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Roasted Carrots with Gingery Tomatoes, Quinoa and Mint
A dish of carrots roasted with cumin and served with feta is a great favourite but I wanted a roasted carrot salad to take to a party. I had been trying out carrot salads during the summer but none quite hit the mark. However, I found references to Yotam Ottolenghi’s salad and, no wonder. Restrained…
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Ellie makes my Rhubard and Orange Cake
Well done to Belinda Bradley’s daughter, Ellie, who has just graduated from Leith’s School of Food and Wine. “Good afternoon both!Ellie has just finished her year at Leiths school of food & wine.. Just home – picked rhubarb – straight to The Allotment Kitchen – & voila!!Fantastic!Catch up soon, with best wishes from a very…
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Buckler Leaf Sorrel
Buckler leaf sorrel or French sorrel (Rumex scutatus) was new to me but I was kindly offered some. Low to the ground with small, shield-shaped leaves, it has a tangy flavour and is delicious in salads, and especially delicious scattered over poached salmon. I found it less sharp than regular sorrel. The use of sorrel…
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Warm Courgette and Chickpea Salad
This is a delicious dish for allotment holders. It uses up courgettes, young spinach leaves and herbs but feel free to add any number of other vegetables. I like to keep some bite to them. Chickpeas, tahini paste, garlic and lemon juice are all used – a deconstructed humous. 2-3 courgettes, cut diagonally into 1cm…
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Gatekeeper butterflies
As a horse owner, ragwort is something I always try to pull out from fields. It is toxic to horses and can cause death. However, I read that it is also the natural food of gatekeeper butterflies and so was delighted to seem them dancing and feasting on a clump of ragwort in the set-aside…
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Glazed turnips
There are so few recipes for turnips. Try them in earthy soups or lamb stews – a well considered navarin of lamb is special. Russian salad is bland without including a turnip to take away from the sweetness of the other vegetables. The French have a way with them and this recipe, based on one…
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Marjoram and tomato salad
Indeed, Sir, she was the sweet marjoram of thesalad, or rather, the herb of grace. All’s Well That Ends Well, William Shakespeare. Marjoram is growing particularly well this season, small clumps are appearing at the edge of my allotment. It survived the winter, tucked in against the frost and by late June is in flower.…
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Broad Beans and Pecorino Cheese
This simple recipe is published in The Allotment Kitchen but worth repeating as it is such a wonderful way of celebrating the change of season to summer. Broad beans, planted in late October, give one of the best early crops. Only Italians can be so enthusiastic about simple meals; broad beans, wet walnuts, mushrooms all…
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Brussels Sprout and Kale Salad
This salad, inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi, is one of several that I make which combines cooked and raw use of the same vegetable. It is a great dish to serve when Sunday lunch is a buffet. Brussels sprouts go well with mustard and nuts. For a Christmas meal, hazelnuts can be replaced by chestnuts. 700g…
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Potato, Fennel and Chard Bake
I am really excited by this recipe as there are not many bakes that I truly enjoy. Maybe it’s just that I am more of a top of the oven than in the oven person. The inspiration comes from Bart van der Lee’s recipe in the Waitrose Weekend paper. He had been a memorable finalist…