Tips & Recipes

Only the very best meat products are included in Castle Hampers meat hampers - it's the same meat that is supplied to the best restaurants and the most demanding export markets!

Do you have a family recipe you would like to share? We would love to hear from you.

Here are some great recipes to get you started.

Baked Ham

We recommend that you bake your ham to get the best tasting ham.

Thaw ham in refrigerator.

Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees - as a general rule allow 1 hour per 2 kgs of ham Diamond score the rind of the ham and place ham on a baking tray.
For storing your ham place the ham in the ham bag provided with your hamper. Rinse out the bag with white vinegar every few days to keep the ham fresh.

Citrus Glazed Baked Ham with Sour Cream Sauce

Citrus Glaze

6 oranges zested and juiced
2 limes zested and juiced
1 cup apple cider
20 cloves
1/2 kilo dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons dry mustard
100 grams de-pipped red cherries or 100 grams chopped glace cherries

Sour Cream Sauce

2 tablespoons grated horseradish (from a jar)
300 gms sour cream
Thaw leg of ham in refrigerator.
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.
Peel and skin ham.
Zest and juice oranges and limes
Mix orange juice, lime juice and apple cider together with zest.
Mix dry mustard and brown sugar together.
Rub sugar into ham then stud it with cloves.
Place ham in oven until topping melts a little, then pour juice and cider mix over the ham.
Bake for half an hour then toss glace or fresh cherries over ham.
Mix horseradish and sour cream and serve on the side.

Great Steaks

Always preheat your grill before use and if using a BBQ or frypan, lightly oil it. Sear the steak on both sides quickly then reduce heat to medium for a more gentle cooking heat. Once seared cook your steak on one side until beads of juice appear at the top, then turn. How long you cook your steak now depends on how you like it. Use tongs when turning meat as a fork will pierce the meat and allow the succulent natural juices to escape. How do you know it's ready? Press the outside centre of the meat lightly with tongs.
If soft & springy - it's Medium Rare.
If firm & springy - it's Medium.
If firm - it's Well Done.
Before serving allow meat to rest in a warm place for 2 to 3 minutes.
Tip: Beef is best eaten medium to medium rare. Avoid overcooking for maximum tenderness. All steaks may be basted during cooking with a marinade or just olive oil if desired. Common Marinades include olive oil, vinegar, wine, herbs and citrus based mixtures.

For a 1kg Rolled Pork

Thaw pork in refrigerator. When thawed, remove plastic wrappings, dry with paper towels then rub pork with salt and olive oil. Preheat oven to 2200C and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 1800C and bake for an hour. Once cooked, remove from oven, cover loosely with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Roast Beef (For 1.5kg Beef)

Thaw beef in refrigerator. When thawed, remove plastic wrappings, dry with paper towels, baste lightly with olive oil and season well with pepper. Preheat oven to 2400C and roast for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat and cook for a further 45 minutes for rare, 1 hour for medium and 1 hour 15 minutes for well done. Once cooked, remove from oven, cover loosely with foil and let it rest for 20 minutes.
Tip: Rub seeded or Dijon mustard over the roast before placing in the oven, for added flavour.

Silverside (For a 1.5kg Eye Round Silverside)

Thaw in refrigerator. When thawed, remove plastic wrappings and dry with paper towels. Place silverside in a large pot and pour enough cold water to cover. Add 2 tablespoons white vinegar, 11/2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of peppercorns. Bring silverside to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer covered for 2-21/2 hours. Stand silverside for 5 minutes before slicing.
Tip: Delicious with White Sauce.

Roast Pork with Crackling (For a 1kg Rolled Pork)

Thaw pork in refrigerator. When thawed, remove plastic wrappings, dry with paper towels then rub pork with salt and olive oil. Preheat oven to 2200C and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 1800C and bake for an hour. Once cooked, remove from oven, cover loosely with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Rolled Lamb (For a 1.5kg Rolled Lamb)

Thaw lamb in refrigerator. When thawed, remove plastic wrappings, dry with paper towels then baste lightly with olive oil. Preheat oven to very hot, approx. 2400C. Cook lamb in a roasting pan for approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes, reducing heat to moderate (160-1800C) after 10 minutes. Rest after removing from the oven. For extra flavour: Rub the rolled lamb with garlic, rosemary, lemon juice and olive oil. Leave in refrigerator overnight or at least 2 hours to allow flavours to develop.

Roast Leg of Lamb (For a 2.5kg Leg of Lamb)

Thaw lamb in refrigerator. When thawed, remove plastic wrappings, dry with paper towels then baste lightly with olive oil. With a very sharp knife, spear some points into the leg of lamb - and insert rosemary sprigs and garlic into the small holes along the flesh. Place onto a roasting rack. Preheat the oven to 2200C. Roast for 1 hour 15 minutes for a better-done lamb and allow 1 hour 40 minutes for a better done lamb. Baste the lamb several times with pan juices or wine. Once cooked, remove from the oven, cover in alfoil and let it rest for 20 minutes to absorb juices.

Roast Turkey (For a 4kg Turkey)

Thaw turkey in refrigerator. Wash the turkey inside and out then dry with a clean cloth. Remove neck and giblets and tie the legs together with string. Arrange two large sheets of foil across the roasting tin, one widthways and the other lengthways. Spray the foil with cooking oil. Lay the turkey on its back and rub generously with butter, making sure the bones are well covered. Next, season the turkey all over with salt and pepper, then cover the turkey in loose foil. Preheat oven to 2200C and bake for 40 minutes. Reduce heat to 1800C and cook for a further 2 hours and 40 minutes. Remove foil every 20 minutes and baste the turkey with cooking juices, then replace the foil. Discard the foil for the final 30 minutes and baste thoroughly to give the turkey a golden brown finish.

Roast Chicken

Thaw in refrigerator. When thawed, remove plastic wrappings, dry with paper towels then brush chicken, inside and out, with olive oil or soft butter. Preheat oven to 1900C and cook approximately 1 hour 40 minutes for a size 18 chicken and 2 hours 40 minutes for a size 21 chicken. Once cooked, remove from the oven, cover in alfoil and let it rest for 10 minutes to absorb juices.