Season: Autumn

For this Shakshuka dish, I’m using eggs from my hens, and cooking it over live fire, but this can just as easily be made on the hob at home.

  1. Finely slice a white onion, add a pinch of Maldon Salt and cook until softened.
  2. Add chopped garlic, cloves, smoked paprika, tinned tomatoes, sherry vinegar, pepper and another sprinkle of Maldon Salt.
  3. Reduce the tomatoes slightly. At this point you could also add other veg like chestnut mushrooms or finely chopped courgettes but on this occasion, I’m keeping it simple.
  4. Using the back of a spoon, make small divots in the tomato sauce for the eggs, cover, and leave to cook on the coals or place into the oven until the eggs are cooked.

This sweet and sour chutney is made with a variety of home-grown tomatoes – I’m using un-ripened tomatoes, which are left behind at the end of the harvest but are delicious when fried or used in chutneys.  

  1. Start by slicing the onions and dicing your tomatoes. Put both in a pan on a low heat along with cloves, star anise, sugar, wine, pepper and a good sprinkle of Maldon Salt.
  2. Slowly cook the ingredients on a medium heat, stirring regularly.
  3. The chutney is ready when it has reduced by about 3 quarters and the texture has turned jammy.
  4. Serve on fresh toast with a poached egg, add pepper, a final pinch of Maldon Salt and enjoy!

Homemade jam using foraged fruit is a labour of love. This delicious, sweet spread is made with blackberries that I foraged during the summer and stored in the freezer.

This method of foraging and freezing means that you can enjoy making jam all throughout winter.

  1. Simply mix together your berries, sugar, and lemon juice – pips and all, for a healthy dose of pectin, which will help to bind the jam. Add a pinch of Maldon Salt to enhance the flavour and temper any bitterness. Cook on a low heat, stirring regularly.
  2. Once the fruit has thickened and turned jammy, remove from the heat and add to a sterilized jar.
  3. There’s nothing better than warm jam on toast, so make sure you try a bit before sealing. Delicious.

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
  1. Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line a 900g loaf tin.
  2. Melt the butter, sugar, and treacle together until smooth and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and whisk in the milk. Set aside to cool slightly and then beat in the eggs.
  3. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, spices and Maldon salt into a large bowl and mix together, then make a well in the middle. Pour in the wet mixture and fold through to make a smooth batter, making sure there are no lumps. Give the bowl a tap on the work surface to get rid of any air bubbles.
  4. Pour into prepared loaf tin and bake for 50 – 60 mins until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin before removing. Once cooled you can slice the gingerbread loaf and use it for the gingerbread and butter pudding.
  1. Heat milk and butter in a pan until butter is melted. Allow to cool slightly until milk is lukewarm. Put the flour into a large mixing bowl with a pinch of Maldon Salt and mix through then add the yeast, sugar and orange zest and mix again.
  2. Make a well in the middle and add the milk, then mix in with the dough hook. Gradually pour in the beaten egg and continue to knead until you have a smooth dough.
  3. Place into lightly greased bowl and cover with clingfilm to prove for 1 hour (doubled in size).
  4. Make the filling by mixing all the ingredients together to form a paste. Set aside.
  5. After your dough has proved, roll out the dough into a large rectangle (30x 40cm) then spread with the filling. Fold the long side in by a third, and then the other side on top of that, like folding a letter. Roll lightly to press the layers together.
  6. Cut into 16 strips long strips. Take each strip and slightly pull and stretch it so it is longer. Then pinch one end between your thumb and middle finger, then wrap it around once, then back around on top in the other direction and then twisting underneath to seal – you are creating a wrapped knot.
  7. Place onto a lined baking tray and cover loosely with cling film and then allow to prove for 30 mins, until they are puffed up. Heat the oven to 175C.
  8. Brush the buns with some egg wash and sprinkle with flaked almonds and sugar crystals then bake for 18-20 mins until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving still warm.
  1. Start by shredding the Brussel sprouts, making sure to remove any tough white parts.
  2. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs with the milk, plain flour, baking powder and nigella seeds. Then season well with Maldon Salt and cracked black pepper. Finally stir in the shredded sprouts and ½ the lemon zest.
  3. Heat a large non-stick frying pan with some oil. Then ladle in the pancake mixture and fry them off individually, for a few minutes on each side until slightly risen and golden brown. Keep them warm in a low temperature oven while you cook the rest – the mixture should make 4- 6 pancakes, depending on their size.
  4. Mix the crème fraiche with the horseradish and remaining lemon zest. Season well with Maldon salt and cracked black pepper. Serve alongside the pancakes and some smoked salmon, topped with dill sprigs, lemon wedges and black pepper.

Join us in creating the show stopping dish of slow cooked duck legs, paired with the festive fruits of blackberries and oranges alongside the spices of star anise and cinnamon. We’ve partnered up with Le Creuset in slow cooking this dish in their Cast Iron Shallow Casserole dish, which has a depth perfect to soak up the juices into the duck legs, causing it to be succulent and tender for your Christmas feast!

  1. Preheat the oven to 160C.
  2. Place a large casserole onto heat. Brown off the duck legs on both sides, starting on the skin side. Once browned, remove from the pan and add the shallots and sliced garlic, frying them until they soften and start to go golden.
  3. Next add the flour and cook into the sauce for a few minutes until it has thickened. Then add the red wine and stock, allow it to bubble and come to the boil.
  4. Add the duck legs back into the casserole along with 2/3 of the blackberries, the orange slices, cinnamon sticks, star anise a pinch of Maldon Salt and rosemary sprigs.
  5. Cover and transfer to the oven for 1-hour 30mins. Once cooked add the remaining blackberries and serve.
  6. To make the mash, add the celeriac to a pan with the stock and milk and bring to the boil. Simmer gently until the celeriac is tender. Mash or pass through a ricer and then stir through a knob of butter and a pinch of Maldon Salt.
  7. Serve the duck legs with the celeriac mash and some sautéed greens.

Ever heard of beet curing? Usually we would cure fish with salt to help preserve the flavours and succulence, however we have used beetroot in the curing process to give the salmon a magnificent maroon colour to the meat. This also gives the salmon tones of sweetness and earthiness which can be enjoyed by family and friends during the festive period.

We’ve used Le Cresuet’s Stoneware Baking Dish (32cm) to place all the ingredients in together as the length and depth of the baking dish allows the beetroot to cure the entire salmon effectively, preserving the succulent, earthy flavour for the fish.

  1. In a food processor blitz together the beetroot, orange zest, lemon zest and juniper berries. Pulse until it resembles a smooth paste. Tip into a large bowl and then mix with the dill, Maldon Salt, horseradish sauce, and golden caster sugar.
  2. Place the salmon, flesh side up, in a baking dish which comfortably fits it, and then spoon and press the beetroot cure on to the fish. Press and pack it in firmly and make sure it is covered all over. Then tightly wrap the tray in cling film and place in the fridge for 2 – 3 days.
  3. Once a couple of days have passed and it’s time to serve the salmon, remove it from the fridge and wash the cure off. Then place on a board and use a sharp knife to thinly slice. Serve the salmon with the fennel salad, lemon wedges, slices of soda bread and caper berries.

What’s better than the decadent, light and airy dessert of a soufflé? Get baking with this easy-to-follow recipe, where we use pistachio cream to give a glorious, nutty tone to the dish. We use Le Cresuet’s Mini Ramekins to hold the soufflé in place whilst it gently bakes in the oven. However, don’t stop there with these little sweet treats!

We also show you how to create a coulis sauce, which is a smooth enhanced by the tang of cranberries to give a balance to the sweetened pudding. Serving this in Le Cresuet’s Small Stoneware Jug will make pouring of the cranberry coulis much easier whilst serving to your guests.

  1. Start by making the base of the soufflés (the panade). Add the milk to a saucepan and whisk in the cornflour and a pinch of Maldon Salt until dissolved. Stir in the 50g of sugar and pistachio cream and place onto the heat. Allow the mixture to come to the boil and then continue stirring until the mixture thickens (3- 5 minutes). Then remove from the heat and cool. Once cool place in the fridge to cool completely.
  2. Preheat the oven to 180C and place a baking tray in the oven to heat up (this will help the soufflés rise).
  3. Prepare the ramekins by greasing with butter and the dusting out with icing sugar. Set aside.
  4. Place the egg whites in a bowl and whisk until foaming. Then slowly add the 150g of sugar, a tablespoon at a time. Keep whisking until all sugar is added and the meringue has reached medium soft peaks.
  5. Measure out 300g of the chilled panade mixture and add the final 20g of pistachio cream. Then carefully fold in the meringue egg whites being mindful not to knock the air out of the mixture. Spoon the mixture into the ramekins and smooth off the top with a palette knife. Then use a cutlery knife to “top hat” around the top rim. Place into the oven on the baking sheet for 8 – 10 minutes (do not open the door).
  6. Remove from the oven, dust with icing sugar and serve immediately with pistachio ice cream and cranberry coulis.