The summer holidays are here (for the kids at least), so after the  novelty of not having to go to school wears off, what better way to keep them occupied by involving them at meal time, and getting them to help with the cooking! Not as simple as it sounds, but they may be willing to help make these easy-to-prepare summer suggestions.

This light Vietnamese chicken salad, is low in fat and high in flavour.  Served using a host of fruit & vegetables like cucumber, chilli and shallots, plus a variety of herbs, it packs a terrific taste. The simple preparation requires makes the salad good for eating either indoors or outdoors; a God-send in these changeable conditions! A healthy meal choice; as well as being quick to prepare and a great way to get children eating their greens.

Another real family favourite is this delicious chicken & bacon stew. Full of flavour and can be frozen for up to two months and still maintain its taste. A perfect substitution in the summer for a typical Sunday roast.

Both these chicken recipes are highly recommended by Good Food magazine.

To make these recipes, the ingredients to buy from Mettrick’s (online or in-store) would be:

Chicken salad
Chicken breast (will need cooking)

Chicken & bacon stew
Chicken breast (boneless) or chicken breast (boned)
and
Dry-cured smoky streaky bacon

And remember, all our chicken comes from local farms around the north west of England. you will find more details of our farmers here

The unseasonaly warm weather we are getting at the moment is an ideal opportunity to spend meal time in the garden and fire up that BBQ. Burgers and kebabs are on the menu and Mettrick’s has some fancy chicken recipes for you to experiment with.

These BBQ chicken burgers, recommended by Good Food magazine, look good and taste even better. Bacon and chilli sauce are optional additions for those who are extra flamboyant.  There’s also the healthier summer salad option with these delicious low-calorie chicken tikka kebabs.

Both meals make best use of Mettrick’s boneless chicken breast fillets, which are available to order online here.

Alternatively, if you are looking for something a little simpler, then you might like our range of marinated chicken satays & kebabs. All made with the same high quality meat that you have come to expect from Mettrick’s.

We have come up with a couple of great recipes for that special meal over the Easter weekend

• Turkey with Plum Sauce
• Roast Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary

Either of these dishes would be perfect with new potatoes which are at their best at this time of year.

The lamb recipe can be found on the BBC’s Good Food website here.

You will find the roast turkey recipe on the British Turkey website here.

The essential ingredient to buy from Mettrick’s for this meal are:

Roast Lamb

• Leg of High Peak lamb

Turkey Roast

• Turkey breast joint

April 3rd is Mother’s Day. Cooking up a perfect roast is an ideal treat for the occasion

With this in mind, we have identified 2 great recipes

What can be simpler and more delicious than a roast dinner, Roast Lamb with Red Rine Gravy may be traditional at this time of year, but why not try this Roast Turkey and Bacon. This recipe uses a turkey breast roll, making it simple to cook and carve.

Dauphinoise Potatoes would be a great accompaniment to these recipes, but roast potatoes would work equally well alongside a mix of fresh vegetables.

The lamb recipe can be found on the BBC’s Good Food website here. As can a great recipe for Dauphinoise Potatoes

You will find the roast turkey recipe on the British Turkey website here.

The essential ingredient to buy from Mettrick’s for this meal are:

Roast Lamb

• Leg of High Peak lamb

Turkey Roast

• Turkey breast joint
• Dry cured smoked streaky bacon