Karen Wright: From Sunday roast to Scottish comfort

The Nick Ahad show is live from the studio each Sunday from 10am to 2pm. The producer of the show contacted me to say they were going to run on a theme for a few weeks all about Sunday lunch. They were calling the segment ‘Give the roast a rest’.

They asked me along to chat with Nick and suggest a menu for a Sunday meal that didn't involve roasting a joint of meat, which of course is our traditional lunch. As it was Burns Night, I decided to go with a Scottish idea and talk about Balmoral chicken, neeps, tatties and whisky cream sauce. Nick asked me what each component was as he was not familiar with the menu.

Balmoral is, of course, a place in Scotland where the Royal family has a summer home. The Balmoral chicken is a chicken breast which is stuffed with a little crumbled haggis and wrapped in a few rashers of streaky bacon. The neeps and tatties are turnip or swede cooked with potatoes and mashed with a little nutmeg, butter and cream. The whisky cream sauce is simply a pot of cream, warmed in a pan, a little Dijon mustard and nutmeg mixed in and then finished with a good splash of whisky.

We didn't have time to discuss a dessert, but what I would have said would have been to make a Cranachan. To make this you simply whip double cream until it is thick, stir through some toasted oats, honey and fresh raspberries, oh, of course finish it with a wee dram of whisky.

Burns Night is behind us now, but this menu would work well any Sunday especially in the cooler months as the neeps and tatties are very comforting and of course who can resist a lovely creamy sauce served with chicken!

The producer asked me while I was in the studio to become one of their ‘No Nonsense Nannas’, who are modern day agony aunts who dole out advice to listeners if they have written in with a problem or dilemma. As ever, I said yes - I am always open to new ideas and challenges, and I love radio work, so hopefully this is a perfect fit for me!