets!
We’re also hedging our recipe, so please enjoy this England Scotland food mash up.
Beef Wellington with Haggis (served with cauliflower cheese stuffed potato shells, swede pure, asparagus and peppercorn sauce)
Beef Wellington Ingredients:
- 1kg Beef Fillet
- 3 tbsp English Mustard
- 1 Haggis
- 1 Cup Self Raising Flour
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 Cup Milk
- 1 Pack Puff Pastry
- 3 tbsp Finely Chopped Parsley
- 6 Slices Prosciutto
Cauliflower Cheese Shells Ingredients:
- 1 Cauliflower
- 3 tbsp Worchester Sauce
- 200g Extra Mature Cheddar
- 100g Parmesan Cheese
- 50g Butter
- 50g Plain Flour
- 500ml Milk
- 6 Small/Medium Potatoes
Swede Pure Ingredients:
- 1 Swede
- 1 Carrot
- 40g Butter
Peppercorn Sauce Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp Green Peppercorns
- 3 tbsp Brandy
- 3 tbsp Port
- 200ml Beef Stock
- 100ml Double Cream
- 1 Shallot
- 1 Clove Garlic
- 1 tbsp Butter
Beef Wellington Recipe:
Start with cooking the pancakes. Simply mix the milk,
flour and 1 egg into a bowl and mix until smooth. Then add the parsley. Heat a
non-stick pan and rub with oil. Pour the batter into the pan to make a 20cm
thin pancake. Repeat this 4 times. Once all of the pancakes are cooked, set
aside to cool.
Next, heat a large frying pan with oil until slightly
smoking. This is to sear the beef fillet. The goal here is to get an even sear
around the fillet, not to cook it! 30 seconds each side will do, then take it out
of the pan. Whilst still warm, use a pastry brush to coat the fillet evenly
with a thin layer of mustard. Once coated, cool down completely and set aside.
Place 3 sheets of cling film on a work surface, big
enough to wrap your fillet of beef and more. Place all six prosciutto slices on
the cling film next to each other. Add the pancakes on top, then trim the edges
to make a rectangle shape. Take the haggis and spread this over the rectangle
pancakes and prosciutto. Add the fillet on top then carefully wrap everything
together, to make a large sausage like shape. Make sure everything is nice and
tight and fully wrapped around the fillet. Put this inside the fridge for 20-30
minutes.
Take the puff pastry, roll it out into a large rectangle,
again just to cover the fillet/pancake/prosciutto sausage. Place the fillet on
top, and wrap the pastry around nice and tightly. Trim the sides and twist to
make the pastry cover everything tight. Again place in the fridge for another
20-30 minutes. Remove from the fridge and wash with egg. Place in a pre-heated
oven at 200 degrees for 30-45 minutes depending on your cooking preference.
Once, cooked rest for at least 15 minutes and slice thick when serving.
Cauliflower Cheese Potato Shells Recipe:
First prepare the shells. Wash then cut the potatoes in
half, then with a spoon, scoop out a crater in the centre. Season with salt and
pepper and bake until just undercooked. Meaning slightly al dente in the
centre.
For the cauliflower cheese, cut the cauliflower into
small florets and blanch, again until al dente. In a pan, melt the butter and
add the flour, cook the paste out for 2-3 minutes then slowly add the milk,
remembering to whisk all the time to avoid lumps. Once all the milk is added,
add the Worchester sauce and cheese, keep whisking until all the cheese is
melted then season to taste. Add the Cauliflower then scoop into the potato
shells. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees until slightly golden brown.
Swede Pure Recipe:
For the swede pure, peel and chop the carrot and swede
the same size, to help with even cooking, then cook until soft. Drain the water
and blend with the butter and season to taste.
Peppercorn Sauce Recipe:
First, finely dice the shallots and garlic in butter,
start to fry these on a medium heat. Try to avoid adding colour to the
shallots, you only want to soften them. Add the green peppercorns then add the
brandy. Reduce the brandy by half then add the port and reduce by half again.
Add the beef stock and simmer. Once the stock has slightly reduced, add the
double cream then season to taste. Cook until your preferred consistency then
the sauce is made.
Asparagus Recipe:
There is many different ways to cook asparagus. Mine is
to trim the asparagus spears, heat oil and butter in a pan, and cook on a
medium heat until cooked, which for me is al dente.
