Recipe of the Month

Our recipe this month uses Sutton Hoo Organic Free Range chickens. The birds, derived from a traditional breed of chicken, live in small groups in naturally lit and ventilated mobile houses. They range freely over acres of pasture adjacent to the Anglo-Saxon burial site of Sutton Hoo, hence the name. Their diet, mainly wheat, does not contain antibiotics, growth promoters or drugs of any kind. These birds taste like chicken! Their lifestyle, diet and a naturally slower growing, old fashioned bird, combine to give the meat a wonderful texture and delicious full flavour.

Coq au Vin

Ingredients:

Two 1.6kg Sutton Hoo Organic Chickens	750ml bottle of French Red Wine
2 bay leaves	2 sprigs thyme
250g Lane Farm Bacon, diced	60g butter
20 small whole shallots, peeled	250g button mushrooms
1 tsp olive oil	30g plain flour
1 litre chicken stock	125ml brandy
2 tsp tomato puree	1 1/2 tablespoons softened butter
1 tablespoon plain flour

Joint each chicken into 8 pieces, leaving the skin on.

Mix the bay leaves, thyme, red wine in a bowl with some salt and pepper, add the chicken pieces, stir well, cover and leave to marinate overnight.

Blanch the bacon in boling water, drain, pat dry and saute in a frying pan until golden. Remove the bacon, add a quarter of the butter to the pan, and saute the shallots until golden. Remove and set aside.

Add another quarter of the butter to the pan, and saute the mushrooms for 5 minutes with a little salt and pepper. Remove and set aside.

Drain the chicken pieces, reserving the marinade. Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Add the remaining butter and oil to the pan and fry the chicken until golden all over. Stir in the flour.

Transfer the chicken pieces to a large casserole and add the stock. Pir the brandy into the frying pan and boil for 30 seconds to deglaze the pan. Pour over the chicken. Add the marinade, mushrooms, shallots, bacon and tomato puree. Cook over a moderate heat for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

To thicken the sauce: remove the chicken and vegetables and bring the sauce to the boil. Mix together the softened butter and flour and whisk into the sauce. Boil, stirring until thickened, then retunr the chicken and vegetables to the sauce.

Enjoy!