Firing the imagination

Susan Nowak looks at ideas for maximising the beer-with-food opportunity for St George's Day

Slay 'em on St George's Day with an inspired mix 'n' match selection of food and ale that lives up to the occasion. This really is a time to

celebrate the best of English dishes with pukka pints to swig alongside.

Just for one festive day - and the knight as well - forget about contemporary English cooking and so-called aspirational menus, instead serve up the traditional classics your regulars salivate over; the platefuls that go so well with a beautifully-balanced bitter.

High on the hog

By the end of April spring should have sprung, so why not go for outdoor food in the shape of a hog's roast? Whether you do it yourself or hire in the spit-roast package, this is an easy option that the punters love.

That irresistible aroma of suckling pig slowly roasting all morning will entice customers from across the district. All you have to do is provide decent bread rolls and apple sauce, ready for slices of pork and crackling done to a turn.

And what could be better than a flagon of Young's St George's Ale, a full, fruity beer with plenty of malt, the perfect foil to the pork and apple sauce?

Still out in the garden, you might have a St George's barbecue. Serve dragon's breath bangers and burgers, both of fine English beef, with some really hot English mustard. To cool their palates eaters might fancy a lager and, yes, there are English options. One of the best is brewed by Cains in Liverpool, cold conditioned for 90 days and available both in cask and bottled.

Better with beer

Steak and kidney pie might be a regular, but deserves a place on a St George's Day menu. Make it extra special by marinating and cooking the meat in a dark, spicy beer, adding wild mushrooms and chestnuts, then use a suet-crust pastry to soak up the liquor. Use pastry trimmings to make a shield with a cross on it.

Almost any of our full bodied, savoury English bitters drink well with this classic, but diners might be intrigued by Dragon Smoke Stout - a black beer with smoky roast flavours - available on draught and bottled from the Beowolf Brewery.

There is even a brewery named after our knight in shining armour. St George's in Worcester brews Maiden's Saviour from

English barley and hops; it's a light beer just right for a plate of fish and chips, as is straw-coloured Dragonslayer from B&T in Bedfordshire. Both would work well whisked into the cod batter to make it light and crisp, as would most of our newer English golden ales. The roast beef of old England is a must for patriots, especially with well risen Yorkshire puddings (another batter benefiting from a drop of beer) and horseradish mash. A mid-strength bitter with a bit of bite will complement the savoury flavours - preferably one from Yorkshire where there are plenty of examples, from Black Sheep to Timothy Taylor Landlord.

English classics

Why not revive a few really old-fashioned English dishes? Boiled gammon with pease pudding, corned beef hash with pickled red cabbage on the side, mutton with caper sauce - and who would think of sipping wine with any of these when they can quaff one of our more "historical" beers, such as a good brown ale, IPA or pint of porter?

A glorious English ploughman's is also a must; again, beer is better than wine with cheese. Seek out cheeses from different counties and team them with regional brews. A big, mature cheddar is superb with a strong pale ale like bottled White Shield, creamy goat's cheese is rapturous with raspberry beer.

And when you've finalised your food and ale, produce special St George's Day menus describing each dish accompanied by a beer suggestion and tasting note. You could charge a set price for the dish with the beer.

Simple menu ideas for the big day

Steak sandwich with fiery relish

Serves 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus chilling time

Cooking time: one to two minutes on each side

Sandwich ingredients

4 x 100g/4oz lean minute or thin cut sirloin steaks

100g/4oz plain yogurt

1 garlic clove - peeled and crushed

1 tsp paprika powder

1 tsp English mustard

Salt and freshly-milled black pepper

1 tbsp sunflower oil

4 bread rolls

Red onion, baby spinach leaves and cucumber - sliced to garnish

Fiery blood-red relish

150g/5oz tomatoes - peeled, deseeded and finely chopped

2 tsp sweet chilli sauce

1 tsp hot pepper sauce - optional

1 tbsp freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tsp tomato ketchup

2 tbsp gin

Method

In a small bowl mix together the yogurt, garlic, paprika, mustard and seasoning. Place the steaks on a large plate and spoon over the marinade mixture to coat both sides. Cover and marinate for two hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Prepare the relish; in a small bowl mix all the relish ingredients together and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the steaks according to your preference.

Serve the steaks in bread rolls garnished with salad ingredients and finished with a spoonful of the relish over the steak.