Make a hash of it
It’s time to revive corned beef hash – and
this time, let’s make it special. When
I think of corned beef, I remember a
solid block in a tin with nuggets of fat...
But no longer. You have to try Helen
Browning’s handmade version, which
is organic, cured and slow-cooked for
12 hours. The artisan product earned
a coveted two-star rating in the latest
Great Taste Awards, and is made from
British free range grass-fed beef – a
by-product from the cows on Helen’s
Wiltshire dairy farm, helping to make it
profitable. I did makea hashofit(agift
for the leftovers froma Sundayroast)
and it was the bestI’vetasted.
£4.95 for 150g, helenbrowningsorganic.co.uk
(also available from Abel& Cole,FarmDrop
and Whole Foods)
Balm for
palms
Handwashing and
winter don’t go well
together, so Jill Stein’s
Porthdune hand and
body lotion with ylang
ylang and avocado is
a firm fixture next to
my sink. It’s organic
and free of parabens,
and the silky cream
soaks in well without
stickiness. Lovely
stuff. £19.95; shop.
rickstein.comWhat
managing
editor Les
Dunn is
drinking
The cocktails-by-
post from London
steak restaurants
Hawksmoor are the
best ready-made
concoctions I’ve
ever had. In bottles
(worth keeping)
and designer cans,
my favourites are
the Ultimate Dry
Martini and
Ginza Highball.
Bottles from £
(serves 2), four cans
£28, thehawksmoor.
com/shop; delivery
free over £The book to curl up with
Food critic Grace Dent’s Hungry was
responsible for me losing four hours the
other Saturday (not that it matters at the
moment), so immersed was I in her acute
observations on home, humour and
heartache, rippled through with life-
altering memories of Brownie badges,
thawing turkeys and, finally, a life so
different from how it began. Do yourself
a favour and read it. Mudlark £16.SUPPORT
BRITISH
FARMERS...and hot chocolate to
drink while you’re reading
This isn’t just any old choc. Modern Standard Hot
Chocolate comes from a family-run farm in
Colombia via a specialist company founded by
coffee expert Lynsey Harley (so check out the
coffee too). The flavour is rich, with pleasing fruity
notes nudging through. It’s also dairy free, so if
you’re vegan you can make your luxurious cupful
with plant-based ‘milk’ – any type you like as long
as it’s warm. I’d add a slug of brandy and whizz
with an Aerolatte for a moustache-making froth.
Perfection. From £6 for 200g, or buy a bumper 1kg
bag for £25; modernstandardcoffee.co.uk