I love the mindset of Italian cooking; simple but with crucial ingredients. Biscotti are a case in point. Flour, sugar, almonds in their skins, lemon rind and a hint of fennel seeds. Of course you can leave out fennel seeds if you must – and I am not usually the greatest fan – but here…

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…

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…

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…