Spring lunch

Watercress soup

Old-fashioned granadilla lemonade

Roast pepper salad

Baked Scottish salmon with noodles and crispy cabbage

White chocolate pannacotta

Orange-poached plums

Watercress soup

MAKE AHEAD: The soup can be made 1 day ahead. If so, refrigerate until ready to use.

• 50 ml olive oil
• 10 leeks, sliced
• 8 spring onions, snipped
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 400 g fresh watercress
• 15 ml fresh lemon juice
• 5 ml salt
• 1 litre vegetable stock (10 ml stock powder dissolved in 1 litre boiling water)
• 2 ml freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan and sauté the leeks, spring onions and potatoes until golden in colour. Add the watercress, lemon juice, salt and stock. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes, or until tender. Remove from the heat and purée the soup in a food processor (fitted with the metal blade). Season to taste with the black pepper.
2. TO SERVE: Spoon into bowls and serve hot or cold.
3. CHEF’S NOTE: Soup can be frozen and thawed in the fridge overnight. However, freezing will cause the soup to lose a little of its colour, but not its flavour.

Serves 6

Old-fashioned granadilla lemonade

MAKE AHEAD: The lemonade can be made up to 2 days ahead.

• juice of 10 lemons, strained
• pulp from 3 granadillas or 60 ml canned pulp
• 1.5 litres water
• 200 g white sugar
• ice cubes, for serving
• slices of lemon, for serving
• Maraschino cherries with stems, for serving

1. Combine the lemon juice, granadilla pulp, water and sugar in a bowl and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. TO SERVE: Serve well chilled over ice and decorate with lemon slices and cherries.

Serves 6

Roast pepper salad

• 3 red peppers, halved and seeded
• 3 yellow peppers, halved and seeded
• 15 ml cooking oil
• 1 English cucumber, julienned
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 400 g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 100 ml snipped fresh watercress
• 500 ml fresh wild rocket
• DRESSING
• 30 ml Dijon mustard
• 30 ml red wine vinegar
• 10 ml golden brown sugar
• 1 ml salt
• 100 ml olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 220 °C.
2. Coat a roasting pan with cooking spray. Place the peppers in the prepared pan, drizzle with the oil and roast for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, leave to cool, then pull off the skins and slice. Place the peppers and remaining ingredients in a bowl.
3. TO MAKE THE DRESSING: Combine the mustard, vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl. Whisk in the olive oil and set aside until ready to use.
4. TO SERVE: Spoon over the dressing and serve.

Serves 6

Baked Scottish salmon with noodles and crispy cabbage

• SALMON
• 6 x 200 g fillets Scottish or Norwegian salmon
• 45 ml olive oil
• 15 ml salt crystals
• 15 ml wholegrain mustard
• CRISPY CABBAGE
• 20 ml cooking oil
• 350 g baby white cabbage, sliced
• 3 ml salt
• 10 ml white sugar
• NOODLES
• 500 g ribbon egg noodles
• 15 ml sesame or peanut oil
• 45 ml light soy sauce
• 100 ml snipped fresh chives
• 100 ml chopped fresh coriander
• 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 200 g mangetout, blanched

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
2. Coat an ovenproof dish with cooking spray. Place the fillets in the prepared dish and season with the oil, salt and mustard. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cooked. Remove from the oven and set aside until ready to serve.
3. TO MAKE THE CABBAGE: Heat the oil in a wok or large, heavy-based frying pan. Add the cabbage and fry for 2–3 minutes, or until frizzled and golden. Remove from the heat and add the salt and sugar.
4. TO MAKE THE NOODLES: Boil the noodles in a large saucepan of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and toss in the remaining ingredients.
5. TO SERVE: Spoon the noodles onto individual plates, top with the salmon and sprinkle the cabbage over.

Serves 6

White chocolate pannacotta

MAKE AHEAD: The pannacotta can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

• 4 sheets gelatine
• 600 ml fresh cream
• 150 ml milk
• 60 g castor sugar
• 200 g good-quality white chocolate, broken into pieces

1. Coat a mould or individual cups with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Soak the gelatine sheets in a plate of cold water until soft, then set aside until ready to use. Heat the cream, milk and castor sugar in a heavy-based saucepan over low heat to melt the sugar, stirring occasionally. When the cream starts to bubble up the sides of the saucepan, remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until melted. Drain the excess water off the gelatine and add the gelatine to the cream mixture. Stir until dissolved. Pour the mixture into the prepared mould or cups and refrigerate overnight or for at least 6 hours. The pannacotta should still have a slight wobble when ready to serve.
3. TO SERVE: Unmould onto a serving platter or plates and serve.

Serves 6

Orange-poached plums

MAKE AHEAD: This dessert can be made up to 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated but bring to room temperature before serving.

• 12 fresh red plums
• 200 g white sugar
• 500 ml water
• grated rind of 1 orange
• 1 stick cinnamon

1. Rinse the plums and, using a skewer, prick each plum twice and set aside.
2. Bring the sugar and water to the boil in a large, heavy-based saucepan, strring until the sugar has dissolved. Add the orange rind, cinnamon and and plums simmer for 5 minutes, or until the fruit is tender. Remove from the heat, discard the rind and cinnamon stick and leave the plums to cool in the syrup.
3. TO SERVE: Spoon into a bowl and serve at room temperature.

Serves 6

Arrange cut tulips in a container filled with oasis and cover with moss.

Sip drinks served from a butlers tray whilst relaxing on a cotton throw and cushions.

Create a colourful feature by grouping containers filled with miniature daffodils.

Arrange bunched flowers in different glass vases and display on a console table.

Combining different textures and colours of tableware, glassware, fruits and flowers engages the senses.

Beautiful crockery and fresh flowers enhance the table setting.

Layer plates with different designs on a folded napkin to define the place setting.

A display of cut crystal glassware.