Celebrate the Queen’s Birthday with some British Inspired Recipes

The Queen turned 93 this year, and what better way to celebrate the long weekend than to cook a hearty British feast for the family? Who doesn’t love sitting at the table and enjoying a traditional wholesome meal with family and friends? We definitely do!

The team at HelloFresh has put together a couple of our favourite British inspired recipes to help you cosy up and prepare for the long weekend!

Lentil Shepherd’s Pie with Cheesy Kumara Top

We love this twist on a classic British dish – it’s the ultimate comfort food. Although commonly made with minced lamb and topped with a thick layer of mashed potato, our vegetarian take on this classic is nothing short of delicious.

What You’ll Need:

Serves 2

Olive oil – refer to method

3 x Sweet potato 

Butter – 60g

Salt – ¼ tsp

Brown onion – 1

Carrot – 1

Garlic – 1 cloves

Rosemary – 2 sticks

Thyme – 5g

Lentils – 1 tin (brown lentils)

Tomato paste – 2 tbs

Diced tomatoes – 390g

Brown Sugar – ½ tsp

Water – 2.5 tbs

Vegetable stock – 1 cube

Baby spinach leaves – 120g

Shredded cheddar cheese

Method:

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Peel and cut the kumara into 2cm chunks. Add the kumara to the boiling water and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until tender. Drain and return to the saucepan. Add butter (50g for 2 people/100g for 4 people) and the salt and mash with a potato masher or fork until smooth. Set aside.
2. While the kumara is cooking, finely chop the onion. Finely chop the carrot (unpeeled). Finely chop the garlic (or use a garlic press). Pick and finely chop the rosemary leaves. Pick the thyme leaves. Grate the Cheddar cheese. Drain and rinse the lentils.
3. In a large frying pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until softened. Add garlic, rosemary, thyme and tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until fragrant and the tomato paste has darkened.
4. Add the lentils, chopped tomatoes with roast garlic & onion, brown sugar, the remaining butter, the water and crumbled vegetable stock (1 cube for 2 people/2 cubes for 4 people) to the frying pan. Simmer for 5-7 minutes, or until reduced slightly. Add the baby spinach leaves and stir until wilted. TIP: Add a dash of water if the mixture looks dry!
5. Transfer the filling into a medium baking dish. Top with the kumara mash and sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Grill for 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
6. Divide the lentil shepherd’s pie with cheesy kumara top between bowls.

Classic Bangers and Parmesan Mash

Not that we ever need an excuse to indulge in bangers and mash, but the Queen’s b’day is sure a good enough reason. This popular British dish is a delicious combination and sure to be a crowd pleaser at the dinner table.

Ingredients: Serves 2

1. Olive oil – refer to method
2. Potato – 2
3. Chives – 7g bunch
4. Green beans – 200g
5. Carrot – 1
6. Brown onion – ½
7. Garlic – 1 clove
8. Parsley – 20g bunch
9. Parmesan cheese – 50g
10. Classic pork sausages – 4 pack
11. Milk – 2 ½ tbs
12. Salt – ¼ tsp
13. Butter – 40g
14. Plain flour – ½ tssp
15. Water – ⅓ cup
16. Caramelised onion chutney – 40g
17. Beef stock  – ½ cube

Method:

1. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to the boil. Peel the potatoes and cut into 2cm chunks. Finely chop the chives. Trim the green beans. Slice the carrot (unpeeled) into thin batons. Thinly slice the onion (see ingredients list). Finely chop the garlic (or use a garlic press). Finely chop the parsley. Grate the Parmesan cheese.
2. In a large frying pan, heat a small drizzle of olive oil over a medium heat. Add the classic pork sausages and cook, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 15 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add the potato to the boiling water and cook until very tender, 10-15 minutes. In the last 8 minutes of potato cook time, place the carrot in a colander or steamer basket on top of the saucepan. Cover with a lid. In the last 5 minutes of cook time, add the green beans to the colander, cover and steam until tender. Transfer the carrot and beans to a bowl. Cover to keep warm. Drain the potatoes and return to the pan. Add the milk, salt and 40g butter. Mash until smooth. Stir through the chives and grated Parmesan cheese. Cover to keep warm.
4. Return the frying pan to a medium heat with a drizzle more olive oil. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until soft, 4-5 minutes. Add the plain flour and stir to coat. Add the water, caramelised onion chutney and crumble in the beef stock (1/2 cube for 2 people /1 cube for 4 people). Simmer until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Add a splash more water if the gravy is too thick. TIP: Scrape any bits of sausage from the bottom of the pan, these add to the flavour!
5. In a medium microwaveable bowl, place the garlic and 40g butter. Microwave in 30 second bursts until melted. Add the parsley, steamed green beans and carrots to the garlic butter with a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to coat. TIP: If you don’t have a microwave, heat the butter and garlic in a medium frying pan, add the steamed veggies and toss to coat.
6. Divide the sausages, Parmesan mash and garlic veggies between plates. Serve with onion gravy.