Prawn Cocktail

StarterServes 4

1. Put the prawns into a bowl. Finely shred the little gem lettuce. 2. Make a vinaigrette with the mustard, vinegar and oil. Season with salt and pepper. 3. Make the sauce by mixing the mayonnaise with the ketchup and cream, then stir in the brandy, horseradish, lemon juice and Tabasco. Check the seasoning. 4. Mix the prawns with 1 tablespoon of the sauce and 1 tablespoon of the vinaigrette. 5. Mix the shredded lettuce with the cucumber, add the remaining vinaigrette and season. 6. Put the lettuce into four glasses, with the prawns on top. Cover lightly with the rest of the sauce. 7. Mix the tomatoes, shallots and chives, sprinkle over the sauce in each glass, and serve.

Pork Belly, Dublin Bay Prawns and Pea Puree

StarterServes 4

# Pre-heat oven to 180C # First, braise the pork belly. # Gently shallow fry the carrots, onion and garlic in an oven proof pan large enough to accomodate the belly. When the vegetables begin to turn golden, add the belly and chicken stock to cover (Topping up with water is fine). Bring to a simmer, cover and place in the oven for approximately 2-2.5 hours until tender but not falling apart. # When cooked, line a tray with greaseproof paper and place the belly on this. Place another sheet of greaseproof on top, place a tray on top of this and weigh down for 6hrs. (A few tins of beans, bags of sugar etc are all fine for this.) # Once pressed and cooled, cut belly into 3cm cubes with a sharp knife.

For the Dublin Bay prawns

# Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the prawns for 1 minute only. # Remove and let cool slightly before peeling. # Once peeled, make a cut down the length of the back (not all the way through) and remove the digestive tract.

For the pea puree:

# Sweat the shallot gently in a little butter until soft. Do not let colour. # Add the peas and the cream and reduce the cream until it just coats the vegetables. # Puree this in a food processor or with a hand blender, push through a sieve and correct seasoning to taste.

To Serve:

# Reheat the belly cubes in a hot oven for approximately 10 minutes. # Add the part cooked prawns for the last two minutes. # Meanwhile, gently reheat the puree. # Remove pork and prawns from oven and season. # Place a spoonful of pea puree at the top of each plate, and smear straight down the plate. # Arrange two pork cubes and two prawns on each plate. # Add a few pea shoots dressed in vinaigrette, if you like.

Garlic Chilli King Prawns

StarterServes 2

How to cook 1. Defrost the prawns if frozen 2. Put the oil in a cooking pan and heat, add the fenugreek seeds and wait until they turn brown. Add the finely chopped onion and stir. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. 3. Once the onions are cooked and brown add the tomatoes and stir. 4. Add all the spices except the fresh coriander. Cover and cook for 5/10 minutes until the sauce is cooked, the oil will start to appear through the sauce. (Add a little water if the sauce is sticking) 5. Add the Prawns, remember they don't take long to cook, approx 5 minutes. If more sauce is required add a bit of hot water. 6. Serve with chapattis or boiled basmati rice.

Trio of Lobster

Main courseServes 4

Preheat fryer to 180 C Preheat oven to 200 C *To prepare the Lobster* Stab lobsters through the back of the head and then add to boiling water for eight minutes Remove and run under cold water until cold Cut each lobster in half, directly through the back of the lobster, discarding the brain and the tract pipe. Crack the claws and arms and remove the meat – keep the claws whole Remove the tails with the meat inside the shell Once completed on all the lobster halves, flip the tails over so the red tail meat is showing *For the fish cream sauce* Peel and slice the onion, fennel bulb, garlic and celery. Cook for 5 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally so as not to colour too much. Add the wine, fish stock, brandy and star anise, reduce by half and then add the double cream. Bring to the boil, season well and drain. Divide the sauce into two pans, one third in one (Fish cream sauce) and two thirds in the other (for the Thermidor sauce) *For the Thermidor Sauce* Add the mustard to the pan with the two thirds fish cream sauce and bring to a boil. Set aside