Peppered Steak and Chips for St George’s Day and Great British Beef Week

Peppered Steak and Chips for St George’s Day and Great British Beef Week

Peppered Steak and Chips for St George’s Day and Great British Beef Week

St George and the Dragon (Image: http://www.guardian.co.uk/)

Happy St George’s Day to all my English readers, and also a very happy Great British Beef week too………perfect for that special meal for St George’s Day. The 23rd April is also Shakespeare’s birthday, so a thoroughly English day through and through, and, there are moves afoot to make the 23rd April a public holiday, an idea that I fully support, as we need a day to celebrate all that is English just as our Irish, Scottish and Welsh cousins do…….it’s not about being nationalistic, it’s just about heritage and culture, and cherishing all that is good about England, of which there are many things.

English Oak Tree

“There is a forgotten, nay almost forbidden word, which means more to me than any other. That word is England.”
Sir Winston Churchill

(http://www.stgeorgesday.com/)

Today’s recipe is a classic and rather retro one, the meal that we all aspired to enjoy when we went “out for a meal”………beloved of Pubs and most restaurants, as well as “caffs” too, it’s Steak and Chips! It can be dull, leathery, chewy and totally uninspiring, or it can be beautifully moist and tender with crisp chips and an amazing flavour, it’s one of those dishes that has been “murdered” by mass catering and yet still captures all carnivore’s hearts when they go out for dinner. One tip is to use LOCALLY reared British beef, and then try to cook it to no more than medium for the best culinary results.

Peppered Steak and Chips for St George’s Day and Great British Beef Week

I MUST apologise for the FRENCH mustard in my photos, well not on the taste front, but for purely patriotic reasons, as I ran out of Colman’s English mustard! However, the beef is prime British rump steak and the coleslaw that I served with my steak and chips is from Scotty Brand, so, flying the Scottish flag here too, and why not! I added a little more grated carrot to the coleslaw, as we love the stuff, but the coleslaw was wonderfully creamy and with a great tangy flavour – perfect as an accompaniment to steak and chips. Scotty Brand coleslaw is a blend of shredded cabbage, carrots and onions combined with a special mayonnaise for just the right mix of creamy, crunchy, tanginess, which we all loved. They also make Potato Salad too, which is also LUSH! I LOVE Scotty Brand vegetables and fruit, and these new additions to the “Scotty Brand Stable” are perfect for the summer salad season, although I would be just as happy dolloping the coleslaw on a baked spud!

The recipe for Peppered Steak and Chips was one I quickly followed on the BBC website, although I am more than capable of cooking steak and chips, I followed this recipe for ease, on my iPad in the kitchen! Peppered steak and chips. Apart from the coleslaw, I served this delicious and special meal with fresh, crusty bread. I also used a mixture of peppercorns, not just black pepper, but green, white and pink peppercorns – I LOVE the different colours and peppery strength that mixed peppercorns has in cooking.

Peppered Steak and Chips for St George’s Day and Great British Beef Week

To coincide with St George’s Day, this week is Great British Beef Week, and the Ladies in Beef are promoting all that is GREAT about British beef on their website here: Ladies in Beef. Ladies in Beef is a group of female beef farmers who care passionately about British beef. The organisation was formed to help promote and drive awareness of the quality and versatility of British beef to consumers using a country-wide network of dynamic lady beef ‘champions’. All the ladies are British beef farmers and proud of it! I have written an article all about Great British Beef Week over at Great British Chefs, and you can read all about it here: CELEBRATE GREAT BRITISH BEEF WEEK 21ST TO 27TH APRIL 2013

The mission of Ladies in Beef:

To work with the supply chain to champion Red Tractor farm assured beef

To  increase consumer support for the British beef industry through all outlet

To own and promote Great British Beef Week each year

You can also read more about the history of St George (and his dragon) in my St George’s Day post from last year: Ladies in Beef! British Beef Week, St George’s Day & Pub Style Peppered Stilton Steaks With Charred Onions and Chips, where I ALSO had steak on the menu! Well, it’s as I said, a retro style treat to have steak and chips at home! If you want to see what else I have on the menu this week, check out my Weekly Meal Plan, for 5:2 diet fast day recipes, as well as fishy feasts and lots of salads. Have a WONDERFUL St George’s Day, and see you all soon, Karen 

Peppered Steak and Chips for St George’s Day and Great British Beef Week

Disclaimer: I received some Scotty Brand Salads as part of  being a Scotty Brand Blogger ; all opinions and views are my own. With thanks to Scotty Brand for sending me the pots of salad. Karen S Burns-Booth

For all things English, visit this fabulous page here:

All Things English