Tarporley Tea Party Recipe Ideas
Ploughman’s Scones
Ingredients
Juice ½ lemon
225g self-raising flour
1 small eating apple
1 tsp baking powder
12 tsp of your favourite chutney or pickle
50g butter cut into tiny pieces
Punnet of cress, snipped
85g extra mature cheddar, finely grated
6 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
150ml milk plus 1 tbsp.
1 egg yolk
Method
Heat the oven to 220c/200c fan/gas 7 and dust a baking tray with a little flour. Tip the flour into
a large bowl with the baking powder and a good pinch of salt. Add the butter and rub together
with your fingertips until the mixture resembles damp breadcrumbs. Add the cheese and thyme
leaves, mix in, then pour in the milk. Use a cutlery knife to bring the mixture together as a soft
dough - don’t overwork it or the scones will be heavy.
Tip onto your work surface, mopping up any dry crumbs with the dough. Pat into a disc about
1.5cm thick. Using a 5cm fluted cookie cutter, stamp out 12 scones. Place on the baking tray.
Mix the remaining 1tbsp milk with the egg yolk and brush over the top of the scones. Bake for
10-12 minutes until well risen and golden brown, leave to cool on a wire rack.
Just before serving, put the lemon juice in a bowl, cut the apple in half, remove the core, then
very thinly slice into half moons. Toss the apple through the lemon juice as you go. Split the
scones in half and fill each one with a couple of slices of apple, 1 tsp of chutney and a few sprigs
of cress.
Afternoon Tea Sandwiches
Lemony cucumber and prawn (makes 12)
Ingredients
6 slices of wholemeal bread, ½ cucumber thinly sliced, 4 tbsp. mayonnaise, zest of 1 lemon, 6 large cooked prawns halved for topping.
Method
Lightly spread 6 slices wholemeal bread with butter. Cover with a layer of thinly sliced
cucumber , then use a 5-6cm round cutter to stamp out 12 circles. Mix together 4 tbsp.
mayonnaise with zest of 1 lemon. Top each circle with 1 halved large cooked prawn and a
dollop of lemony mayonnaise.
Creamy egg and cress (makes 12)
Ingredients
4 eggs, 2 chopped spring onions, 2-3 tbsp. creme fraiche, 12 small rolls, cress to serve
Method
Boil 4 eggs for 8 minutes. Cool the eggs, peel and mash, then mix with two chopped spring
onions and 2-3 tbsp. of creme fraiche. Season, then spread over 12 small rolls. Add a little
cress, pop on the lids and serve.
PTO
Afternoon Tea Sandwiches cont.
Goat’s cheese, walnut and roasted pepper (makes 20)
Ingredients
200g soft goat’s cheese, 100g cream cheese, 10 slices of white bread, 2 roasted red peppers,
25g walnuts
Method
Mix together 200g soft goat’s cheese with 100g cream cheese. Spread most of the mixture
over 5 slices of white bread. Slice 2 roasted peppers into strips, divide between the bread,
then top each with another slice white bread. Trim the crusts, then cut each sandwich into 4
triangles. Whizz 25g walnuts until fine. Spread 1 edge of each sandwich with the remaining
cheese mix then dip into the chopped walnuts.
Red Onion and Brie Tartlets (makes 24 tartlets)
Ingredients
260g ready-made shortcrust pastry, 2 tbsp. olive oil, 2 medium red onions peeled, sliced, 1
garlic clove, peeled, thinly sliced, 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves, 1 tsp white wine vinegar,
1 tsp dark soft brown sugar, salt and pepper, 125g Brie, cut into 24 small pieces.
Method
Preheat over to 200c Fan/Gas 6. Roll the pastry out until 0.25cm in thickness and cut 24 circles from it, using a 5cm pastry cutter. Place the circles on a baking tray and prick all over
with a fork. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until cooked through and golden brown.
Remove the pastry from the oven and set aside to cool. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the
onions over a low heat for 15 minutes, stirring regularly. Increase the heat, add the garlic and
thyme and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and brown sugar and cook, stirring
well, until the onions have caramelised. Season to taste with salt and pepper. To assemble
the tartlets, spoon some of the red onion mixture into each pastry and top with a piece of brie.
Shortbread
Ingredients
300g soft butter, 140g golden caster sugar plus 4 tbsp, 300g plain flour, 140g rice flour
Method
Place the butter and 140g sugar in a food processor and whizz until smooth. Tip in both the
flours and a pinch of salt, then whizz until the mixture comes together.
Using your hands, roughly spread the mixture out in a 20 x 30 x 4cm baking tray. Cover with
cling film and smooth over until there are no wrinkles. Place in the fridge, uncooked for at
least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.
Heat oven to 180c/160c fan/gas 4. Remove cling film, then lightly mark the shortbread all
over with a fork. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar, then bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Leave to
cool in the tin, then cut into 24 thin slices. Shortbread will keep in an airtight container for up
to 1 week.
As A little treAt, we’ve questioned some of the
staff here at the Hospital to find out their top
recipes just for you.
Janet Dearsley’s Traditional Gingerbread—Janet is one of the cooks at
Tarporley Hospital, creating freshly prepared food for patients (and staff too!)
Ingredients:
8oz Plain Flour
4oz Butter
1tsp Ground Ginger
1/2tsp Baking Soda
4oz Soft Brown Sugar
8oz Treacle or Syrup
1/4 Pint of Milk
2 Eggs
To prepare; grease and line a loaf tin with baking parchment and pre-heat the
oven to 150oC
Method
Sieve all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix
Warm the milk and butter gently until the butter melts, then beat in the eggs and
add the treacle/or syrup into the milk mixture. Stir well.
Gradually stir the milk mixture into the dry ingredients, mixing well to combine.
Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake in the oven for approximately 1 hour.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
Claire Jones’ Smoked Salmon Pate - Claire is our fantastic Administration
Manager, she keeps the Hospital running like a well oiled machine
Ingredients
150g Smoked Salmon
200g Soft Cream Cheese
Juice of half a lemon
Small bunch of Dill (finely chopped)
Salt and Pepper
Method
Using a hand blender or food processor, blend the smoked salmon into small chunks.
Add the cream cheese, lemon juice and dill. Have a little taste, and season with salt
and pepper as required.
Pulse the mixture a few more times until you have your desired consistency, chunky,
or longer for a smoother texture.
The pate is a great accompaniment with drinks, serve with breadsticks, crudites or on
sandwiches, with a watercress salad.