The Powells Cookbook

One of the best things about a staycation is the opportunity to sample some of the most exquisite local produce that the country offers and cooking new and exciting recipes with said produce. That being said, cooking in a foreign kitchen isn’t always the easiest, especially if the mound of suitcases in the boot of the car didn’t allow room for extra utensils and kitchenware.

A self-catering holiday in Pembrokeshire is often preferable to a hotel stay as not only does it give you chance to go out and enjoy the famed restaurants in the area but also the chance to enjoy freshly caught fish, locally-reared beef and organically-grown vegetables.

To make the most of the produce available on your rental cottage doorstep, we have collaborated with some of the best food bloggers and websites in the country to bring you the Powells Cookbook; a selection of recommended recipes to make the most of the produce around you and, perhaps, limited equipment.

 

One Pot/Woks

Limited cooking equipment doesn’t have to mean limited flavour, one pot recipes can offer such a wide range of meals to suit all tastes and ages.

Travel, food and parenting writer Becky Wiggins from EnglishMum.com is used to cooking on the go for her family and, as such, is an expert on great recipes to try out when staying in self-catering accommodation. Her pot roasted garlic chicken is sure to go down a storm both at home and away! 

Pot Roasted Garlic Chicken

Ingredients:

1.5kg free range chicken

1 lemon

5 cloves garlic

300ml chicken stock (cube is fine)

1 kg medium potatoes, peel and halved

5 or 6 carrots, peeled and halved

Utensils needed:

Casserole dish

Knife

Chopping board

This delicious yet simple recipe is ready in no time at all and takes barely any effort, just leave in the oven for 30 minutes. For the full method and recipe click here.
 

Slow cooked Barbecue Pulled Chicken

Ingredients:

Rapeseed oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

4 chicken breasts

Pinch of smoked paprika

About 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated (I keep mine in the freezer)

4 tbsp cider vinegar

2 tbsp runny honey

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp orcestershire sauce

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp tomato purée

Pinch dried chilli

Utensils needed:

Frying Pan

Wooden spoon

Knife

Chopping board

Jug

Heavy casserole dish

Here Becky comes through again with her delicious barbecue chicken. Perfect at any time of the year (as no barbecue is actually needed) it’s another one that you can just forget about in the oven for an hour while you go off and enjoy the local scenery. Click here for the full method.
 

Spring Braised Beef with Borlotti Beans and Red Wine

Ingredients:

Rapeseed oil

1 onion, chopped

About 1/2 kilo braising or stewing steak, trimmed of any excess fat and sinew

3 tbsp plain flour, well seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper

Large glass red wine

Tin of chopped tomatoes

500ml beef stock (cube is fine)

Tin of borlotti beans, rinsed and drained

Bag of spring greens

Utensils needed:

Heavy casserole dish

Wooden spoon

This recipe is just perfect if you have been to visit the local butcher or farmers’ market as nothing beats local beef. Who says you need to be at home to enjoy a home cooked Sunday roast? Click here for the full recipe method and enjoy!

 

Meals in Fields

The fantastic website Meals in Fields is dedicated to providing a source of information to promote the use of local businesses through promoting healthy eating using a limited number of ingredients in a restricted area, such as is found in a caravan, motorhome, boat or tent; making them a perfect source of inspiration for self-catering accommodation cooking! Here they have provided a great selection of recipes personally recommended for Powells Cottage Holidays customers.
 

Stir Fried Beef

Ingredients:

2 beef sandwich steaks, or similar quick cook, thin beef slices, or stir fry beef ready prepared

3-4 spring onions

1 carrot

1 plum tomato

1 small courgette

1 glass dry sherry

Drizzle oyster sauce

Dessertspoon tomato puree

Grated fresh ginger

3 – 4 cloves garlic

Pinch turmeric

Pinch paprika

Olive oil for frying

Utensils needed:

Knife

Chopping board

Large frying pan/wok

Wooden spoon/spatula

This utensil-light recipe is a clear winner with families, easy to prepare it also makes good use of flavours that you can easily pick up at supermarkets and local shops around the country; and who doesn’t like a taste of the Orient? Click here for the full method.
 

Spanish Vegetable Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups long grain rice

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

2 plum tomatoes (if available otherwise use a sweet variety, not hard salad tomatoes)

1 onion

6 to 8 mushrooms (Chestnut variety if available)

1 small courgette

Handful peas (frozen or straight from the pod)

Handful frozen sweetcorn

2 stock cubes (chicken or vegetable as preferred)

1.1/2 pints water

At least 2 large cloves of garlic

Oil for frying (Olive or Sunflower as preferred)

Turmeric

Paprika

Ground Coriander

Black pepper

Utensils needed:

Knife

Chopping board

Jug

Paella pan/wok

Wooden spoon/spatula

This multiuse recipe is just perfect as a meal in itself or to be used as a side to fish or poultry dishes. So why not give your staycation a taste of the Med? The full recipe can be found here.

 

Warren Nash

This next recipe comes from the talented Warren Nash. His YouTube channel, which provides a forum full of recipes to suit every level of cook, has over 6,000 subscribers, paying testament to the taste! Here he recommends a couple of his best one pot recipes for those cooking away from home.
 

Vegetable Stew

Ingredients:

2 Onions

2 Garlic Cloves

1/2 a Swede

2 Celery stalks

2 Parsnips

2 Carrots

1 Leek

1 tin Chopped Tomatoes

1 tin of Butter Beans

1 Vegetable Stock Cube

Olive Oil (to fry)

Handful of fresh Parsley

Utensils needed:

Knife

Chopping board

Casserole dish

Jug

Wooden spoon

This delicious and hearty recipe is just perfect after a long walk along the coast.

Lamb Shanks

Ingredients:

2 Lamb Shanks

2 tbsp Tomato Puree

2 Onions

2 Garlic Cloves

2 Carrots

2 Sprigs of Rosemary

1 Beef stock cube

1 tbsp Plain Flour

200ml Red Wine

Oil (to fry)

Utensils needed:

Knife

Chopping board

Casserole dish

Wooden spoon

Who doesn’t enjoy lamb shanks, particularly when you’re staying where they were reared. Learn about the local area by visiting the nearby butcher or farmers’ market and give this recipe a go.

 

Hearty Soups

Chilli Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

4 large chicken breasts (or some leftover cooked chicken)

1 litre chicken stock (cube is fine)

1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped

A generous grating of ginger

Juice of ½ lime

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce (Nam Pla)

1 tbsp brown sugar or honey

I pack fine egg noodles

Utensils needed:

Heavy based frying pan

Saucepan

Wooden spoon

Grater

Knife

Chopping board

Another recipe from English Mum, here she recommends this great, slightly spicy, noodle soup. It’s a great one for warming up after a brisk warm along the coastline or countryside and oh so tasty. The full recipe is available here.

 

Meaty Mains

No one knows how to cook with limited resources better than a caravan owner, putting recipe website author Caravan Larry in the perfect position to recommend a top recipe for those on holiday. As a keen home cook to a family of hungry mouths, Caravan Larry knows a thing or two about family cooking without leaving too many utensils to wash up! Here he recommends his super easy chicken bake recipe, saying ‘You can’t get much easier (or tastier) than my chicken sleazy’.
 

Easy Peasy Cheesy Chicken Sleazy

Ingredients:

1x Cooked chicken, we used a rotisserie one from Booths

1x Box of stuffing

1x Tin of Campbells condensed cream of mushroom soup

1x Tin of Campbells condensed cream of chicken soup

1x Tin of mixed veg

1x Tin of sweetcorn

2x Glasses of white wine

1x Chicken stock cube

Cheese, any will do, we used Mrs Kirkhams Lancashire cheese.                                                                                               

Utensils needed:

Jug

Baking tin/ Casserole dish

Grater

Tinfoil

You won’t believe how easy this recipe is, perfect for those busy days where the last thing you want to do is think about cooking. Many local stores will do their own local cooked chickens, so you can even make the most of local produce whilst cheating! Click here for the full recipe and have a browse around his blog for more easy and tasty recipe suggestions, we don’t doubt that you will be trying them at home too!
 

Orange and Lemon Lamb

Ingredients:

2 lamb cutlets or lamb chops per person

Garlic - 1 or 2 cloves, or more if you wish

1 lemon

1 orange

A little lemon infused rapeseed oil

Utensils needed:

Knife

Chopping board

Garlic crusher

Pastry brush

Barbecue

Nothing is better than barbecue cooking whilst on holiday and with some nice local Welsh lamb, this Meals in Fields recipe is a clear winner for our Pembrokeshire and Tenby cottage customers. See the full instructions here.

 

Fishy Dishies

Baked Sea Bass

Ingredients:

1 whole sea bass per person

1 fresh lemon or Lime

Herbes de Provence

Small knob of butter

Utensils needed:

Baking sheet/ Barbecue

Tinfoil

Sharon Eason, Director of Meals in Fields, has recommended a tried and tested recipe of her own here for Powells customers saying, ‘Because you are located in some wonderful fishing areas, I thought perhaps a very simple fish dish would be appropriate.  I suggest baked sea bass as it can be cooked in a very small oven or over a BBQ.’ Click here for the recipe, it’s fin-tastic!

 

Delectable Desserts

Strawberry Cheesecake Sundaes

Ingredients:

Base:

1.2 pack digestive biscuits (150 to 200g approx)
1 tablespoon caster sugar (optional)
Knob of butter (about 100g)

Strawberry Layer:

1Kg (two punnets) fresh strawberries
2 teaspoons cornflour
1/2 lemon
1 to 2 tablespoons caster sugar (depends on personal preference)
Slurp of cooking brandy (optional)

Cheesecake:

300 ml carton cottage cheese
300 ml (1/2 pint) double cream
1 tablespoon icing sugar

Utensils needed:

Large saucepan

Plastic bag

Bowl

Wooden spoon

Whisk

Sundae glasses/ large wine glasses

Just because you’re on a self-catering doesn’t mean you have to make do without dessert. This simple yet sweet dessert recipe from Meals in Fields is easily accomplished in the comfort of your cottage with minimal equipment and is so tasty and pretty you’ll be taking it home to try at your next dinner party. Take note, this one tastes even better with local strawberries so be sure to visit the fruit section of local greengrocers. Here’s the full method for you.

If you have any other recipe suggestions for the Powells Cookbook we’d love to see them! Get in touch via the Powells Cottage Holidays Facebook page.

 

This content was written by Ben Edwards. Please feel free to visit my Google+ Profile to read more stories.