This week we’ve enjoyed Brian Turner’s Favourite British Recipes.

Brian is a proud Yorkshireman, much like myself, so it’s a bit hard not to cook his Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding – we’ve done his method for Yorkie Ps before, but it had been a while. I didn’t use Brian’s method for roasting beef; we have been using Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall method for roasting meat from his wonderful book Meat for years. As I said, we did use Brian’s Yorkshire pudding recipe.

We’ve been on a quest for the perfect Yorkie P, and I’ve concluded that the recipe is somewhat academic, but the method matters. As kids, my brother and I would have Yorkshire puddings most Sundays, and I’ll never forget the Yorkshire puddings that my grandma Bet used to make where the Yorkshire pudding would arrive as a starter to the meal as a precursor to the meat and vegetables to follow. I never did get her recipe, but my dad is adamant that it had very few eggs and water mixed with milk for the liquid.

My mum used to do little puddings, sometimes individual ones about 10cm across, sometimes, she calls popovers, cooked in a muffin or bun tin. These ten or so perfect little puddings brought to the table as a pile are mainly how we do Yorkshires at home. We’ve come across Yorkshire puddings worldwide, with particularly memorable ones at The Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco.

We’ve tried many recipes over the years, and I’ve concluded that the recipe matters less than the technique. I always used to use a blender to make the puddings, and, if I’m honest, has some pretty questionable results. I switched to making them by hand a few years ago with a wooden spoon; honestly, I can’t remember the last time they didn’t work. A few tips – sift the flour, beat with a wooden spoon, use lard and cook at 220 fan. Brian’s recipe is unusual as it works by volume rather than weight. The puddings were good but not the best we’ve done, which come from the Borough Market Cookbook.

We had a lovely rib of beef with the Yorkshire puddings – always our favourite roast cut, accompanied by Brian’s Cauliflower Cheese. We make Cauliflower Cheese pretty regularly in our house, but Brian’s recipe uses Lancashire cheese rather than Cheddar, which we usually go for. I have to say that Lancashire cheese made a huge difference. The cheese has a tartness that complements a cheese sauce’s richness perfectly. Alongside, we served carrots and broccoli.

Desert was Brian’s Apple and Pineapple Crumble. We did a pineapple crumble a couple of weeks ago, and I have to say the combo of apple and pineapple is fantastic. Brian’s crumble topping – we’ve had better, but apple and pineapple are winners.

The final dish of the week was a bit of a treat. We had Grilled Dover Sole with Lemon and Parsley butter. This was a really simple dish and was just wonderful to eat. Dover Sole deserves all the praise it receives. Yes, it is expensive, but wow, I haven’t enjoyed fish this much in ages. Next week it’s the cookbook from one of our local cafes.