Ingredient: Vegetables

  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!
  1. Preheat the oven to 230c fan. Add the aubergines to a large bowl with the oil, achiote,
    maple, chilli paste and Maldon Salt and mix well. Spread out on a large, flat, parchment-lined
    baking tray.
  2. Add all the mango sauce ingredients to a medium high sided tray.
  3. Place the aubergines on the top shelf of the oven and the mango sauce tray on the bottom shelf. Roast for 25 minutes, then flip the aubergines and roast for another 10 minutes, or until golden-brown on both sides. At this point the onions in the mango sauce should be nicely browned around the edges and the sauces should be the consistency of maple syrup. Set aside to cool.
  4. Mix all the ingredients for the yoghurt together in a medium bowl.
  5. Toast the sesame seeds in a very hot pan until golden brown and fragrant. Add all the sesame salt ingredients to a mortar and roughly crush (not too much, you do not want the sesame seeds to become a powder).
  6. Serve once the aubergine and sauce have cooled (they should be just above room temperature or they’ll melt the yogurt). Spoon the yogurt onto a platter, then top with the roasted aubergines and the sauce. Avoid the allspice berries and cinnamon.
  7. Finish with the spring onions, sesame salt and serve with lime wedges.

This recipe shows you how tomatoes are packed full of flavour when roasted, causing it to be a delectable addition to any meal. The roasting process really does intensify the sweetness of the tomato, whilst also creating undertones of depth when they begin to char slightly.

  1. Preheat the oven to 180c.
  2. Slice the tomatoes into rounds and then place them into a large bowl with the olive oil, sugar, and plenty of cracked black pepper. Toss the tomatoes so they are well coated.
  3. Place the dressed tomatoes onto a baking tray and place into the oven for 30 minutes, turning them from time to time to ensure they don’t burn.
  4. They are ready when they are fully roasted and beginning to char. These are delicious when simply served with some olive oil and a pinch of Maldon salt.

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 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

This recipe shows you how quick and easy it is to stir fry kale and is delicious and easy when served with golden garlic and fiery chilli. A perfect mid-week side dish, plus kale is packed full of vitamins and minerals to nourish your body. 

  1. Start by prepping your kale. The best way to prepare kale is to pull the leaves off the stem in the middle – the stem is very woody and takes a long time to cook down, it is also difficult to digest and so the leaves are the best part to eat. Once you have removed the stems just roughly tear the leaves.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Then add the sliced garlic and finely diced chilli. Fry this off for a couple of minutes until the garlic begins to start turning golden and toasty.
  3. Next add the kale and stir fry along with the garlic and chilli for roughly 5 – 8 minutes until the kale has softened and collapsed without losing its green colour. Now you want to season your kale with a good pinch of Maldon Salt and a splash of sherry vinegar – the combination of the salt and the sweet vinegar enhances the earthy flavours of the kale and also helps reduce any bitterness.
  4. Tip the stir-fried kale into a serving bowl and serve immediately whilst warm.

Let’s give the classic beef wellington a ‘vegetal’ twist this year with our delicious beetroot and chestnut filling!

The traditional beef wellington is a type of beef joint pasty, made out of fillet steak, coated with pate and duxelles and then wrapped in puff pastry before being baked. Many historians believed the dish is named after Arthur Wellesley, who was the 1st Duke of Wellington.

Beetroot is the main component for our wellington, giving it a deliciously sweet and earthy flavour. We pair the beetroot with a bundle of chestnut mushrooms, lentils and butternut squash to give a gloriously nutty undertone to the dish. Once combined and wrapped together with a beautiful crisp pastry, your wellington will be the perfect centrepiece for Christmas.

If you want to take out the beetroot component, we offer a wonderful Butternut and Mushroom Wellington, which both equally looks impressive in colour and flavour! We recommend serving either wellingtons with our mouthwateringly good hasselback potatoes and lemon & honey glazed carrots.

  1. Preheat oven to 180C / 356F / Gas Mark 4
  2. Begin with the butternut squash. Place the diced squash onto a baking tray and drizzle with some oil, Maldon salt and cracked black pepper. Place into the oven and roast for 20 minutes until soft and cooked through.
  3. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan heat 1 tbsp oil. Once the oil is hot, add the diced onion and fry gently for 5 minutes until softened. To the softened onions, add the crushed garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. Next add the chopped chestnut mushrooms and continue to cook these for 5 – 8 minutes until the mushrooms have softened and beginning to caramelize.
  4. Once the mushrooms are cooked, add the chopped sage and thyme leaves, followed by the cooked puy lentils and double cream. Allow this to fry and cook for 3 minutes, mixing well so everything is well combined. Remove from the heat and add the crumbled cooked chestnuts, Maldon Salt, cracked black pepper and the cooked butternut squash. Set aside and allow to cool.
  5. Once the mixture has cooled, you are ready to assemble.
  6. On a lightly floured surface roll out the puff pastry block until it is a roughly 30 x 40cm rectangle and 1cm thick. At this stage you want to carefully lift the rolled pastry onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Next spoon on the cooled filling and spread out evenly, leaving a 1-inch boarder along the top and 1cm board round all the rest of the edges. Next take the cooked beetroot and make sure they are dry of any excess liquid. Choose beetroot that are similar in size and place them in a row down the middle.
  7. Take one of the long sides and lift it up and over the beetroot to enclose them. Pinch the pastry together at the seams and rest the whole wellington seam side down. Pinch the pastry at either end of the wellington also, and trim off any excess.
  8. Use the excess pastry to create long strips and decorate the top of the wellington with a lattice pattern (optional). And brush the entire thing with the beaten egg.
  9. Place the wellington into the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes (but the longer, the better) to cool.
  10. When ready to bake, take your chilled wellington from the fridge and place into the preheated oven. Bake for 40 – 45 minutes until the pastry is golden and crisp all over.
  11. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

How to avoid your wellington becoming soggy?

The pastry base of your wellington may become soggy from the juices of the beetroots and mushrooms dripping down to the base when cooking.

To avoid this from happening, make sure that the beetroots and chestnut mushrooms are cooked until all of the liquid has evaporated. You can do this by chopping the vegetables finely and fry until dry. Equally, you can blot the veg with kitchen paper to ensure any further water is taken out.

What sauce goes well with a wellington?

A red wine sauce goes beautifully well with a wellington! You should add a handful of minced shallots to a red wine, slowly cooking on low heat until it is reduced by two thirds. Once reduced to a desired consistency, you can strain and discard of the shallots, leaving a beautiful red wine sauce to be served.