EARLY SPRING // Recipe for four

Forest flowers, Jamberoo Mountain blue and honey

This is inspired by our spring trips out to Pecora Dairy. There are often a lot of native wild flowers in bloom, with busy native bees buzzing around them. The Jamberoo Mountain blue is our local cheese – it’s beautiful and fairly floral but you can use any local blue.

NATIVE HONEY GEL

120 ml (4 fl oz) native honey

5 g (¹/₈ oz) salt

6 g (¹/₈ oz) iota carrageenan

Put the honey and salt in a saucepan and stir in 90 ml (3 fl oz) water. Add the iota and heat to 84°C (183°F). Strain the liquid and store in the fridge until ready to use.

LINSEED CRISP

100 g (3½ oz) egg whites

250 g (9 oz) linseeds (flaxseeds)

10 g (¼ oz) salt

Preheat the oven to 70°C (150°F). Whisk the egg whites until stiff and then fold in the linseeds and salt. Spread on a paper-lined baking tray and bake for 2 hours.

JAMBEROO MOUNTAIN BLUE

300 g (10½ oz) Jamberoo Mountain blue cheese (sheep’s milk blue)

Break the cheese into small pieces and leave out to come to room temperature before serving.

FOREST FLOWERS

Wild lavender

Blackberry buds and fruit

Native cherry flowers

Wild fennel pollen

Pick and clean the forest flowers. Keep in a cool place until you are ready to use.