Ingredient: Cheese

This salad really does showcase the flavours of spring! We build the base with deliciously crunchy baby chicory leaves, a handful of celery, fennel and thin slices of apple for a gentle hint of sweetness.

To make the dressing, we use Greek yogurt, lemon juice mint and olive oil which is then blitzed together until a strikingly vibrant green colour emerges.

Although you could leave it here, we want to add texture to this dish! Sprinkle a few candied walnuts from the use of the runny honey, and then torn burrata for a decadent, creaminess finish as your tear into the salad.

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
  2. Start by making the candied walnuts. Line a baking tray with paper and then add the walnuts. Drizzle over the runny honey and toss the walnuts so they are well coated. Sprinkle with a pinch of Maldon Salt and then place into the oven for 5 minutes until golden and sticky.
  3. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
  4. Next make the dressing. Add the yoghurt, lemon juice, mint and olive oil to a high-powered blender and blitz until it forms a lovely vibrant green dressing. Taste it and then season with Maldon Salt and some cracked black pepper.
  5. Set aside.
  6. Now you can assemble the salad. On a large platter arrange the chicory leaves, shaved fennel, celery, and apple matchsticks. Drizzle over the green yoghurt dressing. Then carefully tear over the burrata and top with the candied walnuts.
  7. Finally add the reserved fennel fronds and serve.

It’s family meal night tonight within our collaboration series with Jesse Jenkins, A.D.I.P!

A Big ‘Green’ Mac & Cheese is a classic meal that Jesse’s wife and he often enjoy with their kids. A good pinch of Maldon Salt in the breadcrumb topping takes it to another level – and it’s easy to scrape aside for the kid’s portions if you have very little ones.

  1. Cook the pasta for about a minute less than the packet instructions. Jesse then rinses it so it stops cooking, lightly coat it in olive oil and set aside.
  2. For the topping – mix the breadcrumbs, grated cheese, olive oil, and a pinch or two of Maldon Salt.
  3. Blend the greens in a food processor or blender with the ice. The frozen peas and ice cubes add moisture while keeping the mixture cool as it blends. You want the greens to stay as vibrant as possible. If you want a very smooth texture for the greens (sometimes easiest with kids) just add a little water as you blend.
  4. Make a roux by cooking the butter and flour on a medium heat, stirring as you go. When it’s golden brown and the flour is fully mixed through add half the milk and whisk into the roux. When it becomes thick add the remaining milk and cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted then add the greens and cooked pasta.
  5. Transfer to a baking tray or keep in the pan if it’s oven-safe.
  6. Sprinkle all over with the bread crumb mix – bake at 225 for 10-15 minutes.
  7. Serve immediately.

Loaded fries are deliciously easy to make but hold so much flavour you’ll be finding yourself grabbing for seconds! It is the ultimate comfort food to be shared amongst your guests whilst watching a game on the TV.

When it comes to the fries, there is no shame in using shop bought, especially if you are tight for time! However, if you would like to make your own, make sure you wash and peel your potatoes first. Peeling is very important for making fries as the skin can become quite bitter when kept on and baked.

For toppings , we used chorizo; spring onions and pickled jalapenos to give heat to the dish, whilst also adding cheese and sour cream to add a level of creaminess.

  1. Start by cooking the fries according to the packet instructions (no shame in shop bought here!). Alternatively, if you would like to make your own, preheat your oven to 200C. Cut 600g worth of potatoes into finger length size, coating them in oil and a generous sprinkling of Maldon Salt. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden.
  2. While the chips are cooking make the pickled red onions. Place the finely sliced red onion in a large bowl and add the Maldon Salt, then scrunch the salt into the onions to help soften them. In a small pan heat together the vinegar, water, and caster sugar until the sugar dissolves. Then pour the vinegar water over the onions and mix well, then set aside to pickle and cool.
  3. When the fries come out the oven, spread them across a baking tray – if they aren’t already. Then sprinkle and toss in the smoked paprika. Grate over the cheddar cheese and then place them back into the oven until the cheese melts.
  4. Remove from the oven and scatter over the crispy chorizo pieces, some pickled jalapenos, drizzle over the sour cream. Drain the pink pickled onions and then scatter some across the top too and finally finish with some sliced spring onions and coriander leaves before serving.

The only thing that survived this winter’s frost in Olia’s garden was kale, so she is using it in anything and everything! Use any dark greens that you have – spinach, cabbage, spring greens, wild garlic or nettles if you go foraging. Leeks give this pie a nice body and sweetness.

  1. Clean the leeks well and slice lengthways in half, then slice thinly across. I only trim the dry edge of the green part of the leek, but use up the rest of the green part. Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan or pot and add the leeks, cook over a medium-low heat until they soften, then add the garlic followed by the spinach and the kale and a generous pinch of Maldon Salt. At this point I cover the pan with a lid, this will help steam the greens. You want everything to yield and become nice and soft. Add the spring onions at the very end and cook for 2 minutes.
  2. Let the filling cool down a little, then stir in the feta and plenty of black pepper. Butter a pie dish or a small deep tray and put the filling in.
  3. Brush the melted butter over each filo sheet and crumple it on top of the filling.
  4. Preheat the oven to 180C fan. Cook for 30 minutes or until the top is golden and the filling piping hot.

This recipe will show you how to bake a potato in an air fryer to achieve a deliciously crispy skin and a fluffy centre.

Air-fried foods, like jacket potatoes, are taking the world by storm due to the many benefits it can bring, from being energy efficient to speeding up the cooking by 40 minutes! In contrast, baking a jacket potato in the oven at 200C will take roughly 1 hour – 1 hour 20 minutes – that’s a pretty long time when you can have a perfectly baked potato in minutes. Plus, it’s a easy to make, you simply put the potato in the air fryer basket and bake!

You can use two methods to make a showstopping jacket potato in the air fryer:

  1. Microwave them first, and then finish off the baking process in the air fryer.
  2. Air frying them for the full length of time.

Our recipe follows the second method, where we will be air frying the jacket potato for the whole duration. This is the easier method to follow as you do not need any further equipment!

If you are wanting to microwave the potatoes first, we recommend cooking on high for 8 minutes, and then air frying for a further 8 minutes. This method will is quicker than our method, as you are speeding up the cooking process with heating the jacket potato in the microwave first, softening the outer, hard skin.

When choosing what type of jacket potato to bake with, we recommend medium to large varieties that have soft, fluffy centres. Specific types of potatoes you need to look for are Maris Piper or King Edwards as these are considered the best for baking. If you are based in America, we recommend looking for Russet Potatoes, which are also known as Idaho potatoes.

How to cook jacket potatoes in an air dryer?

  1. Start by washing the potatoes to remove any dirt and impurities. Then, pat dry with kitchen paper or a towel.
  2. Begin pricking the potatoes with a fork. We recommend pricking about 4 times around each potato.
  3. Transfer the potatoes to a plate or bowl, rubbing with olive oil and a generous sprinkle of Maldon sea salt flakes. Set aside.
  4. Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray or cooking oil to create a non-stick layer so that the potatoes will not stick together.
  5. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer in the air fryer basket.
  6. Set the air fryer to 200c and cook for 40 minutes until the potatoes are crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middles. We rotated the potatoes after 20 minutes to have an even bake on each side. The baked potatoes should be done when a sharp knifes can go through them easily.
  7. When baked, the skin on the jacket potatoes should be perfectly crisp and the inside tender and fluffy as you cut through the centre.

What to have with jacket potatoes?

Toppings and fillings:

We chose to fill our jacket potato with a classic tuna mayonnaise. The combination of tuna, creamy mayonnaise with a handful of spring onion and chives gives this lunchtime favourite plenty of flavour and is easy to make.

Here is how to make tuna mayonnaise:

  1. Drain the tuna and add to a bowl.
  2. Mix with the mayonnaise, a pinch of Maldon sea salt flakes, cracked black pepper, chopped chives and spring onions.
  3. Open the jacket potatoes and melt some butter on first.
  4. Spoon in the tuna mayonnaise, and top with grated cheddar. Sprinkle with a final few chives.

Other toppings can include:

What to serve with jacket potatoes:

Can you cook frozen jacket potatoes in an air fryer?

The simple answer is yes!

You can certainly cook frozen jacket potatoes in the air fryer. We used McCain Ready Baked Jacket Potatoes, which are already pre-oven baked and are super convenient if you are struggling for time and want a tasty, fuss-free meal!

As the jacket potatoes are already pre-oven baked, simply put them in the air fryer at 180C for around 20 minutes. Depending on the size of the potato, cooking time may vary slightly so keep having intervals between baking to see if they are baking evenly.

After 30 years in the making, Piper’s Farm has recently released their new cookbook ‘The Sustainable Meat Cookbook: Recipes & Wisdom for Considered Carnivores’. With over 100 seasonal recipes, the book explores the celebration of meat and the ethicality that comes with it. Within the cookbook is the autumnal favourite, the humble Toad in the Hole.

A true classic that makes the perfect midweek meal. We have spruced up this family favourite by adding some beautiful squash to give you an extra portion of delicious vegetables, making the meat go even further. With a good pinch of Maldon Salt, the warming flavours are elevated amongst the succulent sausages. Serve with lashings of onion gravy and you have the ultimate crowd-pleasing dish.

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
  2. To make the batter, add the flour to a mixing bowl with a good pinch of Maldon Salt and pepper. Add the eggs and gently whisk in the milk to form a smooth batter. Set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
  3. Place the squash wedges in a wide baking tray with the sausages, a drizzle of olive oil, rosemary, garlic and Maldon Salt and pepper. Bake for 25 minutes until the squash is tender and the sausages are cooked.
  4. To the roasting tin filled with squash and sausages, add the lard and place in the oven to heat up for about 5 minutes.
  5. When the tray is very hot, add the batter and quickly return to the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the toad in the hole is ready, sprinkle over the Cheddar and return to the oven to melt and bubble.
  6. To make the gravy, add a drizzle of olive oil to a pan over a medium heat and slowly cook the onions for about 25 minutes until fully softened and lightly golden.
  7. Then add the miso paste, Worcestershire sauce and water to the onions. Bring to the boil and season with Maldon Salt.
  8. Serve the toad in the hole with the onion gravy and some seasonal greens.

Of course we had to take part in the infamous TikTok trend of Baked Feta…The tangy, rich flavour of feta is perfect for a late summer treat with guests. Pairing up with Odysea, we used their delicious Flamed Roasted Red Peppers, giving a gentle sweetness as we slow bake the feta cheese. Don’t forget to add the Pomegranate Molasses either, as this will give the recipe the perfect sweet-and-sour tones to the savoury dish, almost acting like a balsamic.

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
  2. In a large baking tray place the block of feta in the middle. Then arrange the cherry tomatoes, shallot halves and sliced red peppers around the feta.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, garlic and herbs and then drizzle over the whole dish. Bake in the oven for 35 – 40 minutes until the feta is golden and the vegetable has softened. Remove from the oven and drizzle with pomegranate molasses and scatter with the pomegranate seeds and fresh oregano leaves. Add a pinch of Maldon Salt and serve with toasted sourdough bread.

Sweetcorn is sweet and nutty and one of my favourite vegetables. You can’t go wrong with a buttery corn on the cob in the summer but here I’m combining them with courgette and feta, to make the most delicious and moreish fritters. Topped with a crispy egg and a fragrant zhoug butter they make a seriously nice brunch.

  1. Start by making the fritters – grate the courgette and then squeeze out any excess liquid in a tea towel, pop these into a large bowl. Add the sweetcorn, crumbled feta, chopped coriander, 1 beaten egg, self-raising flour and cumin seeds. Mix well to form a batter and season well.
  2. Heat some oil in a pan and spoon in the fritter mix to make patties. Fry them for 3 minutes on each side until golden. Remove and place on a plate in the oven to keep warm.
  3. To make the zhoug butter place chopped coriander, parsley, garlic and green chilli into a food processor. Add some cumin, a good pinch of Maldon Salt, lemon juice and olive oil and blitz until it forms a paste. Next add the softened butter and plenty of seasoning and blitz again. Set aside.
  4. In a small frying pan heat some oil and fry off the eggs, you want the oil to be nice and hot so the edges of the egg go nice and crispy. Once the egg is nearly cooked, add some of the zhoug butter to the pan and baste the egg in it.
  5. Plate up – serve 2 or 3 fritters piled up on a plate with a crispy fried egg and drizzle over the zhoug butter from the frying pan. Sprinkle over some coriander leaves and serve.

Cauliflower is a wonderfully versatile vegetable, which often gets overlooked in my opinion. It has a delicate earthiness to it which marries really well with fragrant spices. These koftas are packed full of flavour, and when piled up in a soft flatbread with the creamy herbed yoghurt, pickled red cabbage salad, zesty pomegranate and mint it’s a pretty exciting mouthful.

  1. Start by making your koftas – preheat the oven and then whack in the cauliflower florets drizzled with oil to roast. Once they are roasted, allow them to cool slightly before adding them to the food processor along with chickpeas, halloumi, parsley, coriander, cumin, paprika and cinnamon and a generous pinch of Maldon Salt. Season them well. Blitz until they form a rough paste.
  2. Shape the kofta mix into small balls and place onto a tray or plate in the fridge to firm up until you are ready to fry them.  
  3. To pickle the red cabbage – finely shred the cabbage and place in a large bowl. In small pan add the water, Maldon Salt, sugar, spices, vinegar and lime juice. Gently heat the pickle brine until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Pour this over the cabbage and then set aside. You can do this a day ahead and leave covered in the fridge. 
  4. Mix up the herbed yoghurt – yoghurt, mint, dill and Maldon salt. Set aside.
  5. Make the flatbreads – mix the self-raising flour, baking powder, yoghurt, 1 tsp salt and the nigella seeds to make a rough dough. Gently knead it to make it smooth. Break off small pieces and roll them on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin. Heat a frying pan or griddle pan and fry off the flatbreads on each side until slightly charred in spots and cooked through. Brush them with oil and then wrap them in foil and keep warm in the oven while you make the rest.
  6. Heat 2cm high of vegetable oil in a high sided sauté pan. When the oil is hot, fry off the koftas until they are golden brown on all sides. Remove from the hot onto a try lined with kitchen roll to soak up any excess oil.
  7. Serve up! Take a warm flatbread and spread with the herbed yoghurt. Pile on some pickled red cabbage and then the koftas on top. Finish with some mint leaves, pomegranate seeds and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses.

This is the perfect time for asparagus, and we grow some of the best here in the UK. This creamy orzo dish is a sort of hybrid between a risotto and a pasta – perfectly indulgent yet fresh with the spring vegetables and lemon zest. ‘Pangrattato’ literally translates as ‘poor man’s parmesan’ in Italian, and these fried, crunchy breadcrumbs are used in the place of parmesan across an array of Italian dishes.

  1. Start by heating up a big glug of olive oil in your pan and then add the shallot and fry until soft and translucent. Then add the garlic and fry for another couple of minutes.
  2. Next add your orzo and fry in the shallot and garlic for a couple of minutes before adding a glass of nice white wine. Let the alcohol bubble off and liquid evaporate before adding the stock. Let the orzo gently cook in the stock.
  3. While the orzo is cooking you can make the pangratatto – blitz some stale sourdough in the food processor to make breadcrumbs. Then heat some oil in a pan and add the breadcrumbs, garlic, and chilli flakes. Fry gently until the breadcrumbs go golden and toasted. Then take off the heat and add the lemon zest.
  4. Once your orzo is nearly cooked you can add your vegetables – chopped asparagus, peas and the finely chopped pistachios. Let these cook for 2- 3 minutes until just tender. If the orzo is looking a little dry then add a splash more water.
  5. Take the orzo off the heat and stir through the mascarpone, a knob of butter and the grated pecorino. Add a generous pinch of Maldon Salt and cracked black pepper to finish.
  6. Spoon the orzo into bowls and scatter over the pangratatto.