Author: Jenny Ridgwell

Toad in the hole was made from sausages in the 1970s but modernise the recipe – use oil instead of lard, select some roast veggies to replace the sausages or make a veggie Toad with veggie sausages.

Ingredients 
Serves 4

25g lard
200g sausages
100g plain flour
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
200ml milk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220C/Gas 7.
2. Put sausages and lard in a baking tin and heat in the oven while you make the batter.
3. Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl, crack in the eggs and beat until smooth.
4. Gradually add the milk to make a batter and pour into a jug.
5. Pour the batter into the tin with the hot fat and sausages.
6. Bake for 35-40 mins until the batter is well risen, crisp and golden.

OK I know this sounds horrid but it is an authentic 1972 recipe – if you want the real one, find an Italian cookbook. You can read about my spag bog lesson here.

Ingredients
Serves 4
400g minced beef
25g lard
1 onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons tomato ketchup
Pinch mixed herbs
100g spaghetti
salt
50g grated Cheddar cheese

Method
Fry the minced beef with the lard and chopped onion until the meat turns brown.
Stir in the tomato ketchup, mixed herbs and enough water to make a smooth sauce.
Cover the pan with a lid and cook gently for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Half fill a large saucepan with boiling water and add the salt.
Dip one end of the spaghetti in the water, wait till it softens, then wind the spaghetti round in the water until it is completely covered by the water. Boil quickly for 10 minutes with the lid off, until the spaghetti is tender.
Throw it at the wall if you like! If it sticks it is done.
Drain off the water by pouring the contents through a colander which is held over a sink.
Place the spaghetti on a warm serving dish, pour the meat sauce over it and sprinkle grated cheese on top.

History note
In 2021 you would ditch my 1970s ingredients for the Bolognese sauce and make it from lean minced beef, tomato paste and tinned tomatoes, delicious herbs like oregano and extra virgin olive oil, then grate expensive parmesan cheese on top.

This was the recipe that I used in 1972 and it was a cheap nutritious dish for supper, but many of my students left their stuffed heart behind for me to sell in the staffroom. You can read about the Awful Offal lesson here.

Ingredients
Serves 4-6
4-6 lamb’s hearts
Sage and onion stuffing mix
1 onion cut into slices
Knob of lard
1 heaped tbsp plain flour
500 ml boiling water
2 beef Oxo cubes

Method
Prepare the hearts – remove the fatty bits and tubes to form two pouches.
Make up the packet of stuffing mix with water following instructions and press it firmly into the hearts.
Fry the onion in the lard until it browns. Add the hearts and fry and turn them until brown.
Remove the hearts, and place in an ovenproof dish.
Stir the flour into the onions, add water and Oxo cubes then cook until it thickens to a gravy.
Pour over the hearts, cover with greaseproof paper and bake in the oven for 45 minutes, 180°C, Gas mark 4.
To serve, leave to stand for 10 minutes, then slice and cover with the gravy. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes.

History note

When I asked my local supermarket why they had so many packs of frozen lamb’s hearts they said ‘dog food’. Not popular in 2021.