Grilled courgettes, charred lettuce, pickled samphire, olives and grated Parmesan.

This is a great summer salad with lots of different flavours and textures!

Serves 4
Ingredients

For the Pickling brine
500ml Water
300ml Cider vinegar
230g Caster or Demerara sugar  
10g Maldon Sea Salt
Aromatics (whatever you’ve got in the cupboard!)
(we used: fennel seeds, peppercorns, cumin seeds and coriander seeds)

Salad
500g Courgettes
2 Baby Gem Lettuces
300g Large pitted green olives (the best quality you can find)
1 Large lemon
300g Samphire
100g Parmesan Cheese
Extra virgin olive oil

Start with the brine.
Put all the ingredients for the pickling brine into a pan and bring to the boil, stir until all the sugar is dissolved then take off the heat.

Allow the brine liquor to cool to room temp, and then pour over the samphire.

You can store this in jars in the fridge for weeks, but it will be ready to use within a few hours. The longer you leave it the stronger in flavour it will become.

Slice the courgettes on a slight angle about 1cm thick, toss in olive oil and salt and pepper.

Place your griddle on a high heat and wait until very very hot. Griddle courgettes both sides making, sure you don’t move them around too much. When the courgettes have a lovely colour and are nearly cooked through remove from the heat and place to one side.

Next, take your baby gem lettuce and remove the larger outer leaves. Cut the gem in half and brush with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Brush down the griddle and wipe off any access oil. Allow the griddle get smoking hot and the place the lettuce flat side down.

When the edges have charred and blackened to a good colour, remove form the heat and set aside.

Place your olives in a bowl and finely grate over the zest of the lemon, and squeeze half the juice over them, mix to coat well.

You’re now ready to start building your salad! Start with the lettuce, then the courgettes, add in the olives and finish with the drained pickled samphire.

Squeeze the other half of the lemon over the salad, sprinkle with Malden sea salt, and finely grated parmesan cheese. Finish with a drizzle of oil.

Enjoy!

Gluten-free Avocado & Lime Cheesecake

(Serves 8)

For the base:

• 130g pitted dates
• 80g pecan nuts
• 80g almonds
• 70g desiccated coconut
• 3 tbsp coconut oil

For the avocado filling

• 280g avocado
• 200ml lime juice
• 190g honey
• 175g coconut oil
• 6 tbsp agar agar activated in warm water

Method

Put the kettle on and pop the dates in a heat-proof bowl. Once the water has boiled pour over enough to cover the dates and add in a couple of tea bags - we’d recommend an Earl Grey tea for a bit of extra flavour.

Whilst the dates are soaking, spread out the pecans, almonds and desiccated coconut on an oven tray, and toast at 160°C for 7- 8 mins or until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Remove the dates from the tea and leave to drain.

Once the nuts have cooled, place all the ingredients for the base in food processor and pulse blend until the mixture is crumbly and holds together. Don’t over blend it or the mixture will be smooth!

Spoon the base mixture into a pre-lined springform loose base 9cm cake tin. Press the mix down with the back of a spoon until it’s evenly distributed and all areas are covered, then leave to chill in the fridge while you make the filling.

Place all of the ingredients for the filling into the food processor and blend until the mixture is completely smooth. Check the taste and add more honey and lime accordingly.

Tip the avocado mix into the cake tin and spread out evenly with a small palate knife until smooth. Return to the fridge and chill until set.

To serve run a small knife around the edge of the cake and tin and push the base up from the bottom. Finish with a sprinkle of some freshly toasted coconut if you wish.

Enjoy!

Golden Wake Me Up Latte

We’ve taken our ginger shots to the next level with this delicious caffeine-free and vegan drink that's been saving us throughout the cold January.

250ml Coconut milk 
25ml Ginger juice
½ tsp of ground turmeric
A generous dollop of honey


If you don’t have a juicer, mince up a good chunk of ginger in a food processor and strain until you have around 25ml of liquid.

 Warm up the coconut milk in a pan and add the ginger juice, honey and turmeric (be careful with the turmeric - if you put too much you’ll have a curry drink). Whisk until smooth, and once it’s reached your desired temperature, pour into a heat-proof glass, and top with a little honey and a sprinkle of turmeric.

Sri Lankan Black Pork Curry

Marinade

• 6 cardamom pods, seeds crushed (only the seeds)
• 4 tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• 4 tsp ground coriander
• 3 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp black mustard seeds
• 3 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 3 tsp tamarind paste

Curry

• A handful of curry leaves
• 1 inch of peeled ginger, minced
• 1 large onion, chopped finely
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 fresh Jalapeño peppers
• The marinated pork
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice 
•  Salt to taste

Method

First make the pork marinade by crushing the cardamom pod seeds until well ground up, then add in the other spices and continue to grind until everything is mixed into a powder (we used a pestle and mortar).

In a bowl or container add the tamarind paste, a 1 tbsp oil. Chuck in the diced pork and enough of the spice mix to throughly coat the pork (we like to reserve a little of the spice to top up the curry according to taste, but you can throw all in at this point!).  Leave to marinate for a few hours or even better, overnight.

To make the curry, heat 2 tbsp of oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the curry leaves, ginger and onion.

Sauté until onions become translucent, then add the garlic and sliced Jalapeño Peppers and continue to cook for another 30 seconds.

Add in the marinaded pork and sugar to the pan and stir to mix well. Add about ½ cup of water and bring this to a boil.

Then lower the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for at least an hour, keep an eye on the curry and add a little extra water if it dries out. When the pork starts falling apart it’s ready to serve – taste and add more salt and some lemon juice, only if needed.

You can serve immediately with the rice of your choice, though it tastes better after it has rested for a little while - even better the next day!

‘The Turkish’

This new dish on our short order menu is inspired by the traditional Turkish breakfast dish çılbır, once favoured by the Sultans of the Ottoman empire!
Our take is equally fit for a king, with a winning combination of garlicky yoghurt, dill, and soft poached eggs. Finished with a drizzle of warming chilli butter, and toasted sourdough on the side.
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
300g thick Greek yoghurt
50ml extra virgin olive oil
50g salted butter
1tsp dried chilli flakes  
100ml white wine vinegar
8 eggs
2 stalks of fresh dill or flat parsley, chopped
1 tbsp dill, cut into 1cm lengths
2 tbsp flat parsley leaves, roughly chopped


Method


Start by mixing the crushed garlic with the yoghurt, add half the olive oil and whisk together for 10 seconds. Put the mixture to one side, ready to be served at room temperature.


In a small pan heat the butter until it becomes a pale beurre noisette – nutty brown in colour.
 Take off the heat and add the chilli flakes, swirling the pan gently to allow them to sizzle.


Add in the remaining olive oil and the chopped stalks of dill or parsley, then put the mixture to one side, keeping it warm

Add the vinegar to a deep pan of rapidly simmering water, crack the eggs into a small tea of coffee cup and lower into the water. Slowly tip out the eggs and ensure that the water remains on a gentle simmer until they are cooked.

(Tip: Never add salt to the water when poaching eggs as it causes them to break up!)   

To serve….

Divide ¾ of the garlic yoghurt into 4 warmed bowls.
 Place 2 poached eggs in each then top with the remaining yoghurt, and
 sprinkle with the dill and parsley
.

Finally, spoon the chilli butter on top and serve with toasted sourdough for dipping.

Enjoy!

Grilled salmon and smoked haddock Kedgeree

Grilled salmon and smoked haddock Kedgeree
This is a classic dish with a twist, we’ve made it more like an Italian risotto and packed it full of ginger and lemon! 


Serves 6

Ingredients

600g undyed smoked haddock fillet (skinless and boneless)

1 pint of whole milk

2 fresh bay leaves

1 large white onion finely diced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 red chilli finely diced

1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, finely grated

2 tbsp curry power

1 tbsp ground turmeric

250g paella or risotto rice

250ml of white wine

3 free range eggs

600g fresh salmon fillet

Juice and zest of a lemon  

1 bunch of roughly chopped coriander  


Method


Place the milk, smoked haddock and bay leaves in a heavy bottom pan. Gently poach on a low heat for 5 mins or until just done, then remove from the heat and allow to cool.

In another large heavy bottomed pan sauté the chopped onions, garlic, chilli and ginger until softened. Add the curry powder and turmeric and cook out for a few minutes.

Next add the rice, and again cook for a few minutes until the rice is coated with all the spices. Add the white wine and stir until absorbed

Remove the smoked haddock from the milk and set aside.  

Gradually add the milk to the rice one ladle full at a time, stirring continually.

Keep the heat at a low level, so the rice absorbs the milk as it cooks.
Once ¾ of the milk has been used, and the rice is nearly cooked, remove from the heat and set aside.

Next cook your 3 free range eggs. You want them to be soft inside, so bring the water to a boil first, then gently add in the eggs. Cook them for 5 mins, then remove from the water and allow to cool slightly before peeling.

Whilst the eggs are cooking cut the salmon into 6 portions. Lightly griddle the fish on both sides for a few minutes. Don’t overcook the salmon! It’s best served underdone.    

Now bring it all together….

Return the rice to the heat add the remaining milk and cook over a low heat until the rice is soft. It should be the constancy of risotto, you can add a little water if the rice mixture is too thick.

When the rice is cooked add the diced butter, lemon zest, and the poached haddock. Gently stir in the fish trying not to break it up too much. Add the fresh coriander and lemon juice.

Next plate up the cooked rice, and place the salmon on top. Break open the soft boiled eggs and place next to fish.

Finish with a drizzle of chilli oil or flakes and a coriander sprig.

Enjoy!