I cook this beef recipe at home regularly. It really is the perfect Sunday lunch with a nice gravy. There is so much flavour in it. Sometimes I do it with a pastry crust. We owe a lot to our great Irish farmers. Over the years beef has always remained a firm favourite in the restaurant. The Simply Better 28-day matured beef, which is produced by Jennings butchers in Ballinrobe, Co Mayo, has won numerous awards in recent years. I love the flavour and texture. Always look out for the Bord Bia Quality Assurance.

This pavlova is a lovely combination of the marshmallow of the pavlova, the crunchiness of the shell, and the tart lemon taste. This is a great time of the year to enjoy raspberries. You can make this recipe the day before and decorate before serving.

Thank you to everyone for the good wishes on reopening our restaurant. We are taking it very carefully and it is only open to residents for the time being. We were delighted to welcome back some long time customers as well as some new faces. We will let people know via our website when we move to the next stage of opening.

Happy cooking,

Neven

Roast rib of beef on the bone with crispy roast potatoes

Serves four to six

1 tsp black peppercorns

1 tbsp English mustard powder

2 tsp sea salt flakes

1.5kg (3lb) French trimmed rib of

beef on the bone, tied with string

2 tbsp olive oil

2 large onions, quartered with root intact

2 large carrots, halved lengthways

675g (1 ½lb) potatoes, halved or

quartered

1 garlic bulb, broken into cloves

(not peeled)

small handful soft thyme leaves

2 tsp plain flour

400ml (14fl oz) chicken or beef stock

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

creamed horseradish, to serve

  • 1 Preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F/gas mark 8).
  • 2 Heat a small frying pan and toast the peppercorns until aromatic, then place in a pestle and mortar and grind until cracked. Mix in the mustard and salt. Wipe the meat with damp kitchen paper and rub with the mustard mixture.
  • 3 Pour the olive oil into a roasting tin and add the onions, carrots, potatoes, garlic and thyme, tossing to coat. Season to taste, then push the veg to the edges and sit the beef in the middle of the vegetables. Roast for 15 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 200°C (400°F/gas mark 6) and roast for 10 minutes per 450g (1lb) for rare, 12 minutes for medium-rare and 20–25 minutes for well done. Take out and baste halfway through the cooking time and quickly turn over the roast potatoes.
  • 4 Remove the beef, onions and carrots from the tin and place on a platter. Cover with tin foil and leave to rest for 15 minutes before carving. Pop the potatoes and garlic into another roasting tin and continue to cook in the oven, removing the garlic cloves if they are starting to catch and burn.
  • 5 To make the gravy, pour the juices from the roasting tin into a jug and leave the fat to settle on top, then skim off the fat and discard, reserving the juices. Stir the flour into the roasting tin, scraping the bottom of the tin with a wooden spoon to remove any residue, then gradually stir in the stock and reserved juices. Place the tin directly on the hob and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring. Pour through a sieve into a gravy boat.
  • 6 To serve, carve the rested beef into slices and arrange on warmed serving plates with a dollop of creamed horseradish. Add the roasted onions, carrots and potatoes. Hand around the gravy separately.

    • Raspberry and white chocolate pavlova with lemon and mint

    Serves six to eight

    For the pavlova:

    4 large egg whites, at room temperature

    pinch of salt

    225g (8oz) caster sugar

    2 tsp cornflour

    1 tsp white wine vinegar

    ½ tsp vanilla extract

    For the filling:

    400ml (14fl oz) cream

    50g (2oz) icing sugar, sifted

    1 vanilla pod, split in half and seeds

    scraped out

    finely grated rind of 1 lemon

    250g (9oz) raspberries

    fresh mint sprigs, to decorate

    white chocolate curls to decorate

  • 1 Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F/gas mark 2). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw on a 23cm (9in) circle. Flip the paper over so that the pencil doesn’t transfer to the bottom of the pavlova.
  • 2 Make the meringue in a large, clean, dry bowl. Whisk the egg whites and salt into stiff peaks.
  • 3 Slowly add the sugar, a third at a time, whisking well between each addition, until the mixture is stiffened and shiny. Sprinkle in the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla extract, then fold in gently with a metal spoon.
  • 4 Pile the meringue onto the paper circle and make a deep hollow in the centre. Put in the oven and reduce the heat to 120°C (250°F/gas mark ½). Bake for 1 ½ hours, until pale brown but a little soft in the centre. Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and allow to cool completely.
  • 5 To make the filling, whip the cream in a bowl with the icing sugar, vanilla seeds and lemon rind until thickened and just holding its shape.
  • 6 To serve, peel the parchment paper off the pavlova and carefully transfer to a serving plate or cake stand. Pile on the whipped cream and arrange the raspberries on top, then decorate with the mint sprigs and white chocolate curls.
  • 7 Serve straight to the table in all its glory.