Something a little different and very rich and tasty. You will have to ask your butcher for Marrowbone as they never normally sell it at your local supermarket.

What you need
Marrowbone
5 Carrots
2 small Onions
1/4 of a medium sized Turnip
4 to 5 Potatoes
1 large cup of lentils
Salt and pepper to season

What to do
Boil the kettle and once boiled pour this into a large saucpan until its baout 3/4 full
Add the Marrowbone and the lentils
Boil this up on the hop until a gentle simmer
Whilst the pan is boiling away, prepare the rest of your vegetables
Once the vegetables are are chopped up into nice small pieces add them all to the pan and stir well
Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper
Turn the heat right down to a very gentle simmer and leave this for approx 1 to 1 and half hours, stirring occasionally
Taste and season more if required
Done

Gourmet Shark Tip: For best results leave the soup overnight for flavours to come to together and the soup to thicken more.

Delicious with fresh Manx bread and butter and makes a very fulfilling and tasty lunchtime snack that will keep you going for the rest of the day

On these cold winter days it’s always nice to enjoy a warm and comforting bowl of soup. As the weather has been that bad recently I have tried out a few new ones. I picked up some local mushrooms from Greeba Farm and it all came together really well and packed full of flavour.

Serves 4- 6 depending on how large your bowls are!

What you need

1 large pack of Greeba Farm Mushrooms
2 large knobs of butter
1 finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
1 good pinch of salt
1 pint of chicken stock
1 good pinch of black pepper
1/3 cup of brandy
2 cups of double cream
Crusty Rolls and lashings of butter

What to do

Whizz up the the mushrooms till they are all coarsley chopped (in a food processor or by hand if your the patient type!)

In a large warm pan melt the butter and then add the onions, garlic and lightly cook until the flavour are released
Then add the mushrooms thyme and gently cook over a moderate heat for 10- 12 minutes, or until the moisture has come out of the mushrooms
Season with salt and pepper, then add the chicken stock
Let this simmer for around 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally
Finally add the cream and stir well until this has all warmed through.

Gourmet Shark Tip
10 minutes before serving turn your oven on high till its warm and then add the crusty rolls to warm through for 5 minutes.

Serve with warm crusty rolls or bread and lots of butter! Delicious.

A nice winter warming soup to enjoy sitting in front of the fire on a cold winter Manx day. And with added dumplings to satisfy you even more – pure comfort food at its best!

What you need

For the fire
Some matches
Kindling sticks
Logs

For the soup
2 skinless chicken breasts or 6 good thighs
1 pint of water
1/4 of a cup of good chicken stock
1 chopped onion
2 chopped celery
1/3 of a small chopped chillie
2 chopped carrots
2 chopped celery
1 small clove of chopped garlic
Chopped parsley to garnish (dried or fresh)

For the dumplings
6 large eggs
4 cups of plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of vegetable oil

What to do:
Get the fire roaring!
First up, chop up your chicken, de-bone if using the thighs and cook these in a little oil in your large pot on your hob
After 4-5 minutes of cooking the chicken add the onion, carrot, celery, chillie and garlic. Stir well
After about two minutes add the water and chicken stock and mix all together
Bring this to a gentle boil

Whilst boiling you can crack on with the simple but tasty dumplings

In a bowl, beat the 6 large eggs
The gradually stir in the flour and a little bit of the salt

Gourmet Shark Tip: You are looking to form a firm but sticky dough, so add the flour a little by little each time

Set the dumpling mixture aside and check the soup, trying some of the veg. I personally don’t like the vegetables to soft, but you don’t want them hard either

When you are happy with your soup, get a teaspoon of the dough and form into a round ball about the size of a small lime

Gently plop the dumplings in to the soup and cook these until they float to the top

Serve up in a dish a bowl and garnish with the parsley.

Snuggles in a bowl, yum!

This is one of favorite Saturday afternoon snacks that I enjoy with a cup of tea or some times a sneaky can of Stella!

What you need

2 slices of white bread (Ramsey Bakery Mighty White)
4 good slices of Isle of Man Creameries Black Pepper Mature Chedder
Knob of butter
1 tsp oregano
½ cup sliced Greeba Farm Manx mushrooms
A toastie maker/George Foreman grill

What to do

In a pan, put a knob of butter and heat on the hob. Place the mushrooms and oregano in the pan and gently cook for 2-3 minutes until the mushrooms are lightly cooked and soft. Set aside.
Lightly butter the two slices of bread. Place one of the bread slices butter side down and line with slices of the cheese. With a spoon place the mushrooms on top of the cheese, finally adding the other slice of bread, butter side facing out.

Toast for 5 minutes in a toastie maker or George Forman Grill or until golden brown and cheese has melted. Serve warm with a side salad of leaves and cuppa if you want to push the boat out!

Gourmet Shark Tip: If you don’t have a toastie machine you could fry the toastie gently on each side in a frying pan.