Serve this with Gail‘s mixed olive sourdough bread – quite possibly the best bread ever made.

Serves 4 for a light lunch
1 bag of mixed leaf salad
3-4 handfuls of puy lentils
Vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
150g creamy blue cheese (St Agur, Dolcelatte, Roquefort, etc) – cut into small chunks
½ yellow pepper – cut into thin strips
4-5 radishes – finely sliced
3 spring onions – finely sliced
2-3 sprigs of mint – finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
a good few glugs of olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place lentils in a pan with the bay leaf. Cover generously with the stock then bring to boil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until just tender. Drain and leave to cool.

Once cool mix everything together except the salad leaves and mint.

Divide the leaves between four bowls. Pile the lentil and cheese mixture gently on top. Sprinkle with a little chopped mint.

Don’t worry if you don’t have a lattice cutter, just cut a few strips of pastry and arrange them stylishly over the top of the filling.

3-4 handfuls Puy lentils
Vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1 pack (approx 150g) feta cheese
1 egg
1 red chili – finely sliced
2-3 spring onions – finely sliced
1 pack puff pastry – ready rolled easiest
1 teaspoon za-atar (use thyme and a little lemon juice if you don’t have this)

Put the lentils and bay leaf in a saucepan. Cover with plenty of stock, then bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes until the lentils are tender but still holding their shape. Drain and leave to cool.

When the lentils are cool, place them in a large bowl with the chili, spring onion, egg, crumbled feta and za’atar. Mix well.

Take the puff pastry, cut off one quarter of the pastry along the short edge – this will be used for the lattice. Take the remaining three quarters and place on a baking sheet. Heat the oven to 200C, then score 1cm in around the edge of the pastry and prick the middle all over with a fork. Bake for 10-15 minutes until just starting to brown. Remove from oven, leaving the oven on

Spread the lentil mixture over the centre of the cooked pastry base, leaving the puffed up edge free of any filling. Now take the remaining pastry you removed earlier and gently roll the lattice cutter over it, or cut the pastry into thin strips. Pull the lattice over the filling or lay the strips over to make a lattice style top.

Place back in the oven for 10 minutes until the lattice is browning and the filling has set slightly.

The earthy beetroot, freshness of the mozzarella and sweetness of the balsamic work a treat.

Serves 4

1 bunch beetroot – about 4 or 5 beets
2 balls of buffalo mozzarella
Mixed salad leaves
Chili flakes
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Juice of half a large lemon
salt and black pepper

Heat the oven to 200C, drizzle the beetroot with a little olive oil then roast for about an hour until cooked through and the skin is blackened and crispy. Allow to cool a little then remove the skin.

Cut the skinned beetroot into quarters (or smaller if very large).

Drain the mozzarella and pat dry with some kitchen paper then tear into chunks.

Take four large plates of bowls and arrange the leaves equally across the four plates.

Now add the beetroot, then the torn chunks of mozzarella.

In a small bowl mix olive oil and balsamic – in a ratio of about 3 oil to 1 vinegar. Add the lemon juice, salt and ground pepper.

Drizzle the dressing over the salads then sprinkle a few chili flakes over.

Serve with warm breads

100g butter
75g soft light brown sugar
1 can (197g it says on the tin!) condensed milk
4-5 tablespoons tahini
3-4 tablespoons of agave syrup or honey
100g dried figs – roughly chopped
100g shelled walnuts – roughly broken
50g pine nuts
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons flax seeds/linseeds
approx 200g porridge oats

I tried this the first time with Greek tahini, but after my day with Yotam Ottolenghi, I have switched to using tahini from the middle eastern shops in and around Edgware Road. The Al Yaman one is great.

Heat the oven – 180C for a normal oven, reduced to 160C for a fan assisted one.

Now melt the butter, sugar and condensed milk either in a large pan over a low-medium heat or in a large mixing bowl in the microwave for a minute or two. Add the other ingredients except the oats and mix well. Now add the oats until the mixture holds its shape. The more you add the firmer the end result. I think a little over 200g works best.

Take a baking tray – somewhere around 25cm square or slightly bigger if you want the flapjack to be thinner. Line with parchment then spread the mixture into the tray pressing down firmly.

Bake for approx 20 minutes until starting to brown. Remove and cut into squares while still hot. Leave to cool in the tray then store in an airtight container. If you can resist eating it all it lasts a several days.

If you have any leftovers, roll into balls, stuff a little mozarella in the middle and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Serves 4

1 onion – finely chopped
2 cloves garlic – finely chopped
1 glass white wine
200g – 250g risotto rice
4-6 mushrooms – cut into chunks
1 x 290g jar of mixed mushrooms in oil
1 handful of dried mushrooms – soaked in boiling water then chopped
vegetable stock – not sure how much so I used a stock cube then added water from the kettle
2-3 large spring green bunches – finely sliced
salt and black pepper
large knob of butter
60g or so of finely grated fresh parmesan or vegetarian alternative

Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat. When hot, drain the oil from the jar of mushrooms into the pan, then fry the onion and garlic in this oil until soft. When soft and translucent add the wine, stir, give it a couple of minutes to bubble and for the alcohol to evaporate off, then add the rice, the stock cube and a cup or so of boiling water. Stir gently to get the starches working in the rice. As the rice absorbs the stock, add more water a little at a time and keep stirring. Now add the fresh mushrooms, the soaked dried mushrooms with the water they were soaked in, and the drained jar or mushrooms. Add the greens, stir well and add more water from the kettle if required. Stir occasionally now until the greens are cooked through. Turn off the heat, add the butter and grated parmesan, salt and pepper. Stir, put the lid on and leave for 10-15 minutes during which time it will go nice and creamy.

Serve hot perhaps with a sliced red chilli to add a kick.

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1½ cups self raising flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds – remove from the pods and crush slightly
½ softened Butter
¾ cup Caster Sugar
2 Eggs
100ml Buttermilk
1 teaspoon icing sugar
About half a ripe mango – peeled and finely diced

Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F. Prepare a 10″ round tin with parchment and a little butter.

Cream the butter with the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the buttermilk, mango and cardamom and beat again. Now add the dry ingredients into the batter, adding a little at a time.

Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool a little and sieve the icing sugar over it.

Serve this with rice and yogurt

3-4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion – chopped
1 clove garlic – finely sliced
a good few handfuls of okra
4-5 ripe tomatoes – chopped
1 small carton passata – or tomato puree and water
1 teaspoon ground allspice
salt and black pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry until translucent and starting to soften. Then add the garlic. Now for the okra. Keep the okra whole. If using large ones just slice off the very top of the stem. Don’t cut into the okra as this may release the slime which puts so many people off the wonderful vegetable. Wash and dry well before adding to the onion and garlic in the pan.

Stir for a couple of minutes then add the tomatoes, passata, allspice, salt and pepper. Stir gently, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes until the okra is tender and the tomatoes have broken down.

This would serve 4 as a main – perhaps with garlic bread if you need more carbs.

Start by making the courgette balls as per this recipe. When you have made these keep them warm in the oven while you start on the sauce.

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic – finely chopped
8-10 mushrooms – finely sliced
250g spinach – chopped
250g mascarpone cheese
salt and pepper to taste
a pinch of grated nutmeg

Take a large frying pan and heat the olive oil. Fry the garlic and mushrooms until the mushrooms start to soften. Now add the chopped spinach and fry gently until wilted and most of the liquid has evaporated. Reduce the heat then add the mascarpone. While this is melting, put a large pan of water on a high heat for the gnocchi. Cook the gnocchi as per the instructions (2 minutes in boiling water), drain and add to the mushrooms, spinach and mascarpone. Season with salt, black pepper and a little freshly grated nutmeg. Stir well then add the courgette balls.

2-3 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 head of cauliflower – chopped into rough chunks
1-2 tablespoons root ginger – finely chopped
200g or so of paneer – cubed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder (more if you like it a bit hotter)
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon gorund coriander
½ teaspoon salt
bunch (about 50-90g) of fresh coriander (chopped)

Take a large frying pan that has a lid.

Heat the oil then add the cauliflower and fry until it starts to brown. Add the ginger and spices and fry 2-3 minutes longer. Now add the paneer and salt and give it a good stir. I like my cauliflower crunchy in most things, but in this it needs to be soft I think so take about 50-100ml water. Add to the pan and cover with the lid. Cook this way for 5 minutes. Remobve the lid, stir in the fresh coriander and serve hot.