06 Jul Weekend Roast & Leftovers
In recent months many of us were forced to rely on independent, local stores. They have proved themselves most worthy of our continued support. Their hard work to provide their local communities with great quality produce should not be forgotten now that restrictions have eased and we can venture further for our shopping.
My local butcher in Arundel is rather special. This family run business takes immense pride in sourcing its produce from dedicated UK suppliers and they do their own butchery and make their own award-winning sausages in house. Find their contact details at www.arundelbutchers.co.uk

Befriend your local butcher and show them your support. They are the best people to ask advice about the best cuts of meat to use and how to cook them.
I love cooking a larger piece of meat or a whole roast chicken at the weekend as it really helps to minimise food preparation during the week ahead. Always cook extra vegetables too, as doing so will help you save time in the week ahead. This weekend I opted for a pork shoulder and instead of vegetables I made a large bowl of salsa.
The 1.6kg shoulder of pork I bought from Arundel Butchers this week was slow roasted in my oven for 6 hrs 30 mins.
That’s a long cooking time, but there’s minimal effort involved. You can pop the pork in the oven and simply turn down the heat after 30 mins and then leave it do cook by itself while you get outside in your garden or go on a long walk.
The recipe I followed was on a leaflet from lovepork.co.uk that I picked up from the butcher’s with my meat.
All you need to do is rub the shoulder of pork with 1 tablespoon of dried herbs (like thyme or oregano) and 1-2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar, 1 tsp of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Line your roasting tin with a double layer of baking paper and place the prepared pork shoulder on top.
Cook for 30 mins in an oven pre-heated to 200º and then reduce the temperature to 150º, pour in 300-500 ml of hot water and then cover the meat with more double baking paper or foil if you use this to cook with (I prefer not to).
Cook slow and low for about 6 hours and then remove cover and turn the oven back up to 200º for 10 mins. Then remove and rest for 30 minutes before serving.
The pork will be meltingly soft and to serve you just need to use two forks to pull it into chunks.
It is delicious sprinkled with some pomegranate seeds and served with a freshly made salsa (see below) and a huge bowl of green leaves (like watercress and cos lettuce) dressed simply with some extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice. I also boiled some Jersey new potatoes and then finished them off in a frying pan with a little olive oil to make them something in between a roast and a new potato.
Summery Salsa
2 corn on the cob – cooked and kernels sliced off
1 large red onion
1 red chilli
1 avocado
2 medium tomatoes
Large handful of coriander, mint or other fresh herbs
Lemon juice
Good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
- To cook the corn simply pop in a frying pan with a little olive oil and a knob of butter and turn regularly over a medium heat until cooked on all sides. Leave to cool for a little then hold at the end vertically and slice the kernels off using a sharp knife. Mind your fingers!!
- The salsa is simply made by dicing all the other ingredients, adding the corn and some fresh herbs like coriander or mint. Mix well and dress with the oil and lemon juice. Season well.
When you’ve finished your weekend roast leave the leftovers to cool and then plate them up and pop them in the fridge ready to be your best buddies in the week ahead.
The Power of Leftovers
For lunch today I was able to use the salsa leftovers to create a rainbow coloured gluten free ‘pizza’ using a wrap and some pre cooked crab meat. Literally took about 5 mins from start to finish.
Crab Salsa Pizza plate
Thanks to the addition of the lemon juice the avocado should still be green and pretty vibrant the next day.
- Take a gluten free wrap – I used a BFree Quinoa & Chia Seed Wrap
- Spoon over 2 tablespoons of tomato puree.
- Then top with spoonfuls of the summery salsa.
- Add some cooked crab meat on top.
- Grate over a little goat cheese or cheese of your choice.
- Pop this under a grill for about 2 minutes.
- Serve with some salad leaves.

As I had plenty of leftover new potatoes and pulled pork I decided to rustle up a curry. This can be prepared and kept in fridge for a couple of days.
Pulled Pork Potato Curry
2 x red onions – sliced
4 cloves of garlic – sliced
Tenderstem broccoli – bite sized pieces
Green beans – cut in half
Broad beans
Leftover new potato
2 x tins of chopped tomatoes
1 x tin of coconut milk
Olive oil
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp turmeric powder
- Gently cook the onions in olive oil over a medium heat until beginning to soften.
- Add the broccoli & beans or other bite sized vegetables of your choice. Stir well and continue to cook, adding more oil if necessary.

- While the vegetables are cooking blitz the coriander, cumin seeds in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar and then add the turmeric powder.
- When vegetables are beginning to soften add the cooked leftover potatoes and then stir in the spice mix. Stir well

- Add the 2 x tins of tomatoes stirring again.
- Add the coconut milk and stir well.

- Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Warm it all through and serve with handful soft fresh herbs. Or keep in fridge once cooled and gently reheat in a couple of days.

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