Skip To Main Content

  • Accommodation
    • Dont Miss
      • Dog Friendly
      • Family Accommodation
      • Group Accommodation
      • Luxury accommodation
      • Accommodation with Hot Tubs
      • Spa Breaks
      • Accommodation with a Swimming Pool
      • Accommodation with Gyms
      • Something a bit different
      • Green Holidays
    • B&Bs & Guesthouses
    • Lake District Cottages
    • Self Catering Accommodation
    • Hotels
    • Restaurants with Rooms
    • Pubs with Rooms
    • Camping, Glamping & Caravanning
    • Holiday Parks
    • Hostels
    • Holiday Homes for Sale
    • Cottage Agencies
  • What's On
    • What's on in the Lake District
    • Whats on in Cumbria
    • Festivals
      • Cumbria Dark Skies Festival
      • Hadrian's Wall 1900 Festival
      • Keswick Mountain Festival
      • The Lakes International Comic Arts Festival
      • Marmalade Festival at Dalemain
    • Galleries & Exhibitions
    • Markets
    • Challenge Events
      • Tour of Britain
      • Windermere Marathon
      • Cross-Bay Walks
      • Traditional Sports
      • Gurning Festival (Egremont Crab Fair)
      • World’s Biggest Liar
    • Cultural Events
      • Winter Droving
    • Food Events
    • Add your event
  • Things to Do
    • Bookable Experiences
    • Lake District Activities
    • Lake District Attractions
    • Family Days Out
    • Guided Tours
    • Experiences
      • Animal Experiences
      • Bushcraft Experiences
      • Aerial Experiences
      • Food & Drink Masterclasses
      • Craft Demonstrations & Workshops
      • Gift Experiences
    • Outdoor Activities
      • On the water
      • On the land
      • In the air
      • Lake Cruises & Boat Trips
      • Boat Hire
      • Walking in the Lake District, Cumbria
      • Free Wainwright Podcasts
      • Cycling in the Lake District, Cumbria
      • Horse Riding & Pony Trekking
      • Sporting Activities
      • Team Building activities
      • Hen & Stag Activities
    • Adventure Activities
      • Rocks & Ropes
      • Adventure on the water
      • Extreme & Off Road
      • Adventure Training
    • Accessible Activities
    • Health & Wellbeing
      • Forest Bathing
      • Yoga
      • Wild Swimming
      • Gym & Swim
    • History and Heritage
      • Historic Houses, Parks & Gardens
      • Cumbrian Castles
      • Cumbrian Churches
    • Arts and Culture
      • Independent Cinema
      • Theatre & Live Performance
      • Galleries & Exhibitions
      • Museums
      • Festivals
      • Famous Artists, Poets & Writers
      • TV & Film Locations
    • Wildlife & Nature
    • Shopping
      • Lake District Produce
    • Traditional Sports
    • Safety/Adventure Smart
  • Food and Drink
    • Restaurants
    • Pub Food and Gastro Pubs
    • Cafés
    • Afternoon Tea
    • Breweries and Distilleries
    • Local Produce
    • Recipes from The Lake District Cumbria
    • Interviews with Cumbrian Food Producers
    • Dog-friendly places to eat
    • Family-friendly places to eat
    • Vegetarian & Vegan
    • Fine dining
    • Foraging & Bushcraft
  • Explore Cumbria
    • Areas of Cumbria
      • The Lake District
      • Carlisle & Hadrian’s Wall
      • Eden Valley & North Pennines
      • Morecambe Bay
      • Western Lakes & Coast
      • Where The Lakes Meets The Dales
      • Ambleside
      • Coniston
      • Keswick
      • Windermere & Bowness
    • Dark Sky Cumbria
    • Cumbria Year of the Coast
    • World Heritage Cumbria
    • Lakes and Rivers
    • Mountains and Fells
    • Wainwrights
    • Historic Houses, Parks & Gardens
    • Cumbrian Castles
    • Cumbrian Churches
    • Harbours & Marinas
    • Access for all
    • Travel
      • Getting To Cumbria
      • Getting Around Cumbria
      • Sustainable Adventures
      • Buses
      • Trains
      • Airports
      • Car, Minibus & Campervan Hire
      • Cycle Hire in the Lake District Cumbria
      • Boat Hire
      • Guides & Tours
      • Taxis
      • Car Parking and Car Charging
      • Group Travel
      • Travel Inspiration – Itineraries
    • Tourist Information Centres
    • The National Trust in the Lake District
  • Ideas and Inspiration
    • Christmas & New Year
    • Rainy day ideas
    • Sunny day ideas
    • Selfie Guide
    • Suggested Itineraries
    • Spa Breaks
    • Romantic Breaks
    • Family Holidays
      • Make your own Lake District Plan Jar
      • Lake District Inspired Family Activities
    • Dog Friendly Holidays
    • Bespoke Holidays
    • Green and Environmental Holidays
    • Caring for the environment
      • Lake District Foundation
      • Safety/Adventure Smart
  • Weddings
    • Wedding Venues
    • Cakes & Catering
    • Entertainment
    • Stag & Hen Parties
    • Honeymoon & Minimoon
    • Transport
    • Spa Treatments
  • Conferences
    • Conference venues with rooms
    • Attraction Venues & Meeting Spaces
    • Functions, Banquets and Corporate Event Venues
    • Team Building
    • Event Organisers, Catering & Suppliers
  • Offers, Prizes & Guides
    • Subscribe to our special offers Newsletters
    • Prize Draws
      • Win a Lake District Family Break for 4
      • Win a 3 Night Lake District Staycation for 4
      • Win a Best of Booths Hamper worth £200
      • Win a Luxury Spa Break in The Lake District
    • Gift Vouchers
    • Free Downloads
      • Download Free Desktop Wallpaper
      • Download Free Mobile Wallpaper
      • Download Free Lake District Zoom Backgrounds
      • Download Free Wainwright Podcasts
    • Order a free holiday guide
    • Download Free Guides
  • Hints and Tips Blog

Don't Miss

  • Masala Paneer by Gilpin Spice

    Recipes from The Lake District Cumbria

  • Interviews with top Lake District Chefs

    Bite Size Interviews with Cumbrian Food Producers

  • Site Logo
  • Print Logo
Site Search Icon

My Planner

To build your own Itinerary, click Add to Excursion to add an item to your Itinerary basket.

Already saved an Itinerary?

List All My Saved Itineraries

Language
  • DE
  • EN
Menu
  1. Morecambe Bay Potted Shrimps with Spiced Cauliflower and Apple Velouté by Ryan Blackburn, chef at The Old Stamp House, Ambleside.
    Potted Shrimps with Spiced Cauliflower and Apple Velouté

You are here: Home > Food and Drink > Recipes from The Lake District Cumbria > Potted Shrimps with Spiced Cauliflower

Potted Shrimps with Spiced Cauliflower and Apple Velouté

The Old Stamp House, AmblesideMichelin star chef Ryan Blackburn celebrates the brown shrimp…

Born and bred in Cumbria to a family with a heritage of hospitality, Ryan Blackburn first entered a professional kitchen at the age of eight. He went on to work at with Martin Wishart in Edinburgh, at Holbeck Ghyll and the Cottage in the Wood, Bassenthwaite, where he was awarded Cumbria Chef of the Year. He now owns two restaurants in Ambleside – relaxed dining Kysty and the Old Stamp House, which was awarded its first Michelin star last year. Renowned for creating innovative dishes from humble ingredients, his food is a showcase for the best of Cumbrian produce.

"Brown shrimps for me are one of the tastiest and most under-rated seafoods in the entire country. Fortunately, here in Cumbria we are very lucky to have them landed and available in the south of the county at Flookburgh, on the shores of Morecambe Bay, as well as in the north at Silloth on the Solway Firth.

In both places the traditional method of preparing them is to ‘pot’ them in a butter and spice mix, a recipe which dates back to the 18th Century, which was a way of preserving the excess catch. The added bonus of this process is that the result is thoroughly delicious, a fact not lost on author Ian Fleming who passed on his love of potted shrimps to his foremost creation, none other than James Bond!

Potting is an ancient but effective form of preserving meat, game and fish before the advent of refrigeration. Through potting, surplus food could be kept for a future date without the fear of it turning rancid.

Initially, potting was the preserve (pardon the pun) of the wealthy, bringing together costly spices and the best cuts of meat to create some delicious table delicacies. However, as sea trade links opened up through the ports of Lancaster and Whitehaven, spices became more affordable and the world of potting opened up to entirely new segments of society.

Once potting had taken off, people pretty much potted everything going, including ham, beef, veal, tongue, game, chicken, turkey, woodcock, quail, pigeon fish char, trout, eel, crab, and shrimp, mushrooms and even cheeses.

Shrimps, like all shellfish, aren’t cheap, which isn’t surprising considering how difficult they are to catch and how fiddly they are to peel. Historically, they were caught using a hand net which the fishermen pushed in front of them whilst wading in shallow water. There were two drawbacks to this – the relatively small catch and the obvious danger of being swept away in the strong currents found on the sands of both Morecambe Bay and the Solway Firth.

Subsequently, horses were used to drag a net behind a cart allowing fishermen to venture into deeper waters and harvest a much bigger catch, until tractors took over in the 20th Century.

Today, harvested shrimps are taken off to be processed, which involves them being boiled in sea water for a few seconds to clean them, then they are hand-peeled and further boiled in butter with a secret combination of herbs and spices before being sealed into individual pots with more butter. This delicacy can be eaten either warmed through, or at room temperature, served with freshly-made crusty bread.

We pot our own shrimps at the restaurant using our own secret recipe, which we’ve developed over time based on several traditional methods. However, for ease I would recommend buying them ready potted from Booths or from your local fishmonger for this dish.

The recipe is a simplified version of one of our signature dishes from the Old Stamp House that we have developed for Kysty to showcase the shrimps perfectly, allowing them to shine with contrasting textures of almonds and raisins. "


Morecambe Bay Potted Shrimps with Spiced Cauliflower and Apple Velouté


Serves 4


Ingredients

1 large or 2 medium cauliflowers

1 white onion

1 Braeburn apple

50g butter

1 tbsp mild madras curry powder

1 pinch of saffron (optional)

500ml milk

250ml double cream

250ml boiling water

2 x 50g potted shrimps at room temperature

24 large golden raisins soaked in mead for 24 hours

Toasted almonds (almonds cooked in a hot oven for 3-4 mins until golden brown)

Method

1 Remove the leaves and core from the cauliflower then finely slice the florets. Peel and slice the onion and Braeburn apple.

2 Melt the butter in a large pan over a medium heat until it begins to foam but doesn’t colour. Add the sliced onion and sweat until it softens. Add the curry powder and cook out for a couple of minutes.

3 Add the apple followed immediately by the cauliflower. Season with salt and stir together to coat with the spice, onion and butter.

4 Add the saffron, milk, cream and boiling water. Turn up the heat and cook until the cauliflower and apple are soft (this process is best done as quickly as possible as the cauliflower will become bitter and unpleasant if over-cooked).

5 Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. At this point use water and salt to adjust the flavour and consistency to your preference.

6 If pre-making for later, cool down as quickly as possible and store in the fridge until required. If serving immediately, divide between four bowls and sprinkle the shrimps over the top along with the almonds and raisins.

Download this recipe as a printable PDF

The Lake District, Cumbria is foodie paradise

Search
  • Accommodation
  • Things to Do
  • What's On
  • Food & Drink
Accommodation
Check Availability
Arrival Date
Add Room
Type
Area
Location
Within miles
Keyword
Refine By
Site Features
Leisure Facilities
Property Facilities
Room/Unit Facilities
Parking
Other
Things to Do
Type
Refine By
Beyonk Online Booking
Area
Location
Within miles
Keyword
What's On
Dates
Type
Area
Location
Within miles
Keyword
Food & Drink
Type
Area
Location
Within miles
Keyword
Accommodation
Check Availability
Arrival Date
Add Room
Type
Area
Location
Within miles
Keyword
Refine By
Site Features
Leisure Facilities
Property Facilities
Room/Unit Facilities
Parking
Other
Things to Do
Type
Refine By
Beyonk Online Booking
Area
Location
Within miles
Keyword
What's On
Dates
Type
Area
Location
Within miles
Keyword
Food & Drink
Type
Area
Location
Within miles
Keyword

You may also like

  • Bookable Experiences

  • Download Guide

  • Gift Vouchers

  • Itineraries

  • E-newsletter Sign Up

  • Blog

Stay in Touch

Follow The Lake District, Cumbria on Social Media

Sign up for E-newsletter

Receive all the latest news, special offers and information from the Lake District, Cumbria

Sign Up
  • Cumbria Tourism Website
  • Advertise on VisitLakeDistrict
  • Press & Media
  • Cumbria Tourism Business Videos
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs in the Lake District, Cumbria
  • Site Map
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Lake District Produce
  • Subscribe to our special offers Newsletters
  • Sustainable Adventures
  • World Heritage Cumbria
  • Wainwrights
  • Romantic Breaks
  • Selfie Guide
  • Accommodation
  • What's On
  • Things to Do
  • Food and Drink
  • Lake District Weddings
  • Access for all
Contact Us

Cumbria Tourism, Windermere Road, Staveley, Kendal, Cumbria, LA8 9PL

Made by Simpleview Logo
Beyonk Logo
Experience Booking Powered by Beyonk

Ratings Powered By

tripadvisor

Cumbria Tourism

© Cumbria Tourism