An Edible Voyage

July 2021 With all this hot weather, I find myself craving the fresh, bright, juiciness of the season's best produce, and light, refreshing meals to keep me cool of the hottest of days.  I relish opportunities to browse the farm shop, selecting whatever takes my fancy, and then combining ingredients in to colourful patterns on my plate.  Here are some of my favourites. Chicory, Dolcelatte, Clementine, Pine Nuts This is my #1.  Bitter chicory is perfectly offset with creamy Dolcelatte and sweet clementine, whilst toasted pine nuts add a satisfying crunch.  With a simple dressing of olive oil, white wine vinegar and honey, this is quick to make and the flavours dance on my taste buds. Watermelon, Feta, Mint There's nothing quite like slicing through a watermelon and revealing that glorious red flesh, and biting in to cool wedges as the juice drips down your chin.  This salad takes seconds to prepare.  Toss a handful of cubed feta and a sprinkling of torn mint...

March 2021 I find it easy to slip in to a routine of having the same few things for lunch on rotation.  Whilst all these things are perfectly nice, I decided it was time to delve in to my folder of recipes.  After all, I'd ripped them out of magazines because I wanted to try them, not just to gather dust in my cupboard! Flicking through, beetroot wraps jumped out at me - as in the wrap itself made from beetroot.  They looked so colourful, definitely something a bit different, and seemed surprisingly quick and easy to make.  The worst part was grating the beetroot, but even that wasn't as bad as I was anticipating as only a small amount is needed. 35g grated beetroot, 150g of buckwheat flour (I whizzed my buckwheat in a blender as I didn't have any buckwheat flour, 125g yogurt and 1 tsp of chia seeds (the recipe, from Ocado, called for xanthan gum but who has that lying around), plus seasoning to taste, squished in to a dough, rolled out and cooked in a hot, dry pan....

March 2020 Hidden away in Worton Park, where commercial and rural co-exist in harmony, is an organic farm shop, piled high with fruits, vegetables, Worton eggs, and farm pressed apple juice.  Hidden within this, is a cafe.  Homely and warm with a wood burning stove, food inspired books lining the walls, and the most delicious home-made food. Thai Spiced Beetroot Soup Gorgeously vibrant, I wasn't sure what to expect from a thai-spiced beetroot soup.  Would it work? Yes! It definitely did.  The zingy thai flavours blended perfectly with the earthiness of the beetroot, and a dollop of natural yogurt brought it all together into a hearty but healthy feeling lunch.  The sourdough was divine - a little chewy, tangy and with a delicious caramelised crust - a fantastic loaf! Masala Dosa Originating in Southern India, this rice and lentil crepe is stuffed with potatoes and served with a variety of chutneys and yogurt.  It's fresh but filling, and m...