I haven’t had a new #FoodieFriends post up on here for a while, so I’m very excited for this one from Mel. I have known Mel since I was around 8 years old – she and her husband Lloyd were our neighbours when we lived in Yorkshire and we have all been friends ever since. Here’s a serious throwback photo from 2009 when Dad was still with us:

Lloyd also did a beautiful reading for us at our wedding.

Mel is a fantastic cook and it’s a real treat to be invited round for dinner. I was up visiting my mum a couple of weeks ago and Mel cooked us a delicious fish pie, followed by an ice cream meringue pudding, which she was kind enough to share the recipes for:

Fish Pie

Mixture of cod, smoked haddock, salmon & cooked prawns

Place all fish except prawns into a dish and cook for 10 mins in preheated oven of 180c covered with 1 pint of milk, seasoning, 2 bay leaves and some dried thyme. Drain and reserve the milk to make the sauce. Flake the fish and put into a deep dish along with the cooked prawns.

Sauce
1 pint milk from cooking fish
100g butter
4 dessert spoons of plain flour
1 carrot grated
Handful of mushrooms finely chopped
1 small onion finely chopped
Extra knob of butter
Salt & pepper
1 heaped teaspoon English mustard powder
Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Topping – potatoes (how many depends on size of dish), milk, butter, seasoning

1. Gently fry the onions, carrot and mushrooms in a knob of butter until soft (about 10 mins)
2. Make white sauce by combining the milk, flour, mustard powder and butter in a pan and whisk all the time with a balloon whisk to prevent lumps (this all in one method is quicker and easier than making a roux but when it has thickened you need to make sure you simmer it still stirring to cook the flour).
3. Add Worcestershire sauce and the onion, carrot and mushroom mixture and season to your own taste.
4. Pour the sauce over the fish and use a fork to ensure even distribution.
5. Boil potatoes and make mash with a bit of butter, milk and seasoning and place carefully on top of the fish in its sauce.
6. Cook at 180c for about 45 mins (test that it is hot in the middle with a metal skewer)
(This makes enough for 4 hungry people)

This can also be made the day before and kept in the fridge or even frozen.

Easy Lemon Meringue Ice Cream

1 litre tub of good quality vanilla ice cream
1 medium jar of lemon curd (I use the Sicilian variety)
1 pack of 6 meringues or make your own but they need to be dry
Block of white chocolate
Raspberries to decorate

1. Line a loaf tin with cling film making sure that there is plenty of overlap.
2. Let the ice cream slightly soften and then break up the meringues and stir gently through.
3. Ripple the lemon curd through the mixture – again don’t fully mix.
4. Put the ice cream mixture into the loaf tin and make sure there are no gaps. Cover with the overlapping cling film and freeze for at least 4 hours but better done the day before.
5. When ready to serve take out of loaf tin and remove cling film. Serve on a pretty plate adorned with raspberries and shavings of white chocolate and friends will think you are oh so clever!!!

This can be adapted to all sorts of different flavours – try crunching up maltesers or a crunchie bar and drizzling end product with chocolate sauce – the combinations are endless!

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Thanks Mel! xxx