Find of the day: TESCO'S FREE RANGE, CORN FED CHICKEN BREASTS Save £5.00 a kg

ROMANTIC SUPPER DISH with WINE FOR approx £12.00

Heads up on this great offer from TESCO. £3.45 for two free range, cornfed chicken breasts is a bargain and offers a brilliant amount of versatility for 'special' suppers. I've brought a couple of packets and stuck them in the freezer.

Chicken breasts are so expensive now that they are becoming something of luxury and deserve some special treatment. For curries and other pot dishes use thighs as a tasty, cheaper alternative and make an occasion of a bit of breast.

BLUE CHEESE STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS WRAPPED IN PARMA HAM. (Takes a bit of effort first time around but will become a quick, impressive supper-party dish the more you do it.)

Approximate time from start to table about 45 mins. 

ISLA NEGRA CHARDONNAY
CURRENTLY ON
1/2 PRICE
OFFER for  £4.99 at TESCO

SIDES: Wilted Spinach and Herby Roast Potatoes.

DRINK ME: Serve with a heavier white, such as a good quality Chardonnay. 



Will suit a dinner party or an indulgent supper for two. Beware that it is a very rich dish and so consider this if you are doing a starter and pudding. 

Serve on a bed of wilted spinach and with Herby roast / fluffy potatoes. (Put them onto boil before you start and by time chicken is prepared, they will be ready to go in the oven alongside.)



You will need: 

Any blue cheese that you have in the fridge; dolcelette, Stilton etc.
Any cured pig; Serrano ham, Parma ham or bacon rashers.
A packet of Chicken Breasts
A carton of double cream.
Chicken stock cube.

Remove the skin from the chicken breast. Take a sharp knife and run it along the side of the chicken and then spread it out flat, bash with heel of your hand. (This is called butterflying)

Take a clump of the blue cheese and place it in the middle, squishing it down with your fingers until it loosens up a little.

Roll the chicken up and then wrap the ham / bacon around it tightly to hold it loosely in place.

Spread a square of cling-flim out on the kitchen side and place the wrapped chicken breast on it. Roll the chicken breast so that it is wrapped in the cling film, as if wrapping a present. Take each end of the now rolled cling-film and twist it so that the chicken parcel gets tighter and tighter in the cling film and makes a nice tidy shape. (This will make you feel very chefy - however, if cling-film is your nemesis, or it all sounds like far too much effort, you can just skip this section and whack a few cocktail sticks in to hold it all in place. Just remember to remove them before serving - unlike the several times I've done, nearly killing the hubby in the process.)

Remove cling-film and then brown off in an oven proof dish / frying pan.

Pour in enough chicken stock to come half way up the chicken parcels and whack in a pre-heated mid heat oven for around 30 minutes.

Remove chicken and let rest whilst you return the pan and the juices to the stove top. Stir in double cream and reduce until nice unctuous sauce.

Slice chicken into lovely rounds and place prettily on a bed of wilted spinach. Spoon over the sauce.

NOTES:

This is a dish that deserves simple elegance and a bit of old school style in order to elevate it. Personally I like to serve this on white plates and put the potatoes in a separate bowl on the table as not to detract from the 'restaurant' style presentation of the chicken.

This week's Lidl find. Fennel Salami & whole Camembert

SUPPER PLATTER OF BAKED CAMEMBERT, FENNEL SALAMI, ARTICHOKES and FRESH BAKED BAGUETTES (serve with a chilled Sauvignon Blanc, Angus and Julia Stone album, Candle [a night-light in a jam jar will be fine] and Napkins.) 

LIDL FINDS OF THE WEEK: FENNEL SALAMI £1.99 

                                                    BOXED CAMEMBERT £0.89

                                                    PART BAKED BAGUETTES £0.39

                                                    ARTICHOKES IN OLIVE OIL £1.59

                                                                               TOTAL £4.86 saving 49% on Waitrose

One of mine and the hubby's favourite suppers is a gooey, unctuous baked Camembert and a selection of cold delicatessen meats. All served on a wooden board with several freshly baked baguettes and a bottle of white Sauvignon; it's a holiday on a plate.

WAITROSE £3.84 120g

LIDL £1.99 120g

I've told many people about the joys of this kind of supper and it's the kind of food that Lidl excel at. Their cold continental meat selection is not only brilliant value but it is excellent quality too. The hubby's favourite is Fennel Salami which they stock. It's hard to get hold of in other main-stream supermarkets. The only stockist of the Big 4 I could find were Waitrose. 

As well as a supper dish, this would make a great sharing platter for informal entertaining. Pile the bread baskets high, triple the Camemberts and add a packet of their Serrano or Mortedella meats (also at £1.99 per 120g pack). Char grill some courgettes, Red Peppers and Aubergines and you have a decadent informal supper for six for under £12.00.

TIP: Do not be tempted by the low fat Camembert as it doesn't cook down like the full fat. 

PREPARATION & COOKING. (start to table 20mins or about 4 Adele songs)

You will also need 2 x garlic cloves and some sprigs of Rosemary. 

STEP ONE: Soak the lid of the Camembert box. Remove the wax paper packet of cheese from box, turn over and open up the bottom but not removing the paper. Stud the cheese with Rosemary sprigs and fresh sliced garlic. Pour on a drizzle of olive oil and spank with Thyme. Leave the Thyme on top so that it infuses. Place paper wrapped cheese back in the box with the open side upwards.  Tuck the paper back over the cheese and replace the lid. Place on a baking tray and put into a pre-heated oven for about 20-30 mins until it wobbles delightfully under your finger. 

STEP TWO: Chuck the part-baked baguettes in the oven. Arrange meats on a wooden board, leaving a designated spot for the Camembert. Drain the artichokes and place in a pile on the board.  Transfer butter into a small serving pot and place on board. 

Remove Cheese and baguettes and place on candle lit table. (Forget individual plates and cutlery - sharing off the same platter is good. Napkins are an essential for the messy fingers and cheesy chins)

PRICE COMPARISON: PRICES ARE BASED ON THE CHEAPEST ONE AVAILABLE IN STORE 

Firstly Lidl part baked baguettes £0.39p for a pack of 2. (Tesco 54p, Asda 78p, Sainsburys {Basics} £0.45p  Waitrose 99p)

Whole boxed camembert was £0.89 (Tesco £1.50,  Asda £1.50,  Sainsburys {basics} £1.49, Waitrose EDV £1.79)

Fennel Salami 120g £1.99 (Teso N/A, Asda N/A, Sainsburys N/A, Waitrose £3.84)

Bottled Artichokes (Tesco £1.99, Asda £2.98, Sainsburys £1.99, Waitrose £3.29)

TOTAL COST: (with equivalent 120g Italian Salami added)

TESCO:  £6.53

SAINSBURYS £6.71

ASDA:  £7.46

WAITROSE: £9.91

(with standard Italian Salami120g)

LIDL £4.86  saving £5.58 Waitrose,  saving £2.60 Asda, saving £1.85, saving £1.67 Tesco