Claire Macdonald’s Sardine and Mushroom Paté

Now don't recoil in horror. I can guarantee three things. Firstly, if it's a Claire Macdonald recipe, it will work, no matter how unlikely the combination of ingredients may sound. Secondly, although there are only three principal ingredients, no one will correctly guess all three. And finally, it is absolutely delicious.

And if it's a recipe which I use a lot (and I do) you can guarantee that it will be simple. Any leftovers will last for three or four days in the fridge.

Once again, my grateful thanks to Lady Claire for giving me permission to reproduce her recipes.

Sardine and Mushroom Paté

Ingredients

85g butter; 225g basic mushrooms, peeled, stalks removed and roughly sliced; 225g full fat cream cheese; 2 x 125g tins of sardines in oil; 2tbsp lemon juice; s & p.

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Melt the butter in a frying pan and bring to a bubble.  Cook the mushrooms for a couple of minutes. Drain the oil from the sardines and discard. Transfer all the ingredients to a food processor and blitz together until smooth. Season with pepper and  a little salt. Be careful with the latter, as the sardines are quite salty. Adjust the seasoning to taste - you might want a little more lemon juice. Transfer to a serving dish and chill. Serve with toast or crunchy bread.

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