Reverse Meal Planning

Suffolk_lass

joedenise said:

I've got a breast of lamb out of the freezer which we'll have roasted today.  The leftovers will be made into some sort of ragout to have with some pasta tomorrow or Tuesday.  I'm trying to use up stuff from the freezer as haven't got room in there yet for our Christmas chicken (we don't eat turkey).  Going to buy as big as I can get as feeding 4 adults and hoping to have some leftovers to have cold Boxing Day and also make a curry for the day after.  Stock will be made with the carcass for chicken and veg soup for lunches.

Have you tried a  capon @joedenise? a good compromise  between the two and plenty left

EssexHebridean

Oh SL what a lovely thing for that new family to do - I hope you got there and the food was delicious, the company marvellous and the new family firmly welcomed to the community! I do sympathise with you just wanting some quiet though - I confess that a very busy time socially leaves me needing much the same ! 

joedenise

Suffolk_lass said:

joedenise said:

I've got a breast of lamb out of the freezer which we'll have roasted today.  The leftovers will be made into some sort of ragout to have with some pasta tomorrow or Tuesday.  I'm trying to use up stuff from the freezer as haven't got room in there yet for our Christmas chicken (we don't eat turkey).  Going to buy as big as I can get as feeding 4 adults and hoping to have some leftovers to have cold Boxing Day and also make a curry for the day after.  Stock will be made with the carcass for chicken and veg soup for lunches.

Have you tried a  capon @joedenise? a good compromise  between the two and plenty left

Didn't think you could get capons now?  Not seen one since I was a kid.  It's what we used to have for Christmas when I was growing up.

JIL

Capons arent available in the UK as such, but you can get cockerel. Which is a capon with its bits left on.

Usually available in farm shops.

joedenise

Not our local farm shop or butcher unfortunately so chicken it will have to be!

rtandon27

Haha - every day is a school day - I had to g00gle capon!

Never had capon but across the pond we could get stewing hens which were only edible slow-cooked, so perfect for a stew or anything with a sauce.  My Gran would leave it on the back burner for hours to slow-cook.  They were smaller and less fatty than the average chicken, so 2 or 3 would be cut up and used to make chicken stock or a creamy stew.

JIL

joedenise said:

Not our local farm shop or butcher unfortunately so chicken it will have to be!

Apparently you can get them from Dobbies.

I'm sure a large chicken will be delicious. Which could be a cockerel by default.🐓

joedenise

Don't think I can get to Debbie's this side of Christmas unfortunately.  It's quite a way from where I live - about 3/4 hour drive on a good day!

Suffolk_lass

Ooh thanks, @JIL. I hadn't appreciated the actual castration was banned here. I certainly would not recommend any that had been hormone treated. I occasionally go to the house elf garden place, I shall look next time

rtandon27

@JIL & @Suffolk_lass - wondering if that particular ban also why veal is so uncommon & so very expensive in the UK?  I increasingly think about the methods used in mass production of animal products we consume, and while we have a vegetable centric, we are not vegetarian by any means, there is a fine line for us between affordability & our ethics when it comes to animal products.