Salt Baked Beetroot with Rosemary, Feta, Apple, Horseradish and Hazelnuts.

For this Recipe you need to make a rough pastry, that will not be eaten, to roast the beets in.
The amount of pastry you will need depends on the size of the beets.
First blitz about six rosemary sprigs and around 150g of course sea salt in a food processor then add 300g of plain flour, two egg whites and around 200ml water.
Blitz again to bring together into a rough dough.
Kneed the mixture on a clean surface for around five mins to form a smooth ball, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for about an hour.
Pre heat the oven to 160C. Roll the dough out to the thickness of a pound coin.
Top and tail the beetroots, but dont peel, place on the pastry and cut round the beats draw up the pastry to encase the beets and seal the top by pinching together.
Place on a baking tray for 30-50mins depending on the size of the beets - when a sharp knife goes into the beet with out much effort they are ready. Its best to slightly under cook as they will carry on cooking after they are removed from the oven and its also nice to serve them warm and soft on the outside with the middle slightly firmer.
While the beets are cooking dry toast some hazelnuts in a pan. finely slice a cored apple and roll in lemon juice.
After removing the beats from the oven allow them to cool a while before removing from the pastry and peeling.
Slice in half and plate on top of a dollop of horseradish cream (if using fresh horse radish don't use the cream and grate a fine dusting over at the end.
Place the sliced apple and cubes of feta cheese around the beet and scatter with the toasted nuts.

Padron Peppers.

This is a really nice tapas dish to eat with drinks and very quick to prepare. These pepper have been on the menus in bars and restaurants for some time now and started appearing in markets and on supermarket shelves about three years ago.
They have a very slight heat and the addition of salt while cooking really compliments there sour flavour.
Heat some good oil in a frying pan to a high heat then add the peppers whole. Add the larger ones first and turn occasionally.
Sprinkle with good quality ground salt while cooking. you want the skin on the pepper to slightly blister without softening the flesh all the way through.
When cooked turn out onto kitchen paper to drain the excess oil plate up and sprinkle with a little more salt.

Venison with Sage and Cheese Cobbler.

Place your venison, cut into chunks, into a ceramic dish with springs of thyme, crushed garlic cloves,  3 or 4 crushed juniper berries, a couple of bay leaves and cover with a glass of good red wine.
Cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge for 24 - 48 hrs.
Bring back up to room temperature (this will stop the meat becoming tough when cooked) and remove the venison, retaining the marinade liquid.
Dry the meat thoroughly and lightly dust with flour and season with salt and pepper.
In an oven proof dish soften some whole or halved shallots some chopped celery and baby carrots.
Colour the venison in a pan and add to the pot.
Deglaze the frying pan with the marinade liquid and add to the meat and shallots.
Braise in a low oven for about  90 mins.
If need be thicken the liquid by adding a little corn flour and reduce.
Sieve self raising flour into a bowl and add a pinch of salt and rub in lumps of unsalted butter.
Add finely chopped sage and finely grated cheese, I used Lincolnshire Poacher - a favorite, but any good hard cheese such as cheddar or comte is good.
Add an eggs and some milk and whisk until fairly sloppy.
Form the dough into cobbles and brush lightly with more milk.
Place on top of the braised venison and bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes until the cobbler is golden.

Seasonal Berries with Biscuit Crumb, Toasted Hazelnuts and Clotted Cream.

On a trip to mid Wales I was lucky to find a mass of bilberries growing wild. 

They have many names around the UK including blaeberry in Scotland, whortleberry in southern England and w(h)imberry in south Wales and the borders.
Along with these I collected some blackberries and elderberries in Dorset and added some bought strawberries and raspberries though foraged wild strawberries would have been better.

Place a glass of red wine in a saucepan and add half of the blackberries and elderberries reserving the best fruit. Bring to the boil and simmer until the fruit releases its juices and collapses.
Sieve off the liquid into a saucepan pushing through some of the fruit pulp, add a couple of tea spoons of caster sugar and boil to dissolve.
When this syrup has cooled slightly pour over the rest of the blackberries, elderberries and the bilberries to par cook and leave to cool.
When cool add the raspberries.
In another saucepan push the rest of the fruit through the sieve with the back of a wooden spoon until you have collect all the fruit pulp.
Add more caster sugar to taste and bring to the boil and reduce.
Hull and chop the strawberries and macerate in a little lemon juice with some more caster sugar.
Add to the other berries in the fruit juice.
Dry toast the hazelnuts in a pan - remove the papery skins and place in a mortar and pestle and break up.
Mix the nuts with some broken up digestive biscuits.
Add a dollop of the reduced fruit pulp to a plate and with the back of a spoon swoop across the plate.
Add a dollop of clotted cream and scatter with the nut and biscuit mix.
Spoon on the mixed berries and serve.

Whole Poached Salmon

First make a court bouillon.
In a large saucepan of water (enough to cover the salmon when it in a fish kettle) add a few bay leaves, a glass of white wine, a handful of peppercorns, chopped spring onions, fennel trimmings and some chopped dill.
Bring to the boil then leave to cool and infuse.
Place the salmon in a fish kettle and cover with the court bouillon, bring to the boil.
Turn of the heat and place the lid on the fish kettle and leave to poach.
The fish should be ready when the liquid is cold.
Remove from the kettle and serve.

Oyster Mushroom Sauted with Garlic and Tarragon.

A good find while out walking in Dorset and very fortunately had a fungus expert amongst the group as would not have trusted my own knowledge, though i did identify it as a oyster mushroom.

Slice the fungus into strips.
Melt some butter and oil in a hot pan.
Add finely sliced garlic and saute for a minute - don't let it burn!
Add the fungus and saute until it starts to release its juices.
Sprinkle with finely chopped tarragon.
When the fungus is cooked through serve on toast or with crusty bread.

Eton Mess

A classic English desert that is a mix of strawberries, whipped cream and meringues.
I used bought meringues as I was at a local fete and there were plenty of home made ones on sale.
First make the syrup - hull and slice a couple of dozen strawberries add to a pan on a low heat with a couple of dessert spoons of caster sugar and a splash of balsamic or other good quality vinegar.
Cook until the fruit releases all its juices and the sugar has dissolved. Place in a blender and blitz to a puree. Return to the pan and re heat stirring occasionally. Leave to cool.
Hull and half the remaining strawberries - reserve a half dozen or so pieces.
Place the rest in a bowl with a splash of white or rose wine, a squeeze of lemon juice and some caster sugar too taste. Stir and place in a cool place to macerate.
Whip double cream until it is thick.
Break up the meringues into bowls, add dollops of cream, macerated strawberries and "mess up".
Pour over strawberry syrup and sprinkle with the reserved strawberries - mess up again if you wish and add more ingredients.
When you think its enough of a mess serve!

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