Pumpkin cornbread Pumpkin cornbreadServe this delicious savoury bread with soup or strong cheeses, such as Stilton, mature Cheddar or a hard goats’ or ewes’ cheese. The bread is lovely toasted and freezes well.Makes 1
Sweet potato, ginger and coconut gratin Sweet potato, ginger and coconut gratinThis is a massive family favourite. We might eat it as a main course one day with a green salad, and then often have the leftovers as a side veg the next day, de
Basil oil Basil oil I enjoy making a few bottles of basil oil at this time of year just before the basil goes black with the colder nights. It makes a brilliant present, and gives invaluable summery flavou
Mushrooms with polenta Mushrooms with polentaAnything with a strong flavour and a soft texture is good with polenta. I love polenta with braised chicory and it’s wonderful with mushrooms. You can use a real mix of mushrooms
Squash and Feta Filo Parcels Squash and Feta Filo ParcelsOne of our favourite things to serve for our Garden Open café lunches, filled with squash, courgettes, spinach, chard, grated beetroot, fennel, or a mixture of veg. You can
Cauliflower couscous Cauliflower couscousThis so-called ‘couscous’ made from nearly-raw cauliflower is an excellent side dish to have with any of the chillies or curries. It looks great with multi-coloured cauliflower, of
smoked haddock and beetroot gratin serves 6 600g beetroot (we used mixed colours) 2 tbsp oil Salt and pepper 200g finely chopped leek 425ml full fat milk (or almond milk) 500g undyed smoked haddock 50g butter (or set
roasted tomato soup serves 6 as a main course, 8 as a starter 1kg ripe tomatoes 2 roughly chopped fennel bulbs (about 400g) 2 large quartered onions 3 tbsp cold-pressed rapeseed oil 3 crushed garlic cloves2 tbsp (ab
sloe gin (or damson vodka) recipe This sloe gin or damson vodka recipe can be adapted to the fruit you have to hand. Damsons left after the vodka is strained are perfect to eat with ice cream or yogurt.This makes a perfect Christmas g
griddled fennel aubergine recipe This tasty aubergine dish is an excellent easy late summer/autumn lunch or starter for dinner. At lunch, serve it with a pile of green salad.serves 6 (or 2 if you like it strong) 3 aubergine
kale and chickpea curry recipe My sister Jane gave me this good Oriental-tasting and healthy curry recipe. She discovered it while on a detox, but now cooks it all the time. It's one of my children's favourite meals. The mush
green pawpaw, carrot and cashew salad A classic Thai street food salad, based on pawpaw at its unripe, green stage, when it has all its anti-inflammatory and digestion-aiding properties, but none of the big sugar hit. The cashews en
grape jelly recipe Home-grown grapes in this country tend to be small, not all of them ripen and they can be thick with pips. You can eat a few with cheese and make jelly with the rest. This is lovely on bread or
roast cumin carrots recipe The beauty of these carrots is that you can make them the day before – they are just as good reheated. The slow roasting brings out all their sweetness, and finely chopped rosemary can be used inst
tricolour pepper caponata recipe Make several jars of this sweet and sour mixture and store it in the fridge to eat through the autumn. Balsamic vinegar is a preservative, so it can be kept for up to a month. It's lovely wi
pelargonium and lemon cordial recipe This is my favourite drink served here for lunch in the café for our garden openings and courses. It’s the pelargonium that gives it delicious and unique taste. I love Pelargonium ‘Attar of
