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!

What you need

Manx Scallops – depends on how many your cooking for, 3 per person is a good amount.
Black Pudding – don’t think it’s made over here I used the Burnley stuff from Shoprite!
Frozen or Fresh Peas
Fresh Mint – Staarvey Farms are good for this
1 shallot
Salt and pepper
Fresh cream – Isle of Man Creameries

What to do

To make the Pea and Mint Puree
Lightly cook the Shallots in a pan with the butter.
Boil the peas for 10 mins until they just start softening up then drain.
With a food processer of blitzer, whizz up the peas, cream, shallots, fresh mint into a smooth puree. You can add a drop of water or cream to get it to a silky consistency. Then set aside

How to cook the Manx Scallops & Black Pudding

Get your pan red hot with a little amount of vegetable oil, the hotter the better!
Place your sliced black pudding on. After a minute turn this over and cook the other side.
Once you have turned the pudding add the scallops too
Remove the black pudding pudding and drain on kitchen roll.

Gourmet Shark Tip: Don’t move the scallops around in the pan, you want them to catch and begin to colour, when you have a bit of colour then turn them. Don’t be scared they don’t need to be cooked for long at all Only a minute to minute and a half each side!

Once both side have good golden colour remove and set aside.

Now build your dish, place a scallop on top of the pudding with the puree around the side.

This is an ideal starter or could be made into a main with a few chunky chips on the side! Delicious and simple!

Serves 4 – 3 Scallops each or two if you really love Scallops like me!

What you need
12 scallops,
6 slices Oaked Smoked streaky bacon (Moore’s is good for this)
1 Lime
Yep that’s it! Sometimes simple food is the best.

What to do
Preheat your oven to 190 C / Between Gas mark 4 and 5
Remove white scallop meat from the shell, remove roe, wash and drain, set aside
Cut the bacon slices in half and wrap each half around a scallop.
Get the cocktail stick and secure in the scallop and bacon wrap.
Cut the lime in half and squeeze half over the scallops.
Place on a baking tray and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until bacon is crisp.
Remove and finish off with another squeeze of lime over the scallops

Dig in! Simple, quick and easy and tastes great. You can have as a simple snack or dress this dish up with some simple winter leaves for a stunning starter.

This is a lovely warming soup now that the evenings are drawing in and the temperature outside is getting cooler. Make this dish to warm up your insides and share around the table with friends and family.

Serves 8 (or 6 if some of you want seconds!)

What you will need.

900g/2lb lean neck of Manx lamb

1.75 litres/3 pints of water

1 large onion

50g/2oz pearl barley

bouquet garni (I normally use parsley, bay leaf and rosemary, but you can use tarrogan or what ever you have in really)

2 leeks

1 carrot

1 turnip

Salt and pepper and some herbs to garnish – parsley is ideal

What to do?

Chop up the lamb into even chunks and put this in a large pan with the water. Brinig this to a boil and add the lamb and bouquet garni.

Chop up all the veg into even cubes

Add in the onion and barley.

Tip – as the lamb can be quite fatty, you might want to keep skimming off the fat every so often

Slowly simmer for approx 1 hour then add the remaining vegatables and season well. Cover pan

Check for remaining fat on the surface and skim off

Serve in to bowls and garnish with a little parsley

Delicious!