Topped with edible primroses this is a super pretty cake, perfect for Easter or a spring celebration. You’ll need a deep 20cm wide round tin for this recipe, giving you a lovely deep cake which, with the addition of fruit and polenta, makes for a moist and lovely textured sponge. If you don’t like rhubarb you could swap in the same weight of blueberries or raspberries. Here I’ve used a cream cheese and lemon curd icing but you could also top it with a mixture of 60g of icing sugar and the juice of half a lemon for a simpler alternative.

Ingredients
225g salted butter, softened
225g caster sugar
4 medium eggs
150g plain flour
75g polenta
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
250g rhubarb, cut into 2 cm chunks
2 oranges, zested
For the icing
30g salted butter, softened
150g cream cheese
80g icing sugar
2 tsp lemon curd
Primroses to decorate, optional

Serves 10
Grease and line a deep 20cm round baking tin and preheat the oven to 190c, fan 170c. In a large mixing bowl beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.Gradually incorporate the eggs, one by one, beating to combine

In a separate bowl combine the flour, polenta and baking powder and stir to insure the baking powder is evenly distributed. Then gently fold this into the butter mixture, followed by rhubarb and orange zest.

Pour into the baking tin and bake for 45 - 55 minutes or until golden and a skewer comes out clean.Allow to cool a little then turn out on to a cooling tray and allow to cool completely before decorating.

For the icing, make sure the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature otherwise you’ll get lumps in your icing. Cream together using an electric whisk and when smooth sift in your icing sugar. Stir through 1 tsp of lemon curd then spread the icing over the cooled cake. Start by spooning the icing in the centre of the cake and gently spread to the edge. Swirl through the last tsp of lemon curd then place on your flowers and serve.

Chermoula roasted purple sprouting broccoli with hummus

This dish will serve 2 as a snack-type supper or 4 as part of other sharing dishes. If time is your enemy but you want to try this out I’d recommend using a shop-bought rose harissa paste in replacement of the chermoula, a different flavour profile but still heady and spicy.

Ingredients
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
a good pinch of salt
1 1/12 tsp of hot smoked paprika
2 large garlic cloves peeled
20g fresh coriander
20g fresh flat leaf parsley
8 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
150g purple sprouting broccoli
1 pot of best quality hummus

Serves 2
Pre-heat the oven to 200, fan 180c. Wash and trim any woody ends off the broccoli, pat dry and place in a large roasting tray.

To make the chermoula place the cumin and coriander seeds into a dry frying pan and toast for 1-2 minutes until they start to release they’re aroma and start to turn golden. Remove from the heat and place in a pestle and mortar with the salt. Grind to a fine powder add the paprika and combine. Place this spice mix and the remaining ingredients in a food processor and blitz to create a loose paste. Check for seasoning.

Toss the broccoli in 2-3 tbsp of the sauce, I like to use my hands to ensure a good coating, then roast for 12-14 minutes until tender and slightly charred.

Spread your hummus over a platter and when the broccoli is cooked allow to cool a little then lay over the hummus.

I love this recipe. A great way to try nettles for the first time, it is the epitome of all things spring. It would make a great side to a quality steak or an indulgent fresh pasta filling (in smaller quantity) mashed down, adding some tallegio and stuffed into homemade ravioli. I’ve included wild garlic here but freshly snipped chives would make a great substitution.

Everything I’ve read about nettles often compares them to spinach, but they are so much more than that! They have their own unique flavour and taste more of the earth with much more depth and interest than spinach. They are everywhere in abundance right now (April/May). Just don your rubber gloves, grab a bag, a pair of scissors and snip the tops off any young nettles you see. Make sure to give them a good wash and you’re ready to cook. It’s important to note nettles can’t be eaten raw and must always be cooked to remove the sting!

Ingredients
300g new potatoes
25g nettle tops or spinach
10 wild garlic leaves or a small bunch of chives
Salted butter
1/2 lemon
Parmesan
cold pressed rapeseed oil

Serves 2-4 as a side
Wash the potatoes, nettles and wild garlic separately and set aside ( wear gloves for handling the nettles). Halve the new potatoes lengthways and place in a pan of salted, boiling water and cook for 12-14 minutes or until tender. While the potatoes are cooking, using a speed peeler, prepare shards of parmesan for finishing the dish and roughly chop the wild garlic, set these aside.

When the potatoes are tender add the nettle tops, place a lid on the pan and allow to finish cooking for 2-3 minutes. When the nettles are fully wilted, drain the contents of the pan and add a knob of butter, season with salt and pepper and stir to coat. Squeeze over some lemon juice and transfer to a serving dish. Cover with the shards of parmesan, wild garlic, finish with a drizzle of oil and dig in.

I always use Chinese 5 spice when making a stir-fry. A combination of sechuan pepper, cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds and star anise gives the rice a heat and aromatic flavour that is addictive. If you don’t have any, bash a small amount of star anise in a pestle and mortar with a little salt until fine and use a pinch of this instead. Some shop bought 5 Spice can contain a lot of salt and can completely ruin a dish if used too liberally, I’ve found Bart’s to be the best quality pure spice mix.

The key to any stir fry is to have all of your ingredients prepared ahead, everything peeled and sliced ready to go. It’s also vital that you have cooked and cooled rice to work with otherwise the heat and moisture will make the rice glue together.

If you don’t have wild garlic add a chopped large garlic clove in with the ginger and spring onion at the beginning of the recipe.

Ingredients
120g uncooked rice, cooked and cooled
6 stems tenderstem or purple sprouting broccoli, steamed
sunflower or vegetable oil
1 bunch of spring onions, sliced
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
1 small bunch of fresh coriander, stalks finely chopped, leaves roughly chopped
1 chilli, half chopped and half sliced
4 cabbage leaves hispi/spring greens/savoy finely sliced
1 ½ tsp Bart’s Chinese 5 spice
1 handful of wild garlic leaves roughly chopped
light or dark soy sauce
3 eggs, 1 beaten
1 lime

Serves 2
Drizzle a little oil into a wok or large frying pan and place over a medium heat. Frt your onion, ginger, chopped chilli and coriander stalks for 1 minute. Add the sliced cabbage, cook until softened, stirring often.

Next add the rice and stir everything to combine add in the broccoli followed by the 5 spice stir to coat, season with soy sauce.

Move all the rice to one side of the pan and pour in the beaten egg to the clear base, allow the mixture to start cooking before bringing in the rice and stirring through. Squeeze over the lime and set the pan aside.

In another frying pan add a little oil and fry the remaining eggs to top off each dish. Stir the chopped wild garlic and coriander leaf through the rice, top with the fried egg and extra chilli if you wish.

The joy of wild garlic has arrived to add some much needed poke to our plates. One of the first things I always make is pesto. This herby Italian sauce makes such a great addition to soups, new potato salads, sandwiches and pasta. Pine nuts can be pretty expensive, so I've used sunflower seeds here. I personally like to use a mix of walnuts and sunflower seeds, you get great oils and butteriness from walnuts and then the sunflower seeds give great texture, but just using sunflower seeds works really well too. Depending on the potency of your wild garlic you may want more leaves so pick more than you need, whizz it up and taste before adding any extra.

This recipe makes enough for 2-3 large table spoons. Simply multiply the recipe for larger quantities. A great way to preserve herbs going over in the fridge (you could use half basil and half parsley if you have it).

Ingredients
10-15 good sized wild garlic leaves
25g basil, stalks removed
25g sunflower seeds (or 10 walnuts and 15g sunflower seeds)
3-4 tbsp olive oil
15g parmesan
Splash of white wine vinegar or squeeze of lemon juice

Simply blitz all ingredients in a food processor. Season, adding more olive oil, lemon juice or a splash of water if you like it looser or want it to go further.

These savoury scones definitely fall into the Indulgence category. Buttery and light they need little else other than a cold beer in the sunshine. Wild garlic can be exchanged for chives or spring onion at other times of the year. Seriously moreish, make sure you have people to share them with!

Ingredients
300g self raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
100g salted butter, cubed
125g mature cheddar, grated
1 large handful of wild garlic, leaves chopped
150ml milk

Makes 6-7 scones
Preheat the oven to 220c, fan 200c. Add flour and baking powder to large mixing bowl, combine the butter with the flour bringing them together with your fingertips to make a breadcrumb-like texture. Stir through the cheddar and wild garlic.

Using a table knife bring the mixture together by gradually adding 130ml of milk a little at a time. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to an inch depth. Stamp out with your cutter and place on a lined baking tray. Brush tops with the remaining milk, cook for 14 minutes until golden and cooked through. Allow to cool on a wire rack before devouring.

Winner, winner, midweek dinners. This dish can make use of a variety of veg and is a really simple supper. I’ve used parsnips to add a sweet creaminess to the broth that I love and often use when making chicken soup. I’ve also used nettles as my seasonal greens, but spinach, spring greens or cabbage would work equally well. If you don’t have access to wild garlic just add 1 large clove of normal garlic, sliced when you add the root vegetables to the pan. I’ve added in alternative vegetables you could use throughout in brackets.

Ingredients
Olive oil
4 good quality chicken thighs, skin on
1 leek trimmed, halved and sliced
1 large garlic clove peeled and chopped
1 small bunch of thyme
1 parsnip peeled and chopped (or 1 carrot )
1 small swede peeled and chopped (or celeriac or potato)
175ml white wine
50g pearl barley
750ml chicken stock
1 handful of nettles (spinach, sliced spring greens or cabbage)
A handful of wild garlic, chopped.

Serves 2-4
Season and drizzle the chicken with a little oil. Place a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and place the chicken skin side down in the pan, cook until the skin is really golden then turn and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.

Meanwhile in a large saucepan over a medium heat, add a drizzle of oil and add the leek to the pan, stir occasionally until softened and season, then add the garlic clove ( if using ) and your chosen root vegetables, cook and stir for a couple of minutes, then add a good glug of white wine, stir and allow to bubble and cook off for a minute or so.

Add the chicken pieces to the saucepan along with any fat or juices from the pan, top up with the chicken stock, stir through the pearl barley, add the thyme, place on a lid and allow to simmer for half an hour, stir occasionally.

After 30 stir through your seasonal greens and cook without the lid for a further 5 minutes, check for seasoning then divide between plates. Chop the wild garlic if using and sprinkle over the top.

My Dad loves a bit of Delia Smith. He considers her his mentor when it comes to his culinary journey and he’s been perfecting his take on her French dressing ever since he watched her cookery course series back in 1980. I have many a home video of my sister and I as kids pretending to be her, mainly talking about capers whilst wielding a wooden spoon ( rest assured, I had no idea what a caper was, she just seemed to talk about them a lot ).

These days I can’t imagine a salad without this dressing by its side, I reach for it as I would reach for soft, salted butter to eat with fresh, crusty bread and use it just as liberally.

Ingredients
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp of dijon mustard
1 tsp of sugar
4 tbsp of white wine or cider vinega
12 tbsp of olive oil ( replace 4 with rapeseed oil for a lighter dressing )

Place all ingredients into a jam jar with matching lid, give it a vigorous shake to emulsify, taste, season as you wish and gargle with it before breakfast

Three cornered leek is so called because if you cut a cross section through its stem you will be presented with a triangular shape, with, you guessed it, three distinct corners. They have very pretty white flowers that look like a cross between a snow drop and a white bluebell, they are edible and the stems be used like spring onions.

This salad is a great base which can take numerous additions to change it up. Dressing it with a wild garlic salsa verde, normal salsa verde, Dad’s jam jar dressing, herbs or shards of parmesan anything herby, zingy and salty works well! You could even swap the eggs for strips of medium rare steak or add seared tuna for a more substantial meal.

This is super easy to pull together and all the veg and eggs can be boiled in the same pan to save on washing up too!

Ingredients
6 medium sized new potatoes, halved lengthways
2 large free range eggs
1 bunch of British asparagus
50g watercress or salad
4 stems of three cornered leek or 2-3 spring onions, chopped
2-3 tbsp of Dad’s jam jar dressing (or good olive oil and lemon juice)
Optional extras: ½ bunch of basil chopped, 5 wild garlic leaves chopped, parmesan

Serves 2
Place a medium saucepan over a medium high heat, fill three quarters full with water, season and bring to a simmer. Add the potatoes to the water and bring to the boil. Add your eggs and boil for 6 minutes. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and allow to cool a little.

Snap off the woody ends of your asparagus and keep for soup. Place asparagus tips in the potato pan, reduce the heat to a simmer for 2 minutes. Remove the asparagus with a slotted spoon and place in a large bowl. Add the there cornered leeks to the bowl with the asparagus. When the potatoes are tender ( about 10 minutes ) drain and add to the large bowl, season and add 2-3 tablespoons of Dad’s jam jar dressing or some good olive oil and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Toss the veg together.

If you want to add more herbs chop them and add them now. Peel your eggs and cut into quarters. Wash the watercress and place on a platter, topple over the potatoes, asparagus and herbs, place the eggs in and around the platter, add some more dressing or parmesan if you wish, the flowers from the three cornered leeks, if using and tuck in.

Courgettes are one of my favourite vegetables. Complete with vibrant yellow trumpet flowers which are traditionally stuffed with soft cheese, deep fried and drizzled with honey, courgettes can be flamboyant as well as incredibly simple and comforting. They pair well with anything salty, citrusy and I especially enjoy them in tarts and quiches, they have a moreishness about them which compliments dairy, I find. Super fresh they can also be enjoyed raw and make a great addition to an early summer salad, if sliced thinly enough, seasoned and dressed well. I also like to grate some into pasta or of course combine with beaten egg for a weekend brunch option. The possibilities are truly endless. In this recipe they’re roasted in lemon juice so they’re jammy and tangy along side salty feta and sweet peas. It’s a great sharing dish and makes a great vegetarian BBQ option.

Ingredients
1 large or 2 medium courgettes, thinly sliced
olive oil
1 lemon
1 block of Greek feta
2 garlic cloves
150g peas fresh or frozen
3 sprigs of mint
small bunch of chives including flowers
optional mixed salad leaves

Serves 2
Preheat your oven to 200c, fan 180c. Toss the courgettes in olive oil a good squeeze of half a lemon, salt and pepper and spread over a large baking tray. Place in oven for half an hour, checking and moving around every 10 minutes or so and cook until golden.

Meanwhile place your feta in small roasting dish, bruise the garlic cloves by bashing with the flat side of a knife and add to the dish with the thyme, drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, season with pepper and roast for 20 minutes or until the edges are golden.

Place your peas in a medium sized bowl and pour over some boiling water to defrost, leave for 2-3 minutes, drain and set aside, chop the mint and chive stalks and gently break the chive flower head apart into individual florets.

Remove the courgettes from the oven and allow to cool a little. Toss through the peas and herbs with a few mixed salad leaves, season, add any remaining lemon juice and oil then top with the feta and dig in.

New potato season starts mid Spring with Jersey Royals often leading the way. These delicate spuds are so versatile and great carriers of flavour. I always have some in my fridge, par-boiled, ready to be sliced and added to breakfast dishes. They love butter and a simple salt and pepper seasoning but equally pair with punchier flavours and dressings.

Ingredients
2 little gem lettuces
handful of green beans
200g tuna steak responsibly sourced
olive oil
300g new potatoes, halved lengthways
Caesar dressing
1 medium free range egg yolk
6 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
10g parmesan, grated

Serves 2
Prep salad leaves and green beans, rinsing and leaving to drain. Rub a little olive oil into the flesh of the tuna, season with black pepper and set aside. Place a large pan of salted water on to boil, add the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes, until tender. Meanwhile make the Caesar dressing. In a large bowl whisk the egg yolk and olive oil together with a good squeeze of lemon juice add the garlic and anchovies. Season with black pepper and parmesan. Add more lemon juice to taste and to loosen the dressing and set aside.

Place a frying or griddle pan on a medium high heat. Add the tuna to the pan and sear for 2 minutes on each side. Add the green beans to the new potato pan for the final 2 minutes, then drain. Remove the tuna from the heat to rest for a minute. Toss the new potatoes and green beans in 2 tablespoons of dressing divide between plates along with the salad leaves. Slice the tuna and share between plates, shave over a little extra parmesan and more dressing to taste.

Mince pie and frangipane tart

Orange and almond mincemeat ( makes 3 x 400g jars )
200g bramley apple, peeled and finely chopped
175g sultanas
150g raisins
100g currants
100g mixed peel
Zest and juice of 2 oranges
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
50g whole almonds, roughly chopped
150g soft light brown sugar
2 tsp ground mix spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
100g suet (vegetable or beef)
75ml disaronno

Frangipane
140g softened salted butter
140g soft brown sugar
1 large egg
Almond essence
140g ground almonds
40g plain flour
1 orange, zested

Pastry
200g plain flour
1 tbsp caster sugar
110g cold salted butter, cubed
½ tbsp cider vinegar

Start by making your mincemeat, but if you don’t want to make your own buy a good quality jar and add extra chopped almonds, zest and juice of an orange and your choice of booze; brandy, whisky or almond liqueur.

To make the mincemeat combine all of your ingredients, apart from the alcohol, in a large pan over a low-medium heat and stir for 10-15 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture feels thick and well combined. Remove from the heat and leave to steep for half an hour before stirring through the alcohol then leave to cool completely and bottle into sterilised jars.

Meanwhile make your pastry. Place the flour and sugar in a food processor, add the butter and pulse briefly to combine ensuring there are still good sized flakes of butter throughout, this is what creates steam when the pastry cooks and creates layers and flakes ( if you don’t have a food processor rub the butter and flour together with your fingertips to the same consistency). Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Combine the cider vinegar with 4tbsp of very cold water in a cup and slowly add to the flour mixture using a cutlery knife to bring it together. You may need up to 2 more tbsp of very cold water to form a dough. It should just hold together and not be too wet. Turn out the pastry onto the counter and shape into a flat disc. Cover in cling film or beeswax wrap and chill for 30 mins or up to 24 hours.

Next make the frangipane topping. Beat together the softened butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg followed by 3-4 drops of almond essence. Fold in the almonds, flour and zest of half an orange. Cover with cling film and keep in the fridge until needed.

Preheat the oven to 200c, fan 180. Remove the pastry from the fridge. Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll out your pastry to the thickness of a one pound coin and the shape of your loose bottomed tart tin. Line the tin with the pastry and prick the base with a fork, line with baking paper and baking beans, (if you don’t have baking beans use uncooked rice or dried beans). Place in the oven for 10-15 mins, remove from the oven, remove the baking paper and beans and return the pastry to the oven for another 10 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a little. Next spoon in a thin layer of mincemeat right to the edges. Place spoonfuls of frangipane evenly over the top and spread out to cover the mincemeat completely ensuring there are no gaps. Place back in the oven for 20-30 minutes until golden and firm to the touch. Allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack, serve warm or allow to cool completely.

Shortcrust pastry
200g plain flour
1 tbsp caster sugar
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
110g chilled salted butter, cubed
½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 medium egg, beaten
Apple filling
4 braeburn apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
½ lemon, juiced
50g caster sugar
15g salted butter
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Salted caramel sauce
100g caster sugar
100ml double cream
15g salted butter
Sea salt

Servers 6-8
First make your pastry. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl or food processor and add the butter. Pulse briefly or rub together with your fingers to combine, ensuring there are some good sized flakes throughout. Place in a large mixing bowl and combine the cider vinegar with 6 tbsp of very cold water. Slowly add the water mixture to the butter and flour mixture into a dough. It should just hold together and not be wet. Turn out on to the counter and shape into a flat disc. Wrap in cling film or bees wax wrap and chill for 30 mins or up to 24 hours.

Whilst the dough is resting prep your filling. In a large bowl toss the apple slices in the lemon juice, stir through the caster sugar and cinnamon. Transfer the filling to a medium frying pan on a medium heat and cook stirring gently until the apples start to soften but not breakdown, about 5-7 minutes. Add the butter and stir to coat. Remove from the heat.

Preheat heat your oven to 190c and line a large baking sheet with baking paper. Lightly dust a clean work surface and rolling pin with flour. Roll out your pastry in a rough circle to about the thickness of a pound coin. Place on the baking sheet, then fill the centre with the apple mixture leaving a 5 cm gap around the edge. Fold the pastry into the centre, overlapping the edges as you go. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg. Place in a hot oven for about 30 minutes or until the pastry is a deep golden brown.

Meanwhile make your salted caramel sauce. In a clean, medium sized saucepan add your sugar and place on a medium heat. Leave for about 2 minutes or until the sugar begins to melt, swirl the pan to move the sugar around allowing the sugar to melt more evenly. Once it has melted allow it to become a dark golden colour, remove from the heat and stir in half of your double cream stir with a heat proof spatula to combine, it will bubble and steam a little, but don’t worry just keep stirring. Stir in the remaining cream followed by the butter and a pinch of sea salt. Pour into a jug and set aside

When the galette is ready remove from the oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving with your salted caramel sauce and ice cream.