Ingredient: Cheese

  1. Light your gas hob to a medium flame. Put your aubergine directly on top, and char for a few minutes on each side until it is totally soft and charred. Set aside to cool.
  2. Very finely slice your sourdough bread, then pop it on a baking tray. Drizzle it with olive oil, then bake for 10 minutes until crisp and lightly golden.
  3. Roughly chop your parsley. Pop this into a food processor along with your toasted bread, lemon zest, then whizz into bright green breadcrumbs.
  4. Once your aubergine is cool enough to handle, peel of it’s skin and discard it. Shred the rest of your aubergine with a fork – it should be soft enough to mash.
  5. Heat a large pan of salted water using Maldon Sea Salt flakes for taste. Add your pasta and cook until al dente – a couple of minutes less than the packet says normally.
  6. Finely slice your garlic.
  7. Heat a glug of olive oil in a sauté pan, then add your garlic and a pinch of Maldon Sea Salt and cook over a gentle heat for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
  8. Add your tomato puree, harissa and butter.
  9. Add your smoky aubergine, along with a splash of pasta water to emulsify the mixture.
  10. Get your drained pasta in the pan and give it a good mix. Grate in your pecorino and squeeze in your lemon juice, then season to taste with a good pinch of Maldon Sea Salt and black pepper.
  11. Spoon your pasta into bowls, then top with your breadcrumbs and a little more Maldon Sea Salt flakes. Dig in!

Wild garlic is an abundance at this time of year and is very easy to make – it can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or frozen. It is delicious drizzled over meat, fish or vegetables, stirred through pasta or through scrambled eggs.

  1. You can either make your pesto in a food processor or by hand in a pestle and mortar. If using a food processor, simply start by adding your wild garlic and pulsing a few times to break the leaves down. Then add the grated parmesan and hazelnuts and pulse again. Next you can slowly drizzle in the olive oil until it reaches your desired consistency – stop mixing earlier if you like a chunkier texture or keep mixing if you would like it smoother.
  2. Finally add the lemon zest and a pinch of Maldon Salt and stir through. Put into a sterilised jar and it will keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge or use straight away.

The flavours of the chargrilled asparagus, creamy burrata and vibrant parsley oil all pair beautiful in this dish which would be an impressive starter or side dish.

  1. Start by making the parsley oil. In a high-speed blender add the parsley and olive oil and blend until smooth and bright green. Pass this through a fine sieve till you are left with a vibrant oil, then stir in the capers and set aside.
  2. Heat a frying pan or griddle pan. When hot, drizzle in some olive oil and add the asparagus. Toss and cook them for approximately 3 minutes until they are lightly charred and tender. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  3. Now you can assemble your dish. Place the burrata in the middle of a serving dish, then scatter over the charred asparagus. Drizzle over the parsley and caper oil and grate over some lemon zest. Finally finish with a pinch of Maldon salt and some cracked black pepper. Delicious when served with some toasted sourdough bread.

Most people think of potato when they envisage gnocchi but adding butternut squash is a great alternative – it gives a nutty sweetness and a beautiful orange colour. Pan fried and then simply served tossed through a fresh cavolo nero and kale pesto – it is a perfect warmer for the colder, Autumn months. Just make sure you have enough pecorino or parmesan to top generously!

  1. To make the gnocchi, cut the butternut squash in half and deseed, then cut into wedges. Place the chopped butternut squash onto a roasting tray. Drizzle and toss in oil, season well with Maldon Salt and add some sprigs of rosemary to the tray before roasting for 40 mins in the oven until soft.
  2. Remove from the oven and allow the squash to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, pass the pieces through a ricer.
  3. Tip the pureed squash into a pan and cook gently for 30 – 40 mins until the juices evaporate and you are left with a dense, smooth puree. Leave to cool.
  4. Once cooled, add to a bowl and mix in some grated nutmeg, seasoning, egg, flour, a pinch of Maldon Salt and grated parmesan. Mix until you have a soft pliable dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a long, thin sausage and then cut into 3cm pieces. Roll them with a gnocchi board or gently press with the prongs of a fork. Set aside on a lightly floured tray whilst you roll the remaining.
  5. To make the pesto – Add the cavolo nero and kale to a pan of salted boiling water and blanch for a minute or so. Remove from the pan and place straight into a bowl of iced cold water. Squeeze out any excess liquid from the leaves and then place them into a food processor along with the grated parmesan, toasted pine nuts, crushed garlic clove, a pinch of Maldon Salt and olive oil and blitz until it forms a paste. Season well.
  6. Place another large pan of water onto boil and season well with salt. Once boiling pop the gnocchi to boil – they are cooked when they float to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon. Heat a large frying pan with some oil and then add the gnocchi to the pan, tossing them until they are lightly golden.
  7. Finally pour in some of the cavolo nero and kale pesto and toss through the gnocchi. Spoon into bowls and garnish literally with grated parmesan, toasted pine nuts and a final drizzle of olive oil.

This recipe shows you how to prepare radicchio for salad and combines apple, rocket, pecorino and pine nuts along with a beautiful dressing.

  1. Start by preparing the dressing for the salad. In small bowl or jug, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, walnut oil and cider vinegar. Whisk together and then season with Maldon salt and cracked black pepper. Set aside.
  2. To prepare the radicchio, carefully pluck the leaves off working your way into the centre core. Once you reach the inside white core, discard this as it can be bitter and tough.
  3. Arrange the radicchio leaves on a large serving platter and toss with the apple matchsticks, wild rocket and dill.
  4. Drizzle the dressing over the leaves and apple before topping with the pecorino shavings and toasted pine nuts, plus a final garnish of dill fronds.

FAQ

This recipe is packed full of hearty green vegetables and baked eggs. It is full of flavour from the spices, feta, herbs and lemon and makes a great brunch or lunch dish.  

  1. Take a large frying pan – a cast iron pan works well for this, as it needs to be oven proof also – and place on a medium heat. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil, and when hot, add the sliced spring onions and fry gently until softened.
  2. Once softened add the crushed garlic, cumin seeds and ground coriander and continue to fry for another 2 minutes until starting to smell fragrant.
  3. Next add the cavolo nero, spinach and lemon juice and zest. Cook this down gently, stirring often for 5 minutes until the cavolo nero and spinach has softened and wilted. Once they are cooked down, add the frozen peas, chopped coriander and dill fronds and cook for another 2 minutes.
  4. Now you want to create 4 shallow wells in the vegetable mixture and carefully crack the eggs into each hole. Turn the heat down and gently cook the eggs on the hob for 3 minutes before placing into the preheated oven for 5 – 8 minutes. You want the whites to be just set but the yolks to still be runny, so it is worth keeping an eye on them. 
  5. Remove the pan from the oven as soon as the eggs are cooked. Top the dish with the feta cheese crumbled over the top, the picked mint leaves and some extra dill fronds. Finally finish with a drizzle of olive oil, some Maldon salt and cracked black pepper. Serve the eggs immediately to the table for everyone to serve themselves alongside some toasted sourdough.

This recipe shows you how easy it is to make butternut squash spaghetti by spiralizing the squash, which makes a great and healthy alternative to pasta. You can make different sauces for your squash spaghetti; however, this is a lighter alternative which uses burrata, courgette, mint and lemon.

  1. Begin my peeling and deseeding the butternut squash. Then cut into sections and using a spiralizer, create long ribbons which look like spaghetti. Place a large frying pan on the heat and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil. When the pan is hot, add the butternut squash spaghetti and sauté for 5 – 7 minutes until softened and golden. Remove from the heat.
  2. While the butternut squash is cooking, place a second small frying pan onto the heat and drizzle in 1 tbsp olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the slices of courgette and fry for a few minutes on each side so they are golden and toasty – you made need to do this in batches. Remove them from the heat.
  3. Now you can plate up – pile a golden heap of butternut squash spaghetti onto two plates. Top with some burrata, fried courgette slices, diced chilli, fresh mint leaves and some lemon zest. Finish each plate with a final pinch of Maldon salt, some cracked black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

Parsnips are healthy and good for the body, providing plenty of vitamins, minerals and healthy fibre. They are also low in fat and are packed full of flavour. As a root vegetable they serve themselves well when roasted and this delicious salad is a great way of adding them into your diet.

  1. Begin my preheating the oven to 180C. Prepare the parsnips by simply cutting the larger ones in half lengthways but keeping any small one’s whole. Place them into a roasting tray and drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil, some Maldon salt and cracked black pepper. Toss them so they are well coated and then place in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, turning halfway through. They should be golden brown and crispy on the edges.
  2. While the parsnips are cooking, prepare the couscous. In a saucepan, cook the couscous according to the packet instructions. Once cooked, drain and remove from the heat. Add the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, plenty of Maldon salt and cracked black pepper. Allow the couscous to cool.
  3. Once the couscous has cooled and the parsnips are out of the oven (and also cooled). Stir the finely sliced red onion, chopped parsley, sultanas and crumbled feta into the couscous. Check the season and adjust if needed.
  4. Pile the couscous onto a serving platter and top with the roasted parsnips. Garnish with the pomegranate seeds, a little extra parsley and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses.

FAQ

We’ve partnered with the wonderful Ravneet Gill to create this extraordinary Christmas cheesecake, here’s how it’s done.

  1. Start by making the base…
  2. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a food processor combine all of the dry ingredients and mix well, add in the cold cubed butter and breadcrumb.
  3. Add the golden syrup and mix until a very loose dough is formed.
  4. Spread this mixture out onto a large baking tray lined with parchment.
  5. Bake for 35-40 mins at 160 fan/180 oven, stirring every 15 minutes to evenly bake the dough.
  6. Allow to cool completely before blitzing to crumbs or breaking up with a rolling pin.
  7. Weigh out 250g of crumbs and stir with the melted butter.
  8. Press into a lined 8 inch springform cake tin going on the bottom and slightly up the sides.
  9. Place in the fridge whilst you make the filling

Make the topping:

  1. In a large bowl or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, caster sugar, mascarpone and half of the double cream.
  2. Mix until well combined but do not over mix.
  3. Add in the malt powder, salt and melted white chocolate with the second ½ of the cream.
  4. Mix slowly until combined, do not over mix.
  5. Spoon this mixture into the lined cake tin and smooth the top.
  6. Chill for 6 hours in the fridge or overnight before serving.

Make the chocolate sauce for serving (optional):

  1. In a saucepan combine the chocolate and the water, stir gently over a medium heat until a sauce forms. Serve the cheesecake with the sauce and extra cookie crumbs.

This risotto is a wonderful combination of earthy beetroot, salty blue cheese and nutty walnuts. The beetroot dyes the whole dish a beautiful pink colour making it a treat for the eyes as well as the tastebuds.

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Place each beetroot onto a piece of foil, drizzle with oil and wrap each individually. Then place them onto a baking tray and into the preheated oven, roast them for 30 minutes until soft and tender.

Whilst the beetroot is roasting you can start the risotto. In a large wide frying pan heat the olive oil and 30g of butter. When the butter is melted and foaming add the finely chopped onions along with a pinch of Maldon salt. Allow the onions to cook over a gently heat until soft and translucent. After they have softened, add the garlic and fry for an additional 2 minutes.

Next add the arborio rice and stir so all the grains are well coated in the onions. Fry for 2 minutes and then add the red wine, allowing the wine to bubble and be absorbed by the rice. Once the wine is absorbed begin adding the hot vegetable stock a ladle at a time, allowing each addition to be absorbed by the rice before adding the next. The rice should be tender but still with a little bite.

Once the beetroot has roasted, remove from the oven and unwrap the foil to allow them to cool slightly. Once cool enough to handle carefully peel away the skins (you might want to wear gloves for this as they can stain your hands). Once peeled, roughly chop 3 of the beetroot and place in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and pureed. Chop the other two beetroot into a small dice.

Pour the pureed beetroot into the risotto and stir through, it will turn it a brilliant pink colour. Next add the diced beetroot and stir through. Check the seasoning of the risotto and add a generous pinch of Maldon salt and some cracked black pepper. Finally add the 10g butter at the end and melt through to give a creamy and glossy texture.

Divide the risotto among 4 plates and then top with the crumbled blue cheese, toasted walnuts and thyme leaves. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a final sprinkle of Maldon salt.