Our friend Ruth gave us the original idea for this Christmassy treat – with a bit of tweaking we’ve made it gluten free and sugar free, although there is technically sugar in candied peel and glacé cherries – you can just omit these if you like – it will still work very nicely! It’s not really a cake – more of a nutty fruity slab ! Which means it’s quite solid – ( in a good way! )…
These are great for a gluten free friend as a gift or perfect for all the family when you want to make your own mince pies for a special festive treat. Our mincemeat is sugar free but still sweet and the pastry is short and delicious. Decorate the tops with cut out pastry shapes to make them extra pretty! What better to get you in the festive spirit!…
It might seem a bit chilly for ice cream but we think it’s a lovely palate cleanser after a spicy curry. Even the most dedicated vegan should be able to enjoy great ice cream! This autumnal Apple flavoured ice cream is really refreshing and great served with fresh apple slices and amaretti or other crunchy biscuits if you like. …
If you want to catch the last of the season’s brambles, this recipe pairs them perfectly with tart apples for a delicious and very pretty tart or tartlette. If you’re too late for brambles in your area, the tart works perfectly well without or you could swap them for another berry of your choice. Don’t be put off by the fact that you have to make your own pastry – it really is easy and if it falls apart just patch it together and press to conceal the cracks – everything will go right in the oven! This is lovely on any afternoon tea table, especially if made in the smaller size, or ideal as a weekend dessert. Serve with ice cream or it’s also just great on its own.
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This is quite an earthy tapas dish, really lifted by a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Chickpeas and chard are both extremely good for you – full of nutrients and protein. If you can’t get chard, you could use spinach instead – it works just as well. Be sure not to overcook the greens to ensure you get a nice taste (it goes bitter if it’s overdone) and preserve the maximum nutrients. Serve warm or at room temperature….
Borlotti beans have a lovely silky smooth texture when turned into humous. The addition of lemon oil adds a lovely sharp zing to the the mix. Serve with some biscuits or crackers or spread on toast with some fresh or sun dried tomatoes. …
Summer is really here now and we are starting to enjoy more veg from the garden at the Steading. We have just enough broad beans to make this salad so we thought we would share it with you too! Very simple, just a celebration of fresh healthy green stuff – serve along with our lemony zingy pesto dressing. …
Glowing yellow, this cake oozes lemon flavour. It stays moist for several days kept in a tin, and is a real classic hit for afternoon tea. …
Everyone loves pesto made with basil and pine nuts in its traditional form, but as pesto literally means ‘pound’ or ‘ground’, you can just chuck the basil version out of the window – especially at this time of year when it is not in season – and blitz up something else that’s green. We make our pesto from just about anything at any time of the year – spinach, sorrel, rocket, coriander, parsley… whatever! You also don’t need pine nuts or parmesan – you can vary the nuts and leave out the cheese altogether. Serve with pasta, spread on toast, with new potatoes, or as a salad dressing… the options are really endless. Here’s what we did this week – a bunch is a small handful!
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A light and easy meal that uses a beautiful spring veg. Purple sprouting is in season right now and we are loving having it in the garden. Steaming for just a minute keeps it super fresh and crunchy – Yum!…