700 g/1 lb. 9 oz. leeks
50 g/3½ tablespoons butter
200 g/7 oz. potatoes, peeled and cubed
50 ml/3½ tablespoons dry white wine
800 ml/3⅓ cups good chicken stock, ideally homemade
200 ml/¾ cup double/heavy cream, plus extra to garnish
freshly grated nutmeg, to season
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season
chopped chives, to garnish
croûtons, to serve (optional)
Serves 4
Trim the leeks, discarding their tough outer casing and dark green tops. Finely chop and rinse thoroughly to get rid of any soil trapped between the layers.
Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat. Add in the leeks and fry very gently for 10 minutes, stirring often so as to prevent them from scorching.
Add in the cubed potatoes, mixing well. Pour in the wine, increase the heat to medium and cook for a few minutes, stirring now and then, until most of the wine has evaporated. Add in the chicken stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
Blend the soup thoroughly until smooth, then stir in the cream and season with freshly grated nutmeg. Serve each portion garnished with a swirl of cream, a sprinkling of chives, freshly ground black pepper and croûtons, if you like.
500 g/4⅓ cups wholegrain spelt flour, plus extra for sprinkling and kneading
2 teaspoons sea salt
3 teaspoons coarsely chopped rosemary
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons rapeseed/canola oil
1 tablespoon fragrant honey, such as acacia or rosemary honey
7 g/¼ oz. fresh yeast or 1 teaspoon dried active/active dry yeast
400 ml/1¾ cups water at body temperature (you will need to adjust the quantity if using white spelt)
a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Makes 2 baguettes
In a large bowl, add the flour, salt, rosemary and black pepper and mix well. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add the oil and honey and then the yeast and water.
Mix well and turn out of the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead, adding more flour as necessary. The dough should be strong, soft and silky. Knead for approximately 8 minutes.
Shape into two baguettes and place on the prepared baking sheet side by side. Cover and let rest for 40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4. Bake the loaves until they are golden brown and sound hollow when you tap the underside. Cool on a wire rack.
Enjoy with butter or the Leek & Potato Soup (see above), or dipped in oil.
2 tablespoons lard or goose fat or vegetable or sunflower oil
8 thick-cut lamb chops
2 turnips, peeled and chopped into chunks
2 carrots, peeled, halved lengthways and cut into 2.5-cm/1-inch pieces
2 leeks, washed and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped parsley, plus extra to garnish
450 g/1 lb. potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced
600 ml/2½ cups lamb, beef or chicken stock
25 g/2 tablespoons butter, melted
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season
Serves 4
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6.
Heat the lard, goose fat or oil in a large frying pan/skillet. Fry the lamb chops until lightly browned on both sides and then season with salt and black pepper. Remove from the heat.
Layer the ingredients in a heavy-bottomed casserole dish, seasoning the layers with salt and pepper as you do so, as follows. First, place half the turnips, carrots and leeks in the bottom of the dish. Top with the lamp chops, sprinkling them with the parsley. Layer with the remaining turnips, carrots and leeks. Layer the potato slices over the vegetables, overlapping the slices.
Pour the stock into the casserole and, on the hob/stovetop, bring to a boil.
Brush the potato topping with the melted butter. Cover the casserole and bake in the preheated oven for 1¾ hours. Uncover the casserole and bake for an additional 15 minutes until the potatoes are golden. Garnish with parsley and serve.
GARLIC & ALMOND SPROUTING BROCCOLI
300 g/10½ oz. purple sprouting broccoli, chopped into 2.5-cm/1-inch lengths, or broccoli florets
25 g/¼ cup flaked/slivered almonds0
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large garlic clove, roughly chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season
Serves 4
Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook for 2 minutes, then drain and refresh in cold water to stop the cooking process.
Dry-fry the almonds in a frying pan/skillet, stirring often, until golden brown; set aside.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan/skillet. Add the garlic and fry until golden. Add the drained broccoli and fry for 2 minutes, stirring to coat in the oil. Add the almonds, season with pepper and serve at once.
5 whole cloves
2 lemon slices
60 ml/2 fl. oz. whisky
30 ml/1 fl. oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey or simple syrup
90 ml/3 fl. oz. hot water
1 cinnamon stick
Makes 1
Spear the cloves into the lemon slices and add them to a heatproof glass or a toddy glass along with the rest of the ingredients.
150 g/1 cup plus 3 tablespoons plain/all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
100 g/7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened at room temperature and diced
85 g/scant ½ cup caster/superfine sugar
1 egg yolk
FILLING
300 g/10½ oz. rhubarb, trimmed and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons soft/packed dark brown sugar
50 g/3½ tablespoons unsalted butter, softened at room temperature and diced
60 g/⅓ cup caster sugar
50 g/scant ½ cup old-fashioned rolled (porridge) oats
a 20-cm/8-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, greased
Serves 6–8
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Rub the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and egg yolk and mix until a dough forms.
Transfer the dough to the tart pan and push and press it into the pan until the bottom and sides are evenly covered with a neat layer of dough.
To make the filling, put the rhubarb and brown sugar in a bowl and mix until the rhubarb is evenly coated, then transfer to the pastry case/shell and spread roughly over the bottom of the tart.
In a separate bowl, mix the butter, caster/superfine sugar and oats together until you have a mixture like a crumble topping. Scatter roughly over the rhubarb filling.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the crumble topping and pastry are golden brown.
