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…

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…

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.…

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…

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…

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…

A delicious crunchy recipe, courtesy of Waitrose, which I have tried several times and adapted to the way I cook. It can be served with rice but is equally good served on its own as a starter. 50g cashews1 tbsp hoisin sauce1⁄2 tsp light soya sauce1⁄2 lime, juice1 tbsp sunflower oil2 cloves garlic, crushed15g fresh…

I couldn’t resist trying this recipe by Meera Sodha in the Guardian. She writes that her recipe taster had tried it out on her family and they were ‘obsessed’. What better recommendation could there be? More and more herbs are being treated as vegetables which, for me, is great. This dish has now become a…

Beetroot fritters could be a meal on their own. They are also delicious with smoked fish. 400g beetroot, peeled and coarsely grated1 large potato, peeled and coarsely grated1 onion, peeled and coarsely grated50g plain (or gram) flour2 eggs4 spring onions, finely choppedSmall handful of finely chopped dill (optional)Salt and freshly ground black pepperOlive oil Finely…

I remember Cypriot potatoes, large and with remnants of the red soil in which they are grown, from when I was a child. They are fine just boiled and served with butter and are even good for making chips but now I have found the perfect way to cook them. 1 or 2 Cypriot potatoes30g…