Kale & radish panzanella salad served with a honey & mustard vinaigrette

Serves 4Prep time: 15 minutesCooking time: 10 minutes There’s nothing quite like panzanella for a quick and easy meal. And when it’s made with seasonal curly kale, pickled radishes, feta and chunky toasted breadcrumbs – you know it’s going to...

Cod Puttanesca

Fry the onion in some olive oil until soft, add the diced carrot and finely chopped garlic, and allow to cook down for a few minutes. Then throw in the finely chopped anchovies and chilli flakes. Stir, then pop in...

Nourish to Flourish

Nutrition & Lifestyle Coach Charlotte Lau explores the benefits of incorporating another healthy ingredient into our diets. This month it’s kale Loaded with important micronutrients and antioxidants, kale is one of the most nutritious leafy greens available. It is abundant...

Griddled Harissa Chicken

Place all the harissa ingredients in a blender and blitz to a paste. Spread over chicken and leave to marinate for 30 minutes. Heat griddle pan and cook the coated chicken for 5-10 minutes on each side, until chicken is...

Jewelled Salad

Combine salad leaves, sliced oranges and pomegranate seeds in a serving bowl, add dressing and toss together gently. Sprinkle with crumbled feta and walnuts to serve.

Lettuce Bowl

Slice off the bottom of the lettuce and carefully unwrap it – discard the outer couple of leaves and the central ‘core’, so that you are left with four ‘that are bowl’ shaped. Any leftover bits can be shredded to...

Lamb tagine

Heat some olive oil in a large casserole pan and gently fry the onions until soft. Add the spices and cook for a further couple of minutes. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and brown the lamb. Add...

Giant cous cous with roasted winter vegetables & pomegranate molasses dressing

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Drizzle some olive oil on two baking trays and brush with a pastry brush. Add the squash slices on one tray and sweet potatoes on the other. Brush with olive oil, season with sea salt and bake for...

Spicy smokey sticky party nuts.  

Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking sheet with non stick parchment. Mix all the ingredients, except the nuts, in a large bowl to form a sticky syrup. Add in the nuts and coat well with all the sticky...

Nourish to Flourish

Nutrition & Lifestyle Coach Charlotte Lau explores the benefits of incorporating another healthy ingredient into our diets. This month it’s root veg Root vegetables are starchy vegetables including sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrot, beetroot and turnips. Low cost and readily available...

It’s all in the preparation

Emily Pavey heads to The Small Holding to improve her gardening skills at a Grow the Seasons session Perhaps I’m not cut out for gardening – don’t tell anyone, but I find weeding a bit upsetting. Who am I to...

Ready for Round Two?

Jo Arnell heads to the veg patch to prep for an autumn harvest If you have some space in the vegetable garden – or if you’ve been thinking about growing vegetables but haven’t got round to it yet – there...

Weird & Wonderful

Sue Whigham digs deep into the world of lesser-known fruit and veg I’ve joined a waiting list for Apios americana (above) but it’ll be worth the wait and also gives us a chance to thoroughly prepare the ground and find...

Roast beetroot & goats cheese salad with maple roasted spicy nuts

Roasting beetroots is so easy and the beautiful earthy flavour works so well with the candied nuts, bitter leaves and creamy tangy goats cheese. All the elements can be prepared well in advance and put together quickly before serving. This...

Nourish to Flourish – five-a-day

Nutrition & Lifestyle Coach Charlotte Lau asks whether five-a-day is actually enough Fruit and vegetables are part of a healthy, balanced diet and evidence shows there are significant health benefits to consuming the NHS’s recommended five portions of a variety of...

Squash, Caramelised Onion and Feta Filo Pie

Filo pastry is tricky to handle as it dries out as soon as you look away from it, so have a damp tea towel/kichen roll handy to cover it if needed – and ensure that all the other ingredients are...

Cod with Smokey Black Bean Cassoulet

This gloriously satisfying but healthy dinner is so delicious and really easy to prep. Sweet cod, married with deeply savoury smokey black beans, is heaven on a plate. Prepare the cassoulet in advance if you want – even the day...

Lemon Roast Chicken with Pomegranate Molasses & Cauliflower on a Bed of Lentils

This dish sounds fancy, but it’s so simple, totally flexible and utterly flavoursome, filling and feel good food. Pulses are so good for our health and longevity. These little lentils vertes are simply boiled while the chicken roasts, and then...

Top Tricks

James Hickson from The Royal in St Leonards, shares how to elevate festive food plans Think as carefully about the drinks you’re serving as you do the food. Start the celebrations with a sparkling Crémant de Bourgogne before a lightly...

Herb Appeal

Sue Whigham explores the rich history of herbalists So where to start. Perhaps with John Gerard, 16th century naturalist and herbalist (1545-1612) who had responsibility for many important British gardens including the Physic Garden at the College of Physicians in...

Chef’s table – Daniel Lee – Executive Chef at Seasons

Meet Daniel Lee – Executive Chef at Seasons, a beautifully bright space in Windlesham, Surrey that champions local ingredients with modern and fresh menus What’s your favourite cuisine?Asian, French, Italian and Middle Eastern flavours are all firm favourites. But my...

Pick of the Crops

Jo Arnell explains why it’s not too late to get growing for autumn and winter harvests If you’ve been growing your own this year, then this month all that hard work could be about to pay off, although sometimes the...

Small but Mighty

Jo Arnell makes sure mini spaces pack a productive punch Give me land, lots of land under starry skies above…’ Well, sadly most of us do have to have fences and aren’t able to ride through the plains on a...

Heaven Scent

Maximise on fragrance with Sue Whigham’s sweet-smelling picks So what are aromatic plants and how do they differ from plants with fragrant flowers? Yesterday, I layered up and meandered out into the garden in a search for any aromatic plants that...

Part time Veg

Get into the growing groove with Jo Arnell’s tips for fuss-free vegetables No time to grow vegetables? Not much space? Feeling daunted? Well – you don’t have to be rich to grow some veg, you don’t have to be cool...

Sow Magical

There’s endless treasure to be found amongst the pages of this year’s seed catalogues, as Sue Whigham explains It is so lovely to receive a seed catalogue in the post and especially when it is as tempting and full of...

Hot Smoked Salmon

This dish is a real crowd pleaser and centrepiece showstopper. The delicate smoky flavour combines perfectly with freshness of the dill and lime. It is extremely versatile – have it on Christmas morning with scrambled eggs and muffins, whip up...

Beef Carpaccio

This is a wonderful way to enjoy fillet of beef. The perfect entertaining dish, as it can all be cooked in advance, makes the beef go a long way and is gorgeous with big salads, or hearty potato dishes such...

Goats’ cheese, nectarine & Parma ham salad

Put water on to boil for the pasta, then while the linguine is cooking, gently fry the anchovy fillets (which will melt away into the pan), garlic and chilli for three minutes or so.Add in the kale (if using older...

How does your garden grow?

Cranbrook Primary’s kitchen garden project is revolutionising how their pupils look at nutrition, teaching them about the natural world and giving them time to enjoy the outdoors, so how do they do it? Judith Caustin explains How has Cranbrook Primary's...

Endive, orange & mozzarella salad with balsamic dressing

Endive, orange & mozzarella salad with balsamic dressing This easy salad is so quick to put together and is utterly gorgeous. The slight bitterness of these small red endives complement the sweetness of the orange. Add beautiful creamy mozzarella, and...

Oven roasted cod with feta & Mediterranean vegetables

This one-dish gorgeous garlicky fish recipe is packed with Mediterranean flavours, all prepped in 15 mins! It can happily be assembled in advance on the day and sit in the fridge until you are ready to cook. This serves 4...

Butternut squash with roasted Mediterranean vegetables & goats’ cheese

This is a stunning vegetarian main course that can be made in advance and sat in the fridge ready to go in the oven. You can even roast the squash and veg a couple of days before your guests arrive,...

Slow, Grow, Eat

Hairdresser-turned-shepherdess, Zoë Colville farms nearly 100 acres of land near Maidstone with her partner, Chris Woodhead. With prime focus on their animals’ wellbeing, together they rear cows, sheep, goats and pigs, eventually selling their meat through The Little Farm Fridge....

Grow your own medicine cabinet

Jo Arnell investigates the healing properties of plants Tense, nervous headache? Try chewing on a piece of willow bark. Indigestion? Difficulty sleeping? Just pop into the garden for some fennel to settle your stomach and a bit of lavender to...

Keep it contained

Sue Whigham gives her guidance for container planting success Last year I ordered a salvia collection from one of the national newspapers. The plants arrived but they really were miniscule and looking unlikely to survive until the end of the...

Ready, set, grow!

Keen to ensure 2021 is filled with a bountiful supply of home-grown edibles, Jo Arnell gets cracking in the veg garden with super-speedy early crops Phew! It’s April. The days are filling with light and new growth – and possibly...

Easy Edibles

Read Jo Arnell’s words of wisdom and your gardening confidence will grow alongside your supply of home grown veg  Whatever anyone tells you about growing your own vegetables – it’s a lot of hard work, things often go wrong, pests...

Boost Your Immunity

Henrietta Norton explains how changing attitudes to fermentation are having a beneficial effect on gut bacteria. Fermenting is firmly back in fashion these days.  Not during my 15 years as a Nutritional Therapist has the advice of fermenting a cabbage...

Eating Green – Stuffed Courgettes

Life may be too short for stuffing mushrooms, but not courgettes! This recipe can be adapted in many ways, depending on what you have in store. I have used quinoa and pine nuts as the protein ingredient, but you could...

Goats’ cheese, Parma Ham & Nectarine Salad

Wash and spin the salad leaves. Wrap the wedges of nectarine with the strips of Parma ham and place randomly over the leaves. Crumble the goats’ cheese on top and sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts. Serve with a simple...

Late season crops

Jo Arnell proves that, with a little planning, there’s still plenty to grow in the veg garden as colder months approach. There might be gaps appearing on the plot this month. I’m hoping it means you’ve been able to celebrate...

Early Harvests

Jo Arnell explains how you can reap the rewards of a little forward planning when it comes to the most productive crops in the veg patch. The unstoppable rush of growth pushes on in the garden, as the plants race...

Tandoori Spatchcock Chicken with Mango Salad

Spatchcocking reduces cooking time, but this recipe would also work with a regular chicken, or two, or three if feeding a crowd. Mix together all the marinade ingredients and spoon all over the chicken. You can marinate the chicken in...

Asparagus tart

Pre-heat oven to 180ºc (gas 4). Sauté the onions in butter for 5 mins until soft. Leave to cool. Roll/unfurl pastry onto a baking sheet and fold over the edges to make a lip around the edges of the pastry....

Crab arancini

Serves 3-4 as a starter, or 2 as a light main. Prep time: 20 minutes. Cooking time: 35 minutes, plus 1-2 hours in the fridge. Heat olive oil in a saucepan or deep frying pan/small wok and add the rice....

Pigeon breasts with orange, watercress & walnut salad

Pigeon have been eaten in England for centuries. Dovecotes were popular on estates as a living pantry and a source of meat for unexpected guests. Watercress has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries to treat blood disorders and as...

An edible paradise

Jo Arnell tells us how to make a productive garden beautiful with deliciously attractive plants. There are a couple of boring old phrases that hover, Jiminy Cricket-like, in my ear when I’m plotting out my vegetable garden: ‘cut your coat...

Thai beef salad

Mix and match the veggies in the salad depending on what you have in the fridge. You can omit the beansprouts or noodles and serve with rice instead. Put all the dressing ingredients into a clean jam jar and give...

Lamb ragu

This rich and hearty pasta dish was made using leftover lamb shoulder, but any leftover lamb would work. Serve with pasta and a simple salad. Soften the onions, garlic and carrots in the oil for 10 minutes, then add the...

Chicken thigh, olives & green beans with a basil & lemon dressing

Salt the skin on the chicken thighs and place skin side down in a cold frying pan with a splash of olive oil. Put on the heat, the rising temperature will release the fat from the skin and crisp it...

Parma ham, goat curd, pea & broad bean salad

Blanch the peas and broad beans for a minute in boiling water then refresh under cold running water. Mash the goat’s cheese and crème fraîche until you have a smooth paste – this is your ‘goat curd’. Heap two tablespoons...

Good Garden Bugs

Early summer is the time for maximum growth in the garden. The new stems and leaves on our plants, plumped out by rain, fertilisers and human kindness are luscious – and irresistibly delicious to some of our garden visitors. Pesky...

Natural Wisdom with Lauren Barber

Which one piece of seasonal wisdom helps you in May? We are so connected to the elements, our mental and physical health aligns very closely with what is going on in the great outdoors and when we don’t physically spend...

A Gentle Cleanse

The last thing our bodies need when it’s still cool and damp is a brutal detox with raw food that is hard to digest, much better work in harmony with your body and the season says Eminé Rushton. Detoxes are...

Cool veg for warmer days

It’s the moment Jo Arnell has been waiting for since October – time to get going in the veggie patch It’s all about to take off in the vegetable garden and the first of the summer harvests are just around...

The Ultimate Easter Roast Lamb Sandwich

All the bread is made from scratch at their bakery, with doughs proving for 24 to 48 hours – so none of the quick-acting yeasts used in industrial bread production. You will find the range in selected food emporia, delis...

Mini Moroccan Pulled Lamb Brioche Sliders

The only Red Tractor certified bakery in the country - because they use 100% British wheat – the Baker’s Bicycle range includes such delights as ciabatta-style panini rolls perfect for toasties, glazed brioche buns and something unique they invented: the...

Ready, Steady…VEG!

On sunny days in February I’m sorely tempted to rush out and get cracking in the veg patch, but then hesitate – in the nick of time. I’m forced to remind myself that frosts can threaten for many months to...

Panettone & White Chocolate Bread & Butter Pudding

Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush the sliced panettone with the melted butter. Place the panettone upright in an ovenproof dish and sprinkle the grated white chocolate between the slices. Heat the milk and cream with the vanilla extract until scalding....

Fig, Blue Cheese & Walnut Salad

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together and taste for seasoning. Make up the salad and arrange prettily. This salad could be put together six hours beforehand, and then spoon over the dressing just before serving.

Comfort and Joy

It can sometimes take a while to find a rewarding occupation, especially one that has to fit around a busy family, is both creatively satisfying and enables a connection with people. [showhide more_text="READ MORE" less_text="READ LESS" hidden="yes"] But when the stars...

Healthy Recipes Ideas

Are you craving some healthy grub to complement our Three Month Fitness Programme devised by nutritionist and personal trainer Sarah-Jane Holt? Or are you just after some fresh ideas to liven up your recipe repertoire? Here are some of our...

Pulled Pork Roll with Slaw

Cover the shoulder in the rub and place in a pot, rind up, with a well fitting lid. Add an inch of apple juice or cider to the pot. Cook in the oven at 140°C for 8 hours. Remove from...

Healthy Eating For The Family

With childhood illness on the rise, and 1 in 4 children classified as overweight at the start of primary school, here are some simple steps to ensure children are protected from these curses of modern living. Breakfast - Unfortunately, most breakfast...

Charred Broccoli & Fresh Green Salad

Pre-heat oven to 200˚C. Split broccoli stems and place on a baking tray. Crush toasted cumin seeds lightly with some salt and sprinkle over broccoli with a drizzle of olive oil and bake for 6-10 mins depending on size of...

Garlic Roasted Romano Peppers

Pre-heat oven to 200˚C. Split peppers in half including the stalk (makes them more robust) and clean out the seeds and white pith. Place on a large roasting tray cut side up. Pop inside your thinly sliced garlic slices and...

Second Out, Round Two!

I’m all for trying again when I don’t succeed, for never saying die and persisting in the face of unsurmountable odds; in another life I might be climbing mountains or swimming the channel. In this one I’m attempting to grow...

Oregano-Infused Potato Salad with Fennel and Leeks

Finely chop the leeks into thin slivers. Heat the oil in a large pan and sauté the leeks with a pinch of salt and pepper for 20 minutes, until golden and caramelised. While the leeks are cooking, boil the potatoes...

Summer Lovin’ Bowl

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6. Peel and cut the beetroots into 2½cm chunks. Put in a roasting tray and mix with the oil and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes until cooked through....

Under Pressure

Managing your children (and yourself) through the exam season is never going to be easy. Everyone gets stressed. Not least the teachers at your child’s school who are probably psyching their pupils up because they’re worried about results, Ofsted ratings...

Plants That Heal

The Chelsea Physic Garden has been tucked behind a wall in the Royal Hospital Road in Chelsea, SW3 since it was founded in 1673. It’s an ancient botanical garden with a unique microclimate due to its proximity to the Thames...

The Forgotten Harvest

Productivity is everything in the vegetable garden and to that end every square inch and no end of loving labour is employed to conjure a good yield from the precious loam. But what of the forgotten harvest, the unbidden crop...

Vegetables With Meals in Mind

The soil is warming and it’s time to sow some vegetables. This year I’m trying to tailor the crops I grow to what – and how much – we actually eat. I’m sure that I’m not alone in suffering from...

Fish and Sweet Potato Wedges, with Peas, Spinach and Edamame Salad

Preheat the oven to 200˚C/400˚F/Gas mark 6. While the oven is heating up, chop your capers and parsley and place in a bowl with the washed spinach. Put some water on to boil. Cut your sweet potatoes into wedges and...

Watermelon, Kale and Quinoa Salad

Rinse the quinoa. Put it in a pan with a fitted lid and cover with 200ml water. Cook covered, over a medium heat for 15 mins or until fluffy and the water has been absorbed. Don’t worry if it catches...

Gardening Resolutions

Here we go again – out with the old and in with the new and all the happy resolutions are sitting there looking shiny and achievable. Hopes are high and all is ‘plans and perusing’. I’ve been looking out of...

Champagne Jelly

Pour two-thirds of a bottle of Champagne with the caster sugar into a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Soak the gelatine in cold water for about five minutes until soft. Drain and squeeze out...

Harvest Home

It’s been tricky in the veg patch this year. We’ve had plenty of rain, and winds, low temperatures and not much ripening sunshine, combined with attacks from an ever-increasing army of pests. But if you’ve been lucky enough to get...

Buckwheat Salad Lunch in a Jar

Rinse buckwheat in a sieve. Add to a pan with 2 cups of water, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and leave for a further 10 minutes while any remaining...

Packed & Prepped

The natural remedy Roz Crompton is a Homeopath at Helios, Tunbridge Wells... Long haul flights can often cause all sorts of problems, is there anything we can do to make the process easier? Homeopathic and natural remedies can help with fear...

Wild Rice and Lentil Salad with Grainy Mustard and Vinaigrette

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together and taste for seasoning. Mix the rice, lentils, red onions, spring onion, and chives together and toss the dressing through the salad

Small and Interesting

We couldn’t quite decide who was to get the sunflower seeds this morning. Us or the birds? The birds won but that was only because it was the Great Garden Birdwatch this weekend and sunflower seeds on the bird-table bring...

Seeds of Success

Hark! Is that the merry thud of the Christmas post, or rather, the post-Christmas post landing on the mat? The arrival of the seed catalogues is - for sad old me anyway - part of the magic of the season....

Smoked Salmon Roulade with Cucumber Salad

Place the smoked salmon, butter, lemon juice & black pepper in a food processor and, when mixed stir through the crème fraîche & chives & check the seasoning. Lay out the 250g of smoked salmon on parchment paper in a...

Roasted Butternut Squash, Feta & Couscous Salad

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Cube the butternut squash, leaving the skin on, and roast in the oven with olive oil and seasoning for approximately 40 minutes. Mix approximately 300ml boiling water with a teaspoon of vegetable bouillon and pour...

Winter Vegetables

There is a filthy frugality about winter vegetables. Perhaps it’s because so many of them have to be dug up, rather than daintily picked from on high. You can feel it, in the dirt that gets under your frozen fingernails...

Whats Cooking at Holmewood House School?

Can you talk us through a typical lunchtime meal? Every day we offer: a healthy, traditional main course meal using fresh seasonal ingredients; homemade soup and rolls; a freshly prepared salad bar with a choice of protein; pasta or baked...

Whats cooking at The Junior King’s School Canterbury?

Dee McConkey, the acting Head of Pre-Prep, The Junior King’s School Canterbury Can you talk us through a typical lunchtime meal? A typical lunch may be roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and buttered cabbage, carrots and peas with a...

Truly Scrumptious Cherry Peach Parfait

Layer the jar starting with ½ the granola. Top with ½ the yogurt. Top with the cherries and sliced peaches. Finally, top with the remainder of the yoghurt and finish with the granola.

Hot Smoked Oak Roasted Salmon Salad

Wash and dry the lettuce. Put some boiling water in a pan and bring back to the boil. Put in the peas and blanch quickly for 1 minute, then refresh under cold water and set aside until ready to use....

Courgette “Noodle” Salad

Pre heat oven to 200°C. Peel and cut the beetroots into segments and place on baking tray. Scatter with thyme and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for about 15 minutes until slightly caramelised. Put aside until ready to use. Place...

Summer Bounty

Remember back in the spring when nothing was growing and every pea was precious, when five courgette seeds didn’t seem enough to plant out and the bean seedlings were thin and straggling? Well, I’m eating those words now, and trying...

Nature’s Table

A gentle stroll with the dog to see the Common Spotted Orchids in a patch of woodland nearby recently led to a frantic search for any citric acid hopefully left over from last year. The elderflowers are out and lighting up...

Feta, Watermelon and Avocado Salad

Cut the watermelon into chunks, removing the peel and seeds. Do this over a bowl to catch the juice and set the juice aside. Put the salad leaves in a bowl or on a serving platter and add the watermelon,...

Beetroot Cured Salmon

Carefully pin bone the salmon. Lay 2 oversized sheets of cling film onto a tray and place the salmon on the clingfilm, skin side down. Peel and cut the beetroot into 1cm chunks. In a food processor, purée the beetroot...

Spring Fever

Catch up crops If you missed the first half of the growing season – for whatever reason (and being a fair weather gardener is not a sin in my book) I have good news, because May is a great month...

Roasted Beetroot & Lentil Salad

Cut the beetroot and onion into quarters. Arrange in a roasting tin and drizzle over the honey, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Do not toss them together as the red beets will stain the yellow ones. Season with salt and...

Children and Food: Just Don’t Mention The “o” Word!

With obesity rates in the UK continuing to rise, keeping our young people trim and healthy is becoming more and more of a challenge for both parents and teachers. It has always been difficult to keep teenagers from junk food...

An Annual Affair

What is a seed? An absolute miracle really. In botanical terms a seed is a potential plant; an embryo surrounded by its own nutrients ready to sustain life. All it needs to germinate is a combination of essential factors such...

Rose infused Lamb Cutlets with Chilli and Mint Drizzle

For the lamb and marinade: Mix all the ingredients together and marinate the cutlets for a minimum of one hour, or overnight for added flavour. The best way to do this is to place them all in a freezer bag,...

Leading Veg

If you’re pacing up and down indoors like a caged, vegetable growing tiger, eager to get out and onto the plot, there’s a chink of good news, because the light is coming back and there are quite a few crops...

Perky Turkey Salad

The above ingredients are fluid and flexible – use finely sliced carrots, lettuce, tomatoes etc as substitutes, if needed (but no sprouts and parsnips please) For the dressing: Make the dressing by adding the ingredients to a jar and shaking...

Strong Foundations

The garden is putting itself to bed for the winter and it’s up to you how much you want to help it do this; you can tidy up behind it, or leave it to its own devices as it sheds...

Let’s Stay Outside

At the end of the summer it’s tempting to let the veg patch gently slide and allow the post harvest tangle and torpor to take over. But September, far from being the end of the season, turns out to be...

Chargrilled Sardines with Crushed Pink Fir Apple Potatoes & Fennel, Toasted Pine Nut & Baby Leaf Salad and a Lemon and Parsley Dressing

Cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling water until soft. Remove the outer leaves of the fennel and slice the bulbs thinly. Melt some butter in a pan and add the fennel, slowly cook until soft. Add some crushed...

Steak A La Nina

Remove the steaks from the fridge to allow them to come to room temperature. First, make the sauce. Put the anchovy in a bowl with all the olive oil except 1 tablespoon. Add the herbs, lemon juice, sugar and vinegar....

Shaved Fennel, Roasted Cauliflower, toasted Hazelnut & Feta Salad with Maple Dressing

Preheat oven to 210°C. Break up the cauliflower into small florets and place in a roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil and roast in oven for about 20-25 minutes until some of the heads have turned brown. Remove from the...

Chargrilled Pork Chop, Baked Lemon Jersey Royals, Broad Bean, Mint, Feta & Chorizo salad

Preheat the oven to 185°C/Gas 4/365°F. Season the pork chops with sea salt and ground black pepper and rub with a little olive oil. Set aside. Halve the potatoes and place them in a roasting tray with a spash of...

A Taste of the Exotic

I love TimeOut’s description of Brixton Market as a ‘sensory fiesta’ for that is what it is. And in the course of my weekly grandmotherly duties, I’ve found myself exploring the shops in the market selling fruit and vegetables from all...

Minimum Effort, Maximum Yield

It’s hard to imagine, but there really are some vegetables that will just grow, without fuss or tantrums, regardless. But low maintenance doesn’t mean no maintenance – your plot will still need preparing and then weeding and feeding, but the...

Costless Cures

Spied in a garden down in Devon last July was a big clump of what was to me an unknown plant or certainly something I hadn’t really noticed particularly. It was in the hedgerows too, along with any manner of...

Parsley & Pumpkin Seed Dressing

Wash and chop the parsley. Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. In a big bowl, toss the dressing with blanched carrots and broccoli, adding cooked potatoes if you wish. N.B.: This dressing is also good...

Roast Vegetable Cous Cous with Feta

Cut the vegetables into bite-sized chunks and place in a roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil, scatter with oregano and roast for 20-30 minutes (depending on chunk size). Prepare the cous cous according to packet instructions, then add the roasted...

We Hear It From The Kids

Hector, age 2½ says... What's your favourite thing to do with mummy and daddy? (When I wake up at 5am everyday...) I like to build things out of Duplo with Daddy. What's your favourite story? 'The Elephant and the Bad Baby.' What's...

Grilled Coconut Swordfish with Lime, Chilli and Coriander Sauce

Put all the ingredients, apart from the lime leaves and the coconut milk, into a food processor and blitz until it forms a rough paste. In a bowl mix the paste with the coconut milk and the lime leaves. Place...

Spanish Chicken with Chorizo

Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan oven 170°C/Gas Mark 5. Season the chicken pieces. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole and cook the chicken thighs on a high heat on all sides until golden brown. Do this in two...

Onto a Good Thing

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) I’m not sure how unusual comfrey can be considered to be but not everybody has it, and actually not everybody wants it as it spreads like mad (but does suppress the weeds) but what a plant. It...

The Unbuyables

It is galling when my family pick gingerly through the hole-ridden greens I’ve lovingly tended and then tell me gaily that I “could have bought a nice cabbage for 50p” from the supermarket. All those months of nurturing and protecting...

Salmon, Mushy Peas & Chunky Sunblush Tomato Ketchup

Preheat your oven to 120°C/Gas 1/2, position middle shelf. Boil your kettle. Start with the salmon. Get a non-stick baking tray. Put the salmon on the tray. Season each fillet with salt and cayenne. Brush the seasoning into the flesh....

Foraging – Food for Free

For a moment there I thought winter was never going to end, but here we are once again surrounded by the perennial miracle of spring. What better way can there be to celebrate the long awaited season, than to get...

Aubergine Burger With Smoked Paprika & Greek Salad

Preheat your oven to 220°C/Gas 7, position upper middle shelf. Start with the dressing. Get a small bowl. Add the 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, lemon zest, 2 tbsp of lemon juice and ½ tsp of smoked paprika....

Crab Mayonnaise with Cucumber Salad

Prepare the cucumber by using a vegetable peeler, peeling thin ribbons of flesh and skin, but not the seeds. Place the cucumber ribbons in a sieve over a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Leave for an hour. Later, rinse under...

Last of the Summer Salads

Did you think it was all over in the vegetable garden for the year? That you could harvest your spring sowings, clear the patch and then relax? I have some news. Whether it’s good or bad depends on how you...

Asparagus Frittata

Thickly slice the potatoes and cook in a pan of boiling water for about 10 mins. Drain and cool slightly. Break off any woody ends on the asparagus spears and cook in boiling water for about 4 mins. Drain. Cut...

Quail’s Egg & Asparagus Salad

Arrange the sugar snap peas and the radishes around the plate and drizzle with the vinaigrette.   Steam the asparagus and lay across the plate.  Poach the quail’s eggs and drop them in between the asparagus. Season and drizzle with...

Need for Seed

The early rush is over – peas, carrots, beetroot and broad beans could well be growing away nicely in your plot (if not, just throw some in now and they’ll do their best to catch up). The weather is warming...

Plotting to Grow Vegetables?

It is hard to be completely self-sufficient when you’re growing your own, unless you have acres to devote and the manpower (and willpower) to look after and harvest a mountain of crops. But it is very rewarding to come in...

Get Involved

Gardening has always been a perfect children’s activity. It combines muck and magic, a chance to get messy, and the promise of great things from even the tiniest seed. As the large family garden is a rarity these days, even...

Venison Steak with Juniper Berry and Rosemary Marinade

In a pestle and mortar grind the garlic, rosemary, juniper, salt and pepper. Add just enough oil to form a loose paste. Season each venison steak with a spoonful of the mixture and keep the rest aside for later. Rub...

Pick & Mix

Next to having a baby and clearing out cupboards, there’s not much I’ve found that’s more satisfying than sowing seeds. My compulsion is under control at the moment, but by April it will be a different story. Behold the tiny...

Panfried Scallops on Carrot & Ginger Puree

Marinate the scallops for a couple of hours in the juice of ½ a lime and a couple of tbspoons of olive oil Peel and slice the carrots and ginger and put in a saucepan. Cover with water and boil...

Pumpkin Gnocchi

For the gnocchi: Makes around 20 tiny dumplings. Cook the pumpkin; you can steam it, but I tend to cube and bake for 30 minutes or so with oil and herbs (in this case rosemary) as this gives it a sweet,...

Thinking Ahead…

There’s nothing like the prospect of a summer wedding reception in your garden to concentrate the mind at this time of the year. Peering out at a scene of devastation after howling winds and heavy rain this week, I realise...

Go Nuts!

As the sunlight ripens to amber gold and the first leaves begin to turn, who can help but feel excited about the Weald’s autumnal bounty? We are spoilt with world-class apples and pears at their scrumptious peak, but what of...

Tender is the Veg

There is something about the distinctive, slightly earthy smell of tomato plants that transports me back to (an entirely fictional) childhood, where I have a grandfather who grew tomatoes in his greenhouse (he also smoked a pipe for similar reasons)....

Artistic Licence

There is no better air than here for work.” Is how John Maynard Keynes described the atmosphere at Tilton House in East Sussex, the country residence that he shared with his wife Lydia for many years. Just a little further...

Warm Asparagus and New Potato Salad

Make the dressing by combining all the ingredients and stirring/shaking vigorously until they’re mixed really well. Boil the potatoes for 15-20 minutes, then drain. Cut the woody ends off the asparagus, rinse and steam (you don’t need an asparagus steamer,...

All in One Chicken with New Potatoes & Peppers

Preheat the oven to 220˚C Gas Mark 7. Place the peppers, new potatoes and onions together in a small roasting tin, sprinkle with the olive oil and seasoning. Toss together then bake for 20 minutes until starting to brown. Reduce...

Photographer’s Home and Studio

Any illusion you might have that you are visiting a traditional Kent family household is neatly dispelled at the gates. There, dozing in the shade amid wild flowers and ornamental rhubarb is a 1960s Morris Minor. Not that unusual, you...

Couscous Salad

Put the couscous into a bowl and rub in the olive oil so that the grains get a nice coating, pour over your hot stock. Cover with a plate or saucepan lid and leave to stand for 5 minutes until the couscous...

Food for Thought

It is hard to believe some of the surveys about children, their eating habits and their knowledge of food. One wonders whether they liven up quiet news days or are simply to infuriate those adults who grew up before main...

Raising the Stakes

To quote Cyril Wenham, both tenant farmer and pub landlord on the Isle of Oxney for many years, in conversation with his son, ‘Gardening is alright, boy, but it’s too near the ground.’ Well, had he had the choice we...

Chinese Duck & Red Cherry Salad

Preheat the oven to 220C Gas 7. Mix together the honey, soy sauce and spice powder and brush over the skin side of the duck. Place on a wire rack over a roasting tin and roast for 20 minutes until...

Couscous with Spiced Barbecued Vegetables

Prepare the barbecue. Place the couscous in a bowl and pour over the hot stock or water. Leave to stand for 15 minutes stirring occasionally to break up any lumps. Mix together half the olive oil, spices, garlic and seasoning....

The Glass is Greener

I hadn’t realised that I had much in common with a darting ruby-throated hummingbird until last autumn, when, meandering along the late-flowering borders at Wisley with a friend, we simultaneously spotted a particularly scrumptious velvety burgundy salvia. Being delicious to...

A Butterfly Unfurled

When Sally Harrington opens the huge front door of her Kentish weatherboard home I assume that the 1950s bungalow that once stood here was demolished to make way for the new house. “No,” she says, “it’s still in here somewhere,...

Baked Mushrooms with Goat’s Cheese and Pesto

Preheat the oven to 200C Gas Mark 6. Remove stalks from mushrooms. Spread pesto over inside of mushrooms and place on a small baking sheet. Slice goat’s cheese and arrange over mushrooms and scatter over sunflower seeds. Drizzle with olive...