Ingredient: Cheese

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.

These arancini balls are deliciously golden and crispy, filled with a beef and creamy mozzarella centre. This filling is more classic in comparison to our butternut squash and fontina arancini balls, where our meat ‘ragu’ option is one of the best-loved Sicilian snacks and street food across Italy and the world!

The rice is flavoured with saffron in which the balls are then rolled in breadcrumbs before frying them gently in oil. They are traditionally made with caciocavallo cheese, however as this is difficult to source outside of Southern Italy, we use parmesan cheese to give a fruity and nutty taste to the recipe.

These delectable rice balls can either be eaten as an appetizer, or as a meal when paired with a soup or a salad. Make sure to dip your arancini balls with a delicious marinara sauce of Salsa Verde!

  1. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter in a saucepan, toasting the saffron and stirring it with a wooden spoon so that it does not burn.
  2. Add the rice and sauté it for a few minutes, add the broth and Maldon Salt and cook for 10 minutes over a high heat without a lid. Lower the heat, then cook for 5 minutes more.
  3. Cover the saucepan, turn off the heat, and let it stand for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, add 1 tbsp of butter and parmesan cheese, mix and pour over a bowl. Spread it out well with a spatula, cover it with film and leave to cool at room temperature.
  4. Heat the rest of the butter in a pan, sauté the meat over a high heat for 5 minutes, add the white wine and tomato paste, lower the heat, and cook for 15 minutes with a lid. Chop the mozzarella. When the meat is cold, mix it with the mozzarella.
  5. Once the rice has cooled, divide it into 8 portions. Cut a piece of cling film and place it over one hand. Spread a portion of rice over the film and compact it into a ball shape.
  6. Sink your thumb in the centre of the rice ball to make room and add a tablespoon of the filling. Shape the rice back into a ball or cone shape.
  7. Whisk the water with the flour in a bowl until smooth. Put the breadcrumbs on a deep plate, and heat abundant oil in a small frying pan or on a ladle.
  8. First, dip each arancino in the bowl with the batter. Drain it a little and roll it through the breadcrumbs until it is completely covered. Fry the arancini two at a time until they are golden. Remove them from the heat with a skimmer and leave them to drain on the tray with absorbent kitchen roll. If you are going to serve them hot, put them to one side in an oven preheated to 60ºC while the others are frying. Sprinkle with a pinch of Maldon Salt to finish.

Can you choose different arancini fillings?

A classic arancini is made up using meat, cheese and peas, however there are many filling variations to choose from!

Arancini al pistachio is a very traditionally-loved across Italy, where the rice balls are stuffed with a beautiful pistachio béchamel sauce. The pistachios are usually grown near Mount Etna, where this variety is considered to be made from.

Continuing with the theme of vegetarian-friendly options, you could also try our butternut squash and fontina arancini balls. The butternut squash gives a beautiful, nutty and earthy feel to the rice balls, with the addition of fontina cheese to give a gentle sweetness.

If you are a big cheese lover, why not try a Neapolitan Arancini, where the only filling consists of cheese! You only need arborio rice and pecorino cheese, which is a hard cheese perfect for grating!

Do you have a sweet tooth? Well Arancini con cioccolato are traditional italian rice balls filled with chocolate sauce! The filling is usually dark chocolate, vanilla and a pinch of cinnamon.

How to store arancini?

You can keep arancini balls in the fridge for up to 5 days. When you are wanting to consume, please reheat in an oven at 400F/200c for 10 to 15 minutes. This will allow the outer to become crispy again and the centre to become beautifully creamy and melty. You can eat them cold if you like them that way, but we can’t guarantee a showstopping cheese-pull from this!

If you are wanting to freeze these, they can be stored in the freezer for 2 to 3 months. Make sure to freeze them on a baking sheet. When you are wanting to bake from frozen, place them in the oven at 400F/200c for around 15 to 20 minutes.

This simple yet delicious pasta salad is easy to make, perfect for the hot summer months when craving for something light but packed full of flavour.

  1. Wash, dry and chop the tomatoes into eighths, place them in a salad bowl and season with Maldon Salt and pepper.
  2. Add the drained mozzarella balls, olives, capers and chopped onion and drizzle with olive oil. Drain the anchovies and add to the mix. Wash and dry the basil and then remove the leaves from the stem.
  3. Cook the pasta al dente in plenty of salted water, according to the instructions on the packet, then drain and cool under cold running water. Once fully drained, mix the pasta in with the rest of the ingredients in the salad bowl.
  4. To plate up, place the anchovies on top, sprinkle on the pistachios and basil leaves and serve at room temperature.

This orange and carrot salad, paired with barbecue grilled halloumi creates the perfect salad for any summer dinner party!

  1. Wash, dry and de-leaf the fresh mint. Set aside a few whole leaves and chop up the rest finely. Juice ½ a blood orange, filter out the excess bits/pips with a sieve, then season the juice with Maldon Salt and pepper. Add the olive oil, cumin and chopped mint and mix together well. Put this salad dressing in the fridge for later.  
  2. Cut the peel and pith away from the rest of the oranges with a very sharp knife until the pulp is completely clean. Cut each orange into segments and toss into a salad bowl.  Using a vegetable peeler, finely shred the peeled carrots into the bowl, and add the olives and salad dressing together.
  3. Chop the halloumi into thin slices, lightly brush with olive oil and then grill on the barbecue until golden on both sides. Serve together with the salad. Add a pinch of Maldon Salt for seasoning.

‘This is the perfect summer dessert, so simple and yet a real showstopper. Here, I’m going to use the barbecue to gently caramelise the peaches, adding a little pinch of Maldon Salt to lift the flavours of the peach and the ricotta’.

  1. Place the dried rose, sugar and water in a pan and bring the boil, reduce by half, and remove from the heat.
  2. Cut the peaches into wedges, remove the stones and cook dry on the grates until charred.
  3. Add the peaches to the syrup to steep.
  4. Roughly chop the mint.
  5. Gently mix the ricotta with the olive oil and lemon zest.
  6. Place the peaches flat onto a plate.
  7. Spoon over the ricotta.
  8. Sprinkle over the mint and fresh rose petals.
  9. Mix a little of the syrup with the olive oil and drizzle around. Add a sprinkle of Maldon Salt to finish. Summer in one bite.

‘This purple sprouting broccoli recipe makes the perfect side or veggie lunch dish. Most importantly it brings a brilliant British ingredient to the fore. I used the Weber Genesis gas barbecue and a sprinkle of Maldon Salt to bring out the natural sweetness of the broccoli, which works perfectly with the earthy hazelnuts and salty Parmesan‘.

  1. First, peel the broccoli and blanch for 2 minutes in salted water.
  2. Barbecue the broccoli to finish, caramelising the outside, season lightly with Maldon Salt.
  3. Plate the broccoli, spoon on the crushed, toasted hazelnuts, drizzle with the anchovy dressing, and add grated Parmesan. So simple and delicious