Author: Elizabeth Whattler

Lamb and lemon recipes are for some reason both associated with the Easter period.  I feel that I have supplied you with a lot of savoury recipes in the past and so am giving you a dessert / cake recipe which includes lemons.  Please buy the unwaxed ones if possible, or if you do get the waxed ones make sure you scrub the skins well as they have been sprayed.

Two tips, one = you get more juice from fruit if you roll it gently first with the palm of your hand, it breaks down the internal fibres and does work I promise!  The Chef at Croydon Catering College taught me that one, or zap it briefly in the  microwave he said.  Continue reading “April Recipe: Lemon Ricotta Cake”

The pulses for this recipe you will be able to obtain from Handley Organics. Root vegetables are, of course, very much in season at this time of year, but such small quantities are required that you might want to leave out celeriac and double the quantity of carrots. You could mix the potatoes and use some sweet ones if desired. Continue reading “March Recipe: Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie with Goat’s Cheese Mash”

The Bechamel sauce mentioned in the recipe is made in the usual way for making white sauce. However, you may not know that you can now buy something called ‘sauce flour’ to which you do not need to add any butter.  You just mix the flour with the milk and keep whisking until it comes to the boil, then allow it to simmer for a couple of minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.  You can also make a white sauce, using butter, the all in one way, by just mixing the butter, flour and milk and again whisking until it comes to the boil and then simmering for a couple of minutes. Continue reading “February Recipe: Cod, Fennel and Smoked Bacon Pie”

This is a delicious recipe and suitable for serving to vegetarians.  It is also very easy to do an oven baked risotto, no standing over the saucepan stirring for 20 minutes!  If you grow your own beetroot, or would prefer fresh to vacuum packed, by all means do cook it, this is a bit of a time saving operation, using the vacuum packed.  Fresh beetroot is available readily in Ledbury in our independent greengrocers’ and, of course, Handley Organics.

I love risottos and would eat them on a regular basis, but sadly my husband isn’t so keen, however, he does love beetroot, so this one ticks the boxes. Continue reading “January Recipe: Oven Baked Beetroot Risotto with Blue Cheese”

Christmas Pie is one of the tastiest savoury recipes for the season that I have made and, as you can see, feeds quite a few folk.  Do please use good quality skinned sausages rather than ready made sausagemeat and a spring clip tin is a boon for this recipe.  It would most certainly freeze if you want to make it in advance.  Continue reading “December Recipe: Christmas Pie”

This is a delicious dessert recipe very suitable for this time of year when cooking / eating apples are so plentiful.  It is also extremely easy to prepare and cook. Continue reading “Apple Butterscotch Pie Recipe”

Pick up a local celeriac from a greengrocers and adapt this seasonal soup, originally made with porcini, to any local dried or fresh mushrooms. The recipe serves 4. Continue reading “Celeriac and Mushroom Soup Recipe”