Turkey Steaks with Lemon & Mint Avocado

Photo: © childsdesign

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Really, the star of the show in this dish is the avocado which is enhanced with a splash of lemon.
The flavours are fresh and bright and the meal is light, but also satisfying, as well as as being quick and easy to prepare.

You don't have to have it with turkey either. The avocado would go equally well with other meats; a beef steak or lamb, perhaps or even tuna.
It would even be perfect smeared on toast for lunch.

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Pesto, Chicken & Vegetable Tray Bake

Photo: © childsdesign

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By all means have pesto on pasta but do try it with other foods too. It is great on fish and has some simple chicken thighs and vegetables singing in the oven.

Make an all-in-one tray roast with sliced leeks, carrots some skin-on potatoes, a few tomatoes and skinless chicken thighs and spooned over some pesto Pesto 20 minutes before the end of cooking time. Delicious!

View the recipe

Take a look at our '20 Ways with Pesto' for some more ideas.

AFT Introducing: Oakley Grange Farm

Photos: © Oakley Grange Farm

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Oakley Grange Farm, in the heart of Leicestershire, is over 200 years old, and has been run by the Mee family for the past two generations. Richard and Inger took over the farm in 2001 and farm organically, raising beef cattle, pigs, sheep and laying hens alongside wheat, fruit and salad vegetables.

Their café is part of a busy working farm and boasts views over the countryside as well as into rural life. Tractors and animals alike can be
seen from the café windows and visitors can also benefit from their local
and farming expertise.

As much food as possible is either grown or reared on Oakley Grange Farm, and if not, they try to source from local suppliers. Everything is freshly prepared and served by Inger and the team in a relaxed and welcoming environment.

In the café, breakfast, afternoon tea, coffee and cake, is served as well as a wide range of hot lunches and sandwiches. The breakfast includes their own sausages, bacon and eggs along with roast tomatoes, mushrooms and toast made from the farm's home baked bread.

Organic beef, pork, lamb, eggs produced on the farm can be bought in their shop plus other carefully sourced  groceries including biscuits, preserves, pickles and chocolates.

To find out more about Oakley Grange Farm visit their page on 
The Artisan Food Trail here

How to make perfect roast potatoes

Photo: © childsdesign

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To be served a roast dinner without roast potatoes would be a serious misdemeanour. The meal would not be complete without these heavenly golden crunchy caskets encasing the fluffy potato within.

You can never make too many either as we don't know anyone who doesn't love a roast potato, so they're bound to want second helpings!

For the best results you will need floury potatoes such as Maris Piper, King Edward or Desiree.

How to make perfect roast potatoes
Peel your potatoes, removing any eyes or blemishes and cut the potatoes into halves. Put into a pan of cold water and bring to the boil.

Add about half a teaspoon of salt. Don't skip this part as the salt the allows the potato's cells to crumble which will give a crunchier texture.

Parboil the potatoes for 7 minutes if the chunks are large or 5 minutes if they are small. Drain into a colander and leave to allow the steam to evaporate off and dry out.

Give your potatoes a good shake in the colander to break up their surfaces, but be careful that you don't smash them completely to bits. The fluffy surface you have created will crisp up when roasted.

There are various approaches to the next stage – adding the fat.
You can choose from a variety of fats and oils – it's up to you. Some people swear by goose or duck fat, pork lard or even beef dripping for that traditional old fashioned flavour but you could you use olive oil, but we like to use cold pressed rapeseed oil for ours (see below for producers).
Many cooks heat the fat in the tray before adding the potatoes, but we've found that by coating the potatoes in the cold oil first then tipping them into a very hot tray produces a good thick crunchy crust.

You'll need to get your oven good and hot, 220C / Gas 7, to heat the tray. Once you place the tray of potatoes into the oven turn down the heat to
190C / Gas 5. This works best as some fats are prone to spoiling at very high heats. Put your potatoes on the top shelf and roast for about an hour. Sprinkle them with a little flaked sea salt, and if you like, add some sprigs of rosemary or thyme. Turn the potatoes twice throughout their cooking time. You should get nice evenly roasted potatoes with a golden colour and thick crust.

Once cooked remove the potatoes using a slotted spoon and keep warm in a serving dish. Don't leave the potatoes sitting in the cooking fat. They should stay crisp for at least 20 minutes, but the sooner you get them on the plate
the better.

Cold pressed rapeseed oil producers:
Yare Valley Oils
Filbert's Fine Foods
The Artisan Smokehouse – produce a smoked version

Super Beetroot Veggie Burgers

Photo: © childsdesign

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If you’re growing your own veg, you’re probably experiencing a glut right now and we think we have just the recipe to use up some of that bountiful produce. If you’re not green-fingered it is perfectly acceptable to buy things in.

For vegetarians and observers of ‘Meat-Free Monday’, these burgers are delicious and satisfying plus they look good too with their purply-pink hue.
And why do we call them ‘super’? Well, they’re decently packed with healthy ingredients, so they have to be good for you.

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Photo: © childsd

Roasted Rice-Stuffed Tomatoes

Photo: © childsdesign

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Tomatoes are the very essence of summer. We grow them every year outside in a sunny spot and cross our fingers for a bumper crop. Our tomatoes are promising little green marbles at the moment which will soon swell and ripen after regular watering and feeding.

This recipe is a good way to enjoy the full juicy flavour of a good vine-ripened tomato and is simple to prepare. The dish can even be assembled up to 24 hours in advance.
As well as celebrating the tomato, the filling uses an abundance of fresh herbs, so if you are a herb growing enthusiast, like us, what better way to show off their wonderful flavours.

The stuffed tomatoes can be served as a starter or light meal with a green salad and maybe some bread to mop up the juices.

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Photo: © childsdesign

Pumpkin Risotto

Photo: © childsdesign

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What do you do with your Halloween pumpkin once the candle’s gone out? Stop! Don’t throw it away! You could actually eat it by making a delicious meal rather than just binning the once scary, but now sad squash.

Not that we want to come over all ‘preachy’, but think of the time and effort the farmer put into growing it. If your pumpkin really is inedible then make sure it goes into the compost.

This recipe can be made with a number of different types of squash – butternut squash is ideal – so once the frightening festivities are over, it makes a meal suitable for any time.

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Competition! – Win a place on a 'Grow Your Own Fruit & Veg for Autumn & Winter' Workshop with Roots Shoots & Leaves

Photos: © childsdesign

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We're very pleased to offer you the chance to win a place on a Grow Your Own Fruit & Veg for Autumn & Winter workshop with Artisan Food Trail member Roots Shoots & Leaves.

The workshop will be held on Saturday 27th September 2014 at the RSL HQ
in Hampshire.

The workshop looks at the sowing, planting and maintenance of fruit and vegetables for Autumn and Winter. This is a practical hands-on course, so you'll be getting your hands dirty learning the skills and techniques that will help you in your own garden over this time of year.

So if you want to learn more about growing your own fruit and vegetables why not enter the competition. There's just a simple question to answer and we'll draw a luck winner from the correct entries.

Sorry this competition has now closed

Feta, Spinach & Mint Tart in Linseed Meal Pastry

Photo: childsdesign

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This savoury tart is creamy and delicious, with a lovely salty tang from feta cheese. Spinach is an ideal partner for the cheese but the addition of fresh mint really lifts and brightens the flavour.
The pastry is quite special too as we’ve added some linseed meal giving an extra fresh nutty flavour.
The tart can be served warm or cold with a salad of tomatoes, cucumber,
red onion and black olives. It would also be ideal to take on a picnic too.

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Asparagus season is here!

Photo: © childsdesign

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The wonderful thing about eating seasonally is that it really makes an occasion out of consuming the best produce. The British asparagus season is finally upon us and we've enjoyed the building anticipation before it finally arrive in the shops.
Foreign asparagus is available all year round and it does somewhat diminish the specialness of it, plus you really can't top the British variety.

From planting the crowns,  it takes around a cycle of two years before the asparagus reaches maturity and is good enough to harvest. Once fully flourishing though, the spears can be cut after which it takes only 24 hours for a new shoot to appear and grow to an appreciable length. After a slow start it goes off like a rocket!

We discovered that it tastes so much better if you roast it.
The flavour becomes concentrated, something that boiling takes away. Just get the oven nice and hot, put the spears into an ovenproof dish, drizzle with some extra virgin cold pressed rapeseed oil, pop in the oven for about 10 minutes and you have perfectly cooked asparagus.
For a recipe using asparagus cooked in this way, try this recipe using wild venison chorizo from Great Glen Game, which complements the minerally taste of the asparagus so well.

Asparagus Tip: To keep the spears fresh treat them as you would cut flowers. Trim off a small amount from the bottom of the stems, place them in a jug of water and store in the fridge.

Win a full day on a fruit & vegetable workshop

Photos: © Roots Shoots & Leaves

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There's nothing more satisfying than growing your own fruit and vegetables. Whether you have some allotment space, a plot in the garden or just a few tubs, you can grow great things to eat. You really can't beat something picked from from the plant or dug from the ground for freshness and above all, flavour.

So if you're looking for something inspiring and educational and would like to learn how to sow, plant and grow your very own fruit and vegetable garden, we are pleased to offer this opportunity to win a place on Roots Shoots & Leaves' Fruit & Vegetable Spring Workshop.

In this Spring course, to be on Saturday 8th February 2014, RSL start afresh with what can be grown during Spring – they demonstrate sowing and planting for this year but also what to plant for next year too.

The workshop looks at preparing the soil and what to plant, such as: aubergines, artichokes, broad beans, broccoli, carrots, cabbages, cucumbers, garlic, kale, lettuces, onions, parsnips, peppers, radishes, tomatoes, spinach and much much more!

The workshop takes place in Hampshire and a home-grown lunch and homemade cakes are included as well as a starter pack of seeds to take home.

Sorry this competition has now closed

Photo: © Roots Shoots & Leaves

Truffled Potato & Celeriac Bake

Photo: © childsdesign

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Creamy baked potatoes and celeriac taste sublime but add a little truffle oil and they’re heavenly. The addition of dried mushrooms gives the dish a decidedly ‘woodland’ character – they are something a little extra that we felt would make things more interesting, but you can leave them out if you want.
This is great as a side dish with roasted meats or even with a crisp green salad or just on its own. As it cooks the smell of truffles fills the kitchen as well as making us impatient to eat to it.

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Autumn Salad

Photos: © childsdesign

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Autumn salad may sound like a contradiction, because who wants to eat salad when the weather is damp and chilly?
This ‘salad’ however, is served warm and has a hint of spice for a cosy satisfying element.
As the cheese melts slightly over the warm roasted squash it makes for a very comforting meal.

This is more of a set of assembly instructions rather than a recipe. There are no strict rules and you are free to improvise but we hope it will inspire you to use some of the great artisan produce on our food trail.

British-grown onion squash is becoming more 
available in the shops now and is a great 
alternative to butternut squash. It is best to 
use a squash or pumpkin that has a denser 
textured flesh and the onion squash is perfect, 
plus it is such a gorgeous deep orange colour.

So what will you need?
Onion squash or butternut squash
Cold pressed rapeseed oil*
Fresh rosemary
Walnuts
Butter
Brown sugar
Ancho powder*
Chipotle powder*
Salt
Ricotta cheese
Smoked goat’s cheese*
Salad leaves eg. baby spinach, ruby chard, rocket
Raspberry Vinegar*

*denotes suggested Artisan Food Trail producers’ products




Putting the salad together
Remove the seeds from your squash and peel it, then cut into chunks or slices. Toss in some rapeseed oil (we used Yare Valley Oils) and sprinkle with chopped rosemary. Put on a baking tray and roast in a hot oven until soft and browned at the edges.

Prepare the nuts. Place a pan on the hob over a low to medium heat add add a knob of butter. When the butter has melted add a tablespoon of brown sugar and stir to melt. Add about half a teaspoon each of ancho and chipotle powder (we used Capsicana Chilli Co), some finely chopped rosemary and some salt to taste. Tip in a handful or so of walnuts and stir until they are well coated.
Tip out on to a plate to cool.

Put some salad leaves into bowls and lightly drizzle with rapeseed oil and some raspberry vinegar (we used Alan Coxon’s).
Put some roasted squash chunks on top and then crumble over the ricotta and smoked goat's cheese (we used some from
The Artisan Smokehouse).
Scatter over the spicy nuts and finish with a drizzle of more raspberry vinegar.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper if you like.

Cajun Salmon with Mango Salsa & Beany Rice

Photo: © childsdesign

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We’ve been almost melting in the recent heatwave but that doesn’t stop us from turning to spicy foods, in fact they somehow seem more appealing. The best approach is to keep things light and not go for heavy sauces but something simple with a refreshing accompaniment.

Fish and fruit might sound like an odd combination but we can assure you that it really does work. The mango salsa is fresh and lively and really complements the spicy warmth from the Cajun Spice Mix on the salmon. The salsa also cuts through the oiliness of the salmon too.

If you don’t want to go to all the trouble of making the rice dish (but it is worth it) you could serve with plain boiled rice or new potatoes instead.

Best enjoyed outdoors!

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Spiced Lentil Soup with Lime and Mint

Photo: © childsdesign

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Spring is supposed to be well and truly sprung and the clocks have gone forward, but this cold weather hasn't made us want to switch to salads just yet.
Warming food is definitely still on the menu and this is a healthy meal, full of flavour and simple to make. The addition of lime juice, lime zest and mint really brighten the soup making it exciting on the palate.

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Turkish Style Brown Rice Salad and Labneh

Photo: © childsdesign

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This mildly spiced rice dish takes its flavour cues from Turkish cuisine. It is nutty in taste and texture, infused with the earthy warmth of cumin and allspice and a pleasing sweetness from currants and cinnamon.
Freshness is delivered by parsley and mint which add a brightness to the finished dish. It really is totally delicious proving that brown rice need not be boring.
Labneh is a type of curd cheese which can be easily made at home. Just plan ahead as it needs to prepared the day before in readiness for its overnight draining.

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Smoked Bacon, Bean and Savoy Cabbage Soup

Photo: © childsdesign

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A good soup should provide satisfaction and nourishment and be a pleasure to make as well as eat. We like our soups to be hearty and a complete meal in a bowl that can be made at the end of a busy day. This one is chunky and extremely delicious served with a few hunks of lightly toasted bread.

Tip: You don’t have to stick slavishly to the recipe – most other beans are interchangeable for borlotti. Try flageolet, pinto, cannellini, they all work equally as well.

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Pepper Prawns with Caramelised Cauliflower

Photo: © childsdesign

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Perhaps prawns and cauliflower don’t sound a likely combination but the way the cauliflower is cooked makes a great flavour match.
The cauliflower is first coated in a honey mustard dressing which creates sweet and slightly charred edges to the vegetable.
The prawns are given a spike from a chilli sauce with added lemon for brightness and all the flavours marry well in a sweet, nutty, sour combination.

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the prawns

• 250g raw king prawns
• quarter tsp Capsicana Chilli Co Habanero Sauce
• grated zest from quarter of a lemon
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• pinch salt
• pinch sugar

For the cauliflower

• 225g cauliflower
• 3-4 tbsp Yare Valley Oils Norfolk Honey & Mustard Dressing
• ½ tsp cumin seeds

To garnish

• few coriander leaves
• 1 spring onion, finely sliced
• squeeze lemon juice

Method
First marinate the prawns. Put the prawns into a bowl with the pepper sauce, lemon zest, salt, sugar and lemon juice and stir making sure the prawns are completely coated. Leave to marinate for 15 minutes.

To prepare the cauliflower remove the florets, keeping them in large chunks then take each floret and slice into 1cm thick pieces. Place in a bowl and add the honey mustard dressing, stirring to coat all of the cauliflower evenly.

Heat a large frying pan until it is very hot then tip in the cauliflower and let it sizzle and brown. Turn the cauliflower to sizzle the other side. Turn down the heat to continue cooking until the cauliflower becomes tender but still has a nutty bite to it.
Roughly crush the cumin seeds with a pestle and mortar and sprinkle the seeds over the cauliflower, stir gently to mix.

Add some oil to another frying pan, heat some olive until hot and tip in the prawns and cook them, stirring occasionally until they turn pink. This should only take a minute.

Arrange the cauliflower slices on plates, spoon over the prawns and garnish with the coriander and springs onions, finishing with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Go large with elephant garlic

Elephant garlic is considerably larger than its cousin. The normal garlic cloves in the foreground are around half the size.
Photo: © childsdesign

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We can't think of many meals that we cook that don't contain garlic in some way. The versatile bulbs have a permanent place in our kitchen and usually occupy a small box inside the spice cupboard.

Recently we tried some elephant garlic from The Elephant Garlic Company. It was recently harvested and has to be freshest garlic we've eaten, each enormous clove still juicy from the last drink in the field.

Technically, elephant garlic is not a true garlic and botanists have classified it as a close relation to the leek. While the top of the plant does indeed have leek-like leaves, the bottom is very much a huge garlic bulb complete with the individual cloves.
The flavour too is also like garlic, perhaps a little sweeter and not so pungent, but unmistakably garlicky.

Because of the elephant garlic's more subtle flavours we found it was very palatable even when eaten raw. There is some hotness which quickly subsides to reveal a sweet nutty garlic flavour.
Cooked it can be used in the same way as normal garlic and is particularly good when roasted whole.

Photo: © childsdesign

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We also tried it mixed with tomatoes to make a delicious topping for toast. Drizzled with some olive oil, a sprinkle of sea salt and a grind of fresh black pepper then grilled it was very good. You might want to call it it bruschetta but we like to call it 'Posh Things On Toast'!

Crispy Courgette Fritters

Photo: © childsdesign

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These crispy courgette fritters are really easy-to-make and they go down very well with a glass of beer or wine or even with a salad on the side. They’re fried in healthy Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil so a little indulgence can be good for you now and then.
Do make sure you choose a good beer to make the batter – cheap lager will not do!

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