Ingredient: Vegetables

Squash is one of the most exciting vegetables to grow as they come in so many shapes and sizes. One of my favourite autumn recipes is squash soup, seasoned with fresh herbs, Maldon Salt and topped with crispy mushrooms.

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Start by taking the skins off the squash. The best way to do this is with a knife rather than a peeler.
  2. Chop up the squash into cubes and place on a baking tray with red onions and garlic cloves in their skins. Add thyme, a drizzle of olive oil and plenty of Maldon Salt and pepper.
  3. Once the vegetables are soft, take the skins off the garlic and add to a pan with the squash, vegetable stock, a tin of chopped tomatoes and a pinch of Maldon Salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes and then blitz with a hand blender or food processor.
  4. Place the mushrooms on a lined baking tray with olive oil, season with Maldon Salt and roast them until crispy.
  5. To serve, spoon the soup into bowls, add the crispy mushrooms, pepper and a final sprinkle of Maldon. Delicious

Join us in creating this quick and easy to follow beetroot hummus. It’s refreshing in flavour and makes a delicious dip or a healthy spread on top of your cracker! Adding a pinch of Maldon Salt and cumin adds a little more spice and richness to the appetizer. A generous drizzle of olive oil on top of the hummus also makes the texture of the smoother in consistency and luxurious in texture.

  1. Place all the ingredients into a food processor and blitz until the elements break down and it becomes completely smooth.
  2. Spoon into a serving bowl and top with a sprinkle of nigella seeds, caraway seeds, a drizzle of olive oil and a final pinch of Maldon Salt.
  3. Serve with your favourite crudités, toasted bread or crackers.

Stem Broccoli is packed with nutrients and infused with the flavours of sweet and earthy goodness. Romy Gill shows how roasting this vegetable actually enhances the flavours, whilst also adding a crisp-tender texture to the dish. The broccoli is laid on a bed of creamy feta, which brings a briny, tangy flavour to the dish.

The feta is easily creamed due to the cheese being made from sheep and Goat’s milk, which is much more softer than normal cheeses.

  1. Preheat oven at 170C.
  2. On a baking tray, add the stem broccoli and remaining ingredients, mixing them well together. Roast for 8-10 minutes.
  3. For the creamy feta, crumble the feta in a food processor, adding in the ingredients until a fine paste is made.
  4. Serve by spreading the feta on a large plate, and then place the roasted broccoli on top. Sprinkle with toasted almond flakes and a final generous pinch of Maldon Salt to elevate the flavours.

Join Romy Gill in creating these delicious roasted sweet potatoes, perfect to accompany her Hot and Spicy Whole Roasted Chicken.

Sweet potatoes are a great addition to a roasted chicken due to the sweet, earthy and nutty flavour that the wholesome root vegetable gives, elevating the spiciness of the chicken that Romy infuses. With a generous pinch of Maldon Salt, chilli flakes and garlic the seasonings will burst in flavour for the dish.

  1. Preheat oven at 180C.
  2. While the oven is getting hot, marinate the potatoes with Maldon Salt, pepper, chilli flakes, garlic granules and a good glug of olive oil.
  3. Layer them on the baking tray and bake 40 minutes.
  4. Serve with the whole roasted chicken.

Join Romy Gill in creating these deliciously stuffed courgettes, filled with lamb mince and a bundle of spices to give a burst of flavour to the dish.

Courgettes can have a slightly sweet flavour when roasted in the oven. When they are stuffed with the gorgeous, succulent filling of lamb mince it causes the ordinary courgette to become much versatile when cooking. You can find over lamb dishes including our Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder!

  1. Cut the courgettes in half and then scoop the flesh out. Mash the flesh in a bowl, mixing in the lamb mince; garlic, banana shallot, ground black pepper, paprika, turmeric, ground coriander, 1tsp Maldon Salt, tomato purée and chopped mint.
  2. Heat 3tsp of olive oil in a pan and add the mixture. Cook the mixture for 6-7 minutes on high heat.
  3. Once the mixture is half cooked, keep aside to cool down.
  4. Preheat the oven to 180C.
  5. While the oven is getting hot, fill the courgettes with the mixture. Sprinkle over the top of the filled courgettes with Maldon Salt and add the panko bread crumbs for a crispy crunch.
  6. Cook until golden brown for around 10 minutes.
  7. Enjoy with flat breads and a leafy salad on the side.

Griddling leeks is a wonderful way to enhance the sweet flavours by adding a smoky, charred element. This pairs perfectly with a Romesco – which is a sauce originating from Catalonian Spain made from red peppers, almonds and zingy garlic, vinegar, and chilli. Labneh is simply strained, salted yoghurt – wonderfully simple to make but adds creaminess and sourness to this plate. Topped with a nutty savoury granola using homemade Dukkah, which adds crunch and toasted saltiness. 

  1. Make the labneh a day ahead. Mix the yoghurt and salt in a bowl and then place in some muslin tied with string. Squeeze out any excess liquid and then place in the fridge in a sieve over a bowl overnight. The bowl will catch the drained excess liquid – the longer you leave it, the thicker your labneh will be.
  2. Make the Romesco sauce – toast the almonds in a dry pan until golden, set aside to cool. Add some roasted red peppers from a jar to a food processor along with the toasted almonds, Maldon Salt, garlic, sherry vinegar, parsley and paprika and blitz to a paste. Drizzle in the olive oil, add plenty of seasoning and blitz again. Set aside.
  3. Make the dukkah savoury granola – Place some hazelnuts, pistachios and sunflower seeds on a tray and roast in the oven for 10 minutes. When they are golden brown remove from the oven.  
  4. Take a frying pan and toast your spices and Maldon Salt – cumin, coriander and fennel seeds. Once they are fragrant and beginning to pop, remove from the pan and crush in a pestle and mortar. Toast the sesame seeds in the pan and then add these to the crushed spices in a bowl. Roughly chop the hazelnuts, sunflower seeds and pistachios and add them to the bowl along with some salt and smoked paprika. Set aside to cool.
  5. Heat a griddle pan on high. Slice the leeks in half and brush with oil. Griddle them for 5 minutes on each side until they have char lines and are soft and tender.
  6. On a large platter, spread the labneh on the bottom. Pile up the griddled leeks on top. Spoon over some of the romesco sauce and then drizzle with oil. Sprinkle across your savoury dukkah mix, some final parsley leaves and serve.

Aubergine lends itself brilliantly here as it is such a meaty vegetable that works perfectly with Asian flavours. Sandwiched between fluffy homemade bao buns and topped with pickled smashed cucumber, salty peanuts, and lots of coriander – these are so good, and you really won’t miss the meat.

  1. Start by making your bao buns – in a large bowl, mix together the flour, caster sugar and Maldon Salt. In a small bowl or jug mix together 1 tbsp of warm water with the yeast and a pinch of sugar and then make a well in the flour and add the yeast mixture along with the milk, oil, rice vinegar and water. Mix to make a dough.
  2. In a kitchen aid, knead the dough with the dough hook for 5 minutes until smooth and springy. Place in an oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm, leaving it to prove until doubled in size.
  3. Place the dough back into the kitchen aid and add the baking powder, kneading again for 5 minutes. Make into 18 balls of dough, rolling them in your hands and then placing onto a lightly oiled tray.
  4. Roll them out with a rolling pin into an oval shape (makes roughly 18) and then use some oil and a chopstick to fold them into little envelopes. Place each one onto some baking parchment and leave to prove again until they double in size.
  5. Once risen. Heat a steamer with some water at the bottom. Steam the buns on their sheets of parchment until puffed up and fluffy.
  6. Before you steam the buns, make the aubergine filling. Mix together the miso, rice vinegar, agave and mirin in a small bowl. Cut the aubergine into chunks and toss well in the miso glaze. Place into the preheated oven and roast until soft, charred and sticky.
  7. To make the pickled cucumber, cut the cucumber in half and then skin side up, bash the cucumber with the back of your knife so it breaks up on the board. Then roughly chop it into small pieces. Place in a bowl along with the garlic, rice vinegar, soy sauce, chilli oil, sugar, and sesame oil. Toss well so it is all coated and leave to infuse.
  8. Serve the bao buns filled with the sticky aubergine, some of the smashed cucumbers, sliced radishes, chopped salted and roasted peanuts, sesame seed shichimi and coriander.

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.

Buttery chilli roasted nuts dressed broccoli…I mean, it sounds as good as it tastes! The crunchy almonds and well-cooked broccoli are a perfect match. It’s great to put down on the table as part of a meal, or equally served as a main. I like to eat this with plain boiled brown rice, not very heavily seasoned, as all the flavour and punch come from the buttered almonds. It is also really quick to bring together if you are pressed for time.

  1. Trim about 2-3cm off the tough woody end of the stalks and quarter the broccoli heads through the stalks. Heat the oil in a large frying or sauté pan with a lid. Or use a baking tray to cover. Place the broccoli, cut-side down, in the pan and sprinkle in a good pinch of Maldon Salt. Cover and cook for 5 minutes over a medium-high heat. Alternatively, roast the broccoli in the oven. Place on a baking tray and roast for 10-15 minutes at 220C.
  2. When the broccoli has started to brown, turn on the other cut side and cook, covered, for a further 5 minutes or so.
  3. Turn on the final floret side and cook, covered, for a further 5 minutes. A knife should easily pierce the stalks at this stage. If not keep cooking, rotating the sides until done. Remove the broccoli and set aside. 
  4. Wipe any excess oil from the pan with kitchen paper. Melt the butter in the pan until foaming. Add the almonds and cook, continuously stirring, over a medium heat for 5 minutes until golden. Add the parsley and chilli flakes and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Add a good sprinkle of Maldon Salt.
  5. You can cut each broccoli segment into three or four smaller chunks, or leave as they are. Place in a bowl and spoon over most of the almond mix. Toss to coat well. Place on a platter and finish with the remaining buttery almond mix.