Beckett - Meat and Two Veg

THE GREAT BRITISH TRADITION OF MEAT & TWO VEG

Look at the on-line guides for foreigners visiting the UK for the first time and they will often explain slightly disparagingly that the English national diet is based on meat and two veg. Obviously they relied for that information on books that were published shortly after the Second World War but in many ways its still true meat and two veg do have a unique place in our affections. And for most Brits of a certain age theres a reassuring familiarity about the phase and a nostalgia for the meals they were brought up on that makes it a profoundly comforting notion.

But what does meat and two veg represent these days? What veg, for a start? Most people, when I asked them, said peas and carrots, other suggestions were beans, sprouts and cabbage. The vexed question is whether you can legitimately call a meal meat and two veg if one of the vegetables is potato? Or, if you dont count potatoes, is it enough for the second vegetable to be in the meaty component of the dish like mushrooms in a mushroom sauce or onions and peppers in a casserole?

Purists would, I suspect, say no but I take a more relaxed view of the matter. Its the overall effect and the spirit of the dish that counts. In the post-war era, when meat and two veg reigned supreme, the vegetables were there for a reason to pad out heavily rationed and scarce meat. Now theres no need to do that but they still add vital balance, turning what might otherwise be a protein-and carbohydrate-heavy meal into a perfectly healthy one and in terms of that objective it doesnt matter whether theyre in the main recipe or on the side.

What does matter is the overall spirit of the dish. You could legitimately say a chicken stir-fry or a spaghetti bolognese, if it contained enough vegetables and was accompanied by a salad, was meat and two veg but that wouldnt be right. Meat and two veg is a very British concept so Ive stuck by and large to the great stalwarts of the British culinary repertoire roasts and grills, casseroles and bakes giving them, OK, a bit of a twist, or suggesting a less conventional vegetable accompaniment but essentially this is British food in all its glory.

And theres absolutely nothing wrong with that.

FIONA BECKETT, JULY 2006

HOW TO BUY GOOD MEAT

When I first starting cooking in the 1970s, I used to be taken once a week by my mother-in-law to her local butcher. There we queued invariably until one of the rosy-cheeked, cheery and rotund (at least thats how I remember them) grey-haired men behind the counter would turn to us and say And what would you like today, Mrs B?

Corner wing rib was my mother-in-laws favourite and I can remember the meat being ceremoniously presented, the flesh dark red and marbled with an edge of rich creamy fat. I was amazed she knew about this obscure cut that I had never heard of. Still more impressed when I got it home and cooked the best beef I had ever eaten.

Butchers like that still exist today (I go to two of them) but theyre a dying breed. Yet were the ones, I feel, who miss out, not only on that quality of meat but the banter and the chat. Theres a real pride and craftsmanship there that is wonderful to see. I still love to watch my butcher, Barry, patiently and slowly score the rind of a piece of pork, the thinly-spaced, ruler-straight lines ensuring perfect crackling (and see p100 for Barrys cooking tips).

Butchers too are a reliable source of the less glamourous cuts of meat that have all the flavour. Beef skirt for pasties (or flashy French bavette steak), chunky cubes of pork shoulder for long slow cooking, crumbly white suet-crusted lambs kidneys it doesnt have to cost a fortune to eat well.

Thankfully for those who dont have a butcher of the old school or who dont have time to linger and admire their handiwork, anyone is now within reach of good meat simply by clicking a mouse. Even small producers like Brown Cow Organics and The Well Hung Meat Company now have highly professional websites that are easy to navigate and full of recipes and cooking tips (see p154). Many sell rare breed meat that doesnt even find its way onto the butchers counter. Northfield Farm, for example, offers Dexter beef, Pedigree Meats offer Middle White pork and the Well Hung Meat Company superb Poll Dorset lamb. For the increasing numbers who are concerned about animal welfare they can tell you exactly how their meat is reared, what it has been fed on and how long it has been hung. Many of the same producers also turn up at farmers markets. These markets have brought good old-fashioned locally produced food back within many more peoples reach.

The quality and range of supermarket meat has also significantly improved. Sure, some of their meat is poor tough, flavourless and of dubious provenance but there are premium ranges like Jamie Olivers range of 21-day aged beef for Sainsburys or Waitroses Poulet dOr chicken, from meat produced on farms that are as good as youll find in many local butchers.

Its not widely known but West Country branches of Sainsburys have their own in-store meat counter run by Newton Abbot-based butcher Steve Turton. My local Budgens makes a feature of the sourcing of its British-produced meat. Even cut-price supermarket Morrisons has a good range of offal and other cheaper cuts like skirt. If you look out for good meat youll find it.

WHICH CUT TO USE

Which meat you choose is going to depend primarily on your budget, how much time youve got and how health-conscious you are. If youre cooking a celebratory meal for family or friends, for example, youll probably feel inclined to splash out on a rib of beef or leg of lamb. If you have time to cook you might settle for a slow-roast belly of pork or lamb shoulder. If you dont like fat on your meat well, you probably shouldnt have bought this book for a start but you may be looking for a lean pork or lamb steak you can cook quickly with the minimum of added fat. Some cuts can take being cooked quickly others need to be cooked slowly. Heres roughly whats suited to what.

ROASTING

If you want to cook a joint quickly go for a prime cut. Cheaper cuts generally need a longer cooking period.

BEEF

PRIME CUTS

Sirloin, fore rib, wing rib, fillet

CHEAPER CUTS (FOR POT ROASTING)

Topside, silverside, brisket

LAMB

PRIME CUTS

Saddle, leg, loin, rack of lamb

CHEAPER CUTS

Shoulder, breast

PORK

PRIME CUTS

Loin, leg

CHEAPER CUTS

Belly, hand, shoulder, spare rib

CHICKEN

PRIME CUTS

Whole organic birds

CHEAPER CUTS

Legs, thighs, drumsticks

FRYING & GRILLING

For frying and grilling you need lean cuts that will cook quickly.

BEEF

PRIME CUTS

Fillet steak, sirloin steak, rib eye steak

CHEAPER CUTS

Rump steak, skirt, minute steak

LAMB

PRIME CUTS

Leg steaks, noisettes, cutlets, loin chops

CHEAPER CUTS