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Chorizo Shakshuka with Focaccia

A vibrant, spiced tomato and roasted red pepper stew topped with two free-range eggs and crisp, diced chorizo, served with a warm slice of house-made focaccia. Serves 1 portion Ingredients: - 30g Diced chorizo - 150g Chopped tinned plum tomatoes - 50g Roasted red pepper strips - 30g Finely diced white onion - 10g Tomato paste - 2 Free-range eggs - 5g Smoked paprika - 15ml Olive oil - 100g Fresh focaccia - 2g Fresh coriander - 1g Sea salt and cracked black pepper Method: 1. Heat olive oil in a small cast-iron skillet and fry the diced chorizo until crispy. Remove half the chorizo for garnish. 2. Add onions to the skillet and sauté until softened. Stir in tomato paste, smoked paprika, and red peppers, cooking for 2 minutes. 3. Pour in the tomatoes, bring to a simmer, and cook for 5-7 minutes until slightly thickened. 4. Create two wells in the sauce and crack the eggs into them. Cover and cook over low heat for 3-4 minutes until egg whites are set but yolks remain runny. 5. Warm the focaccia in the oven while the eggs finish. Plating: Serve the skillet on a wooden board or side plate. Top the finished dish with the reserved crispy chorizo and fresh coriander, serving the warm focaccia on the side.

Recipe

Pan-Seared Cod with Creamed Peas and Dill Oil

A classic refined dish featuring pan-seared cod fillet served on a bed of garden peas finished with cream and fresh dill oil. Serves 4 portions Ingredients: - 600g Cod fillet - 400g Frozen peas - 100ml Double cream - 50ml Fish stock - 2 cloves Garlic, minced - 30g Fresh dill - 100ml Rapeseed oil - 30g Butter - 5g Salt Method: 1. Blanch half the dill and blend with oil, then strain to create a vibrant green dill oil. 2. Sauté garlic in butter, add peas and stock, simmer for 3 minutes, then stir in cream and mash lightly. 3. Season cod fillets and sear in a hot pan with oil until golden and just cooked through. 4. Serve the cod on top of the creamed peas and drizzle with prepared dill oil. Rough cost per portion: £3.5 Suggested menu price: £11.65

Recipe

Slow-braised lamb shoulder

EXAMPLE POST from the Menu Lab team. A low-and-slow shoulder that turns a cheap cut into a centrepiece. Rub a boneless lamb shoulder (about 2 kg) with salt, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika and a little olive oil. Sit it on sliced onions, garlic, rosemary and a splash of pomegranate molasses in a deep tray; add 200 ml stock, cover tightly with foil and braise at 150°C for 5–6 hours until the meat pulls apart with a fork. Rest 20 minutes, pull into rough chunks, crisp the edges under the grill, and finish with rosemary salt and pomegranate seeds. Yield: 8–10 portions. Allergens: none in the rub; check stock for celery/sulphites. Rough cost ≈ £1.80/portion.

Heritage dish

Brown butter sage gnudi

EXAMPLE POST from the Menu Lab team. Lighter than gnocchi, richer than pasta. Mix 250 g well-drained ricotta, 50 g finely grated parmesan, 1 egg yolk, a grating of nutmeg and 40 g 00 flour to a soft dough; season. Roll into small quenelles on a floured tray, dust with semolina and chill 1 hour. Poach in gently simmering salted water for 3–4 minutes until they float. Meanwhile melt 80 g butter with 8 sage leaves until the milk solids turn deep gold and smell nutty. Toss the drained gnudi in the brown butter, finish with more parmesan and black pepper. Yield: 4 portions. Allergens: dairy, egg, gluten. Rough cost ≈ £1.20/portion.

Recipe

Char your peppers black

EXAMPLE POST from the Menu Lab team. Blacken the skins, then steam them off — smoky sweetness, every time. Lay whole red peppers straight over a gas flame, hot grill or under a fierce grill, turning with tongs until every side is blistered and blackened (6–8 minutes total). Drop them straight into a bowl, cover with a plate and steam for 10 minutes. The skins will slip off; pull out the core and seeds, tear the flesh into strips and dress with good olive oil, a crushed garlic clove, red wine vinegar and sea salt. Fold into yoghurt, pile on toast, or finish a salad. Allergens: none. Keeps chilled for 3 days.

Tip

Goan fish curry

EXAMPLE POST from the Menu Lab team. A coastal Goan curry: coconut, tamarind and a fistful of curry leaves. Soak 20 g dried Kashmiri chillies in hot water, then blend to a paste with 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp coriander, ½ tsp cumin, 4 garlic cloves, a thumb of ginger and 2 tbsp tamarind. Fry the paste in coconut oil until the oil splits, add 400 ml coconut milk and 12 fresh curry leaves, simmer 10 minutes, then slide in 600 g firm white fish cut into chunks. Cook 5–6 minutes until just opaque; season with salt and a squeeze of lime. Serve with steamed rice. Yield: 4 portions. Allergens: fish; contains sulphites (tamarind — check). Rough cost ≈ £2.40/portion.

Heritage dish

Smoked haddock kedgeree

EXAMPLE POST from the Menu Lab team. Breakfast, brunch or midnight — rice, smoked fish and a soft egg. Poach 400 g undyed smoked haddock in 500 ml milk with a bay leaf for 6 minutes; flake and keep the strained milk. Gently fry 1 diced onion in 50 g butter with 1 tsp curry powder and ½ tsp turmeric until soft. Stir in 250 g basmati rice, coat, then add the fishy milk and 250 ml water; cover and cook 12 minutes. Fold through the flaked fish, two chopped soft-boiled eggs, parsley and lemon juice. Top with halved eggs and black pepper. Yield: 4 portions. Allergens: fish, dairy, egg, mustard (curry powder). Rough cost ≈ £2.10/portion.

Recipe