🍽️ Cuisine
Guernsey Bean Jar
Traditional Baked Beans
Ingredients: 200g dried haricot beans (soaked overnight), 200g pork belly (cut into chunks), 2 pig's trotters (optional, for richness), 2 onions (sliced), 3 carrots (chunked), 2 bay leaves, 5g fresh thyme, Salt and pepper to taste, Water to cover.
Preparation: Drain soaked beans. In a deep earthenware pot or Dutch oven, layer beans, pork belly, pig's trotters, onions, and carrots. Tuck in bay leaves and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with cold water by about 3cm. Cover pot tightly with a lid or foil. Cook in oven at 130°C for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight—the longer the better. Check occasionally, adding water if needed to keep beans covered. The dish is ready when beans are creamy, meat is falling apart, and liquid has reduced to a thick, unctuous sauce. Serve in deep bowls with crusty bread.
💡 The pig's trotters add gelatin that makes the sauce luxuriously silky. Ask your butcher to split them lengthwise. Remove bones before serving.
Gâche Mélée
Apple Pudding
Ingredients: 300g cooking apples (peeled, grated), 150g flour, 75g sugar, 50g butter (melted), 1 egg, 5g baking powder, 3g cinnamon, 2g nutmeg, Pinch of salt, Guernsey cream or ice cream for serving.
Preparation: Preheat oven to 180°C. Squeeze excess moisture from grated apples using a clean cloth. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add melted butter, egg, and grated apples. Stir until just combined—the batter will be thick and chunky. Pour into a greased 20cm baking dish. Bake 35-40 minutes until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean. The center should be moist but set. Let cool 10 minutes. Serve warm, cut into squares, with generous pours of thick Guernsey cream or vanilla ice cream.
💡 Use firm, tart apples that hold their shape—Bramleys or Granny Smiths work well. The pudding is meant to be dense; don't expect it to rise like a cake.
Guernsey Gâche
Traditional Fruit Loaf
Ingredients: 300g strong bread flour, 75g Guernsey butter, 75g sugar, 150ml Guernsey milk, 7g instant yeast, 150g mixed dried fruit (currants, raisins, sultanas), 50g candied peel, 5g mixed spice, 3g salt, 1 egg (beaten).
Preparation: Warm milk and butter together until butter melts; cool to lukewarm. Mix flour, sugar, yeast, spice, and salt. Add milk mixture and half the beaten egg. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Knead in dried fruit and candied peel until evenly distributed. Shape into a round or oval loaf. Place on a greased baking sheet, cover, and let rise 2 hours until doubled. Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush top with remaining beaten egg. Bake 35-40 minutes until deep golden and sounds hollow when tapped. Cool completely before slicing—this is important for texture. Serve sliced, spread with butter.
💡 Gâche is traditional for special occasions but makes wonderful everyday toast. It freezes well and makes excellent bread pudding when slightly stale.
