Customer Recipes

Got a favourite recipe using Hook & Son produce that you'd like to share below? Send it to us at joe@hookandson.co.uk

"Yogic definition of milk (often some yogis only drink milk) It is the only nutrient produced with the loving intention to nourish another - this is why it is so healing" - Yogi Bhajan

Turmeric 1/8 tsp
Water 1/4 cup
Raw Milk 8oz
Oil almond 2 tbsp
Honey to taste

1. Boil turmeric in water until it forms a thick paste. You can store turmeric paste up to 10 days in the refrigerator, so prepare more if you like.

2. Add the milk and oil to the cooked turmeric paste. As soon as it boils, remove from heat and sweeten to taste.

In India, turmeric is considered the standard anti-inflammatory, and yogis use it to help keep their tendons and ligaments free from injury and to assist in their asana practice. In the same way, it minimizes pain and inflammation related to any kind of exercise or strenuous activity. Turmeric is a wonderful tonic for the female system. Turmeric is good for the skin elastics as well.

Golden Milk heals:
Internal injuries
Repairing nerve damage
Good for tissue healing
Joint pain

Ingredients and Their Benefits

Turmeric:
analgesic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, antiallergic, anti-oxidant, antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, carminative, cholagogue, digestive, diuretic, stimulant.

Turmeric has been proven effective in treating some of the most intense ailments afflicting the world today including: Arthritis, Cancer, Alzheimer's Disease, Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, Atherosclerosis, HIV/AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (Hepatitis-C, Genital Herpes), Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Indigestion, Inflammation, Acne, Urinary Tract Infections, Kidney Infections, Gallstones, Anemia, Hemorrhoids, Liver Disease, Leprosy, Amenorrhea, Edema, Bronchitis, Common Cold, Headaches, Conjunctivitis, Bursitis, food poisoning, parasites, fever, diarrhea, poor circulation, lower back and abdominal pain. It can also be used as a mosquito repellent, wound healer, and immediate cure for scorpion stings. Turmeric helps balance the female reproductive and lactation systems, and in men it purifies and improves the health of semen. It is used to treat external ulcers that would not respond to other treatment.

Turmeric is also a powerful anti-inflammatory herb. It has been shown to be helpful in the treatment of Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, injuries, trauma, and stiffness from both under activity and over activity. It is also helpful after surgery to decrease pain, inflammation and accelerate healing. One study conducted in 1986 showed that a dosage of 1200 mg of curcumin a day was more effective in reducing post-surgical inflammation than either the placebo group or anti-inflammatory.

Almond Oil:
It is rich in vitamins like B1, A, B6 and B2 and hence used as anti-inflammatory and immunity booster. Highly healing and rejuvenating - stimulated the repair of cells. It has heals skin disorders such a eczema and psoriasis. Best thing there is for pacifying vatta.

Milk:
In Ayurvedic medicine, milk is said to be the most rejuvenating food on the planet. Milk provides special and unique nutrition that cannot be derived from any other type of food. Milk, nourishes all the tissues and helps growth and rejuvenation - you’ll be as good as a new born baby :) Raw organic milk is best.

2 litres milk
Juice of 1 lemon

1. Simply bring 2 Litres of fresh milk to a rolling boil in a large pan, over a low-medium heat, stirring often to avoid burning on the bottom of the pan.
2. Remove from the heat and immediately pour in the juice of 1 lemon (approx 5 tbsp) whilst stirring the milk in one direction only.
3. The curds and whey separate - leave to rest and cool for a couple of hours (30 mins will do if you don't have time to wait!).
4. Pour into a sterilised (boiled) muslin cloth/bag/old t-shirt lined colander, sitting on a large bowl to collect the whey and leave for at least 3 hours - if you have somewhere to hang it from, tie the ends and hang with a bowl underneath.
5. Transfer the curds from the muslin to a sterilised glass jar and store in the fridge - made with raw milk this keeps fresh for at least a week.
6. If you like you can stir in some sea salt before storing, or else simply add freshly milled salt and pepper as you serve - it's also delicious with honey though!

If you get a softer curd after separation, it can take an overnight hang and may need a helping hand with stirring and squeezing to get the whey drained - this tends to happen if the milk isn't heated well enough, so be patient and allow a rolling boil to be reached, without burning the bottom!

The whey can be kept, stored in the fridge for a week as well - it can be used for all kinds of things - soak oats overnight in it and add chopped dates and cinnamon for a delicious breakfast, or use it in smoothies, all kinds of baking (biscuits, cakes, pancakes, bread etc.) or just sweeten with vanilla sugar for a fortified drink!

2 litres raw milk

150g plain yogurt

1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice

1. Bring the milk to almost a boil in a heavy-based saucepan, you just start to see the bubbles and you need to turn the heat all the way down.

2. Stir in all the yogurt and lemon juice and keep stirring until you see the curds separating from the yellowish whey. At this point turn the heat off.

3. Line a large sieve with muslin cloth and place over a large bowl or saucepan. Pour the cheese into the lined sieve, you might want to save the whey water for another receipt or just drink it. Pour some cold water through the cheese, wrap it in the muslin cloth and hang it from the tap over the sink to allow the excess water to drain for 10-15 minutes.

4. Then, keeping it tightly wrapped, place it on a plate with some kitchen cloth towels to catch the excess liquid with a heavy weight on top (I use my heavy cooking books on top of the small chopping board to prevent from getting wet, you can use the same bowl with whey). Leave it there under the press for around 30 min – 1 hour. When you unwrap the cheese you can put it into the container and pour some of the whey just to keep it moist, but that is not necessary and you can just keep it in a container alone.

This cheese comes out pretty cheesy and of rich creamy flavour. You can cut it up with some tomatoes and sweet peppers, drizzle with some olive oil, black pepper and salt and it is good to go with any meal. Or you can drizzle over some honey and you have a lovely desert. Feel free to experiment with the cheese however you like.

Raw milk is a hot topic at the moment. The Guardian has even hailed it as a ‘revolution’ and, despite the hordes of foodies clamouring for it at farmers markets across London, the debate rages on about whether the claimed health benefits and superior taste are worth the risks of drinking something that has so many potential risks and comes with a health warning on the side of the bottle. It seems that whilst many of us are keen to experiment with this newly available product, the rest of us are sticking firmly to the red, green and blue topped bottles in the supermarket.

After reading the Guardian article, I confess that I was intrigued. Some years ago, I came across a blog post about baking with milk skin and was keen to try it out. The author claimed that unpasteurised milk was the best product to use, due to its purer state and high fat content, however back then it was much harder to come by. On Saturday I met with the seller from Hook & Son at Brockley Market who told me that many more people were starting to buy unpasteurised dairy products for use in baking. The most popular was the unpasteurised buttermilk which, he told me, was the authentic article, unlike the buttermilk we buy in the supermarkets which is merely milk that has been soured. Incidentally, this is how many websites suggest you make your own buttermilk if you cannot find it or afford the hiked-up price. Apparently this buttermilk makes exceptional pancakes and is being adopted by many a pancake house across London. Despite this, he had never heard of anybody having baked with milk skin.

The idea behind this is that you use the milk skin to replace butter in a recipe. The unpasteurised milk is boiled in a pan, the skin gently skimmed off and chilled in the fridge for a day or two until it takes on a butter-like consistency and a slightly sour taste. It is supposed to give the cake a bit of a different dimension, the way that a sourdough starter does with bread.

Chocolate, Stem Ginger and Milk Skin Mini Loaves

The inspiration from this recipe comes from the fabulous Cannelle et Vanille blog. Despite the comments underneath the post from people saying they have often eaten milk skin cakes, I could find very few recipes online. If you are going to attempt this recipe, it is definitely worth reading Aran’s post here.

1 litre unpasteurised full-fat milk

250ml double cream

100g caster sugar

3 eggs

160g flour

40g cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

30g stem ginger, finely chopped

30g chocolate chips

Unsalted butter (if required)

1. 24-48 hours before you wish to bake, prepare the milk skin. Put the unpasteurised milk and cream in a wide-bottomed pan and heat on a low heat until it comes to a simmer. Whilst simmering, gently skim off the skin that forms on the surface and collect in a clean bowl. Once you have collected the skin, cover the bowl with clingfilm and chill in the fridge until needed. The skin will be quite loose at this point, but it will come together when chilled. You will need approximately 180g for this recipe. If you do not have this much, you can make up the remainder with softened unsalted butter.

2. Preheat the oven to 180°c / 350° f / gas 4.

3. Cream together the milk skin and sugar until light and fluffy, either in a freestanding mixer with a paddle attachment or by hand with a wooden spoon.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix in using the whisk attachment or an electric hand whisk. If the mixture begins to separate, keep whisking and it will eventually come together.

5. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt and fold into the wet ingredients until combined.

6. Fold in the chopped stem ginger and chocolate chips. Spoon the mixture into mini loaf cases, filling them about three-quarters full – I got eight mini loaves from this recipe.

7. Finally, bake in the oven for around 20 minutes, checking after 15, until risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

This recipe is really easy, it was adapted from this Russian cooking blog so my Russian friends can go straight there and enjoy this wonderful recipe.

Here is the list of ingredients:

3 very fresh, organic, free range, good quality eggs

70g raw, unheated, organic honey

300g raw, organic, pastured cream

50g good quality organic chocolate (more if you want darker colour)

1. First you need to separate egg yolks from whites, put the egg whites aside in a small bowl for now. Add honey to the yolks and mix thoroughly.

2. In the meantime, melt chocolate in a bowl over hot water; when it is melted cool it down a bit and mix into the egg yolks mixture.

3. Whip the cream, add to the mixture, mix well.

4. Beat egg whites with a tiny squeeze of lemon until it is stiff. VERY SLOWLY fold in the egg whites in 3 goes (I can't overestimate the importance of doing it with a spoon very slowly).

5. If you are using ice cream moulds then just place your ice cream into the moulds and off they go to the freezer, allow at least 6 hours and preferably overnight before eating. If you have ice cream making machine follow the instructions and make the ice cream.

6. If you are not using the moulds or the machine cover the batter and place it to the freezer, preferably in some glass container like a bowl.

7. After the first 1.5 hours take it out and mix thoroughly. Repeat 3-4 times with 1 hour intervals.

Variations of this ice cream are endless, experiment and share your experiences. I just tried 2, this one because my boy loves chocolate and the one without chocolate just plain white ice cream simply because after a while I got so tired of chocolate ... can you believe it :) Enjoy!

This can be made only with unpasteurised (raw) milk, not with pasteurised milk which just goes bad – it cannot sour naturally. I make it when we have unpasteurised milk left over from our weekly order. It is very easy as the milk does not need to be heated at all.

I just leave the milk out at room temperature in a clean bowl to sour naturally. After a day or two or more (it will depend on the room temperature and how old the milk is) it will be very loosely set if you put a spoon through it. Take a piece of muslin or similar, fold it over and put it in a clean sieve over a large bowl. Ladle the milk into the sieve carefully. The whey will drain through into the bowl leaving the curds in the muslin. As I like to keep my whey as a clear solution I find it best to ladle the whey that has run through back into the sieve until it runs clear.

Let the whey drip through until the drops are coming through very slowly indeed – I find it normally takes up to a whole day. Then take a deep bowl (I use a large upright glass vase), some string and a wooden spoon or similar. Then lift the ends of the muslin carefully and tie the muslin up into a bag shape (à la Dick Whittington) and then tie it closely onto the spoon. Place the spoon across the top of the bowl and let the bag hang freely. Leave for say another half day or more. This will allow more liquid to drain out of the curds. You may find some fine white powder (like on some cheeses) forms on the outside which I ignore.

Undo the bag and scrape out the curds from the cloth and place in a bowl and store in the fridge. We eat it either as a savoury with chopped raw garlic and herbs or as a pudding with sugar and raspberries (defrosted ones are fine). The taste of the curds is not a strong one but it is a useful way of using up one’s raw milk to best advantage.

To clean the cloth for the next time you make curds wash out the cloth thoroughly in water so that any remaining curds are removed. Then place in a pan with water and bring to the boil, drain and dry.

Even the clear whey still has some milk products suspended in it and ricotta and the Norwegian cheese gjetost are made from whey. I did in fact try making a very simple kind of whey cheese. I very gently simmered the whey until just about all the liquid had evaporated. What was left was a very ‘salty’ and strong flavoured ‘cheese’ – I think it is an acquired taste!

1. Butter a 23cm quiche-tin (ideally with a loose base)

2. Slightly warm 110g Hook & Son ghee, mix in 1 tbs rosewater, ½ tsp almond essence, 1 tbs water

3. Mix 200g ground almonds, 75g icing sugar; mix in the ghee mix; chill 30 mins

4. Divide paste into 6, roll into 30cm cylinders (for 30cm width filo)

5. Spread out pack of 12 filo sheets, melt some ghee

6. Paint top ¾ of top sheet with ghee, put cylinder along bottom and roll up; paint next sheet with plenty of ghee and repeat; coil tightly into tin; do for other 5 cylinders

7. Brush with beaten eggyolk or egg, Mark 4-5 for 30 mins till golden brown; turn onto baking sheet (brush coil with any remaining egg), return to oven 10-15 mins

8. Invert again, cool

Serve warm; thickly sieve icing sugar over, sprinkle cinnamon from fingers in zigzags. Serve with yoghurt

Ingredients:

18 pints (~10 litres) raw Friesian Holstein milk

1ml vegetarian rennet

I ordered 2 x 10 pint boxes of raw milk on Monday morning, and come Wednesday I had a package marked “Do not crush – milk!” sitting on my desk! It sat in the fridge till the weekend, when I was able to start work – this time, some Camembert.

Unfortunately the stock pot would only hold 18 pints, so the rest of the milk was happily consumed by the cats.

I recently bought a new analogue dairy thermometer with clip to make it easier to monitor temperatures – seems quite accurate when compared with old digital one which is handy!

After heating to 30°C, an extremely small amount of DVI starter was added, as well as a tiny pinch of rehydrated Penicillium Candidum.

After 30 minutes, when the pH had dropped from 6.7 to 6.5, added diluted rennet and stirred gently for a couple of minutes, then left to set while maintaining a temperature of 30°C.

Clean break was achieved after around 6 hours, when the pH had dropped from 6.5 to 5.4.

The milk was exceptionally creamy, much more so than the Jersey milk i’ve used in the past, so had to skim off the milk to get the curd.

Currently draining overnight, to be turned tomorrow morning, then salted tomorrow evening – they’ll reduce in size by about half, so should fit nicely in the lower moulds.

Curds have been salted and placed in drying area (18°C at 80% humidity), where they will remain for a couple of days being turned intermittently.