Peel and deseed a cucumber then finely chop.
Season with salt and pepper, mix a dressing of lemon juice, dijon mustard and extra virgin olive oil and dress the cucumber.
Finally mix in chopped dill, chopped capers and place in lightly oiled pots and chill in the fridge for ten mintutes or so.
Turn out onto plates and serve.
Drain a tin of cannellini bans and dress with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, season and mix in chopped parsley.
Place on a plate around seasoned tinned tuna pieces.
Finely slice onion and place on top.
Sprinkle with smoked paprika before serving.
For the marinade mix together crushed garlic, dried oregano, ground cumin, tomato paste, olive oil, a couple of bay leaves ripped up, fresh lemon juice, sherry or red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.
Cut your lamb into 1cm cubes and cover with the marinade -leave covered in the fridge for at least a day.
Before barbequing or griddling the meat bring up to room temperature.
For the greek salad use halfed small tomatoes, chunks of cucumber, sliced red onion, black olives and cubes of feta cheese.
I also mixed in fresh oregano and a small amount of mint, parsley and basil.
For the dressing crush a small amount of garlic with some salt in a mortar and pestle until it is a paste and mix with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, a dash of sherry vinegar, pepper and some chopped fresh oregano.
Dress the salad before adding the feta and serve with the lamb.
Perpare a dressing of vegatable oil, a splash of white wine vinegar, a good glug of lemon juice, plenty of salt & pepper, a teaspoon each of dijon and wholegrain mustard.
Peel your celeriac and chop into small battens (julienne) and quickly dress to stop dis-colouration.
Add a bunch of finely chopped herbs - I used dill, parsley, a little tarragon and chives - its best to avoid hard herbs such as rosemary and very strong flavoured ones like mint or sage.
Leave for at least an hour or so before serving so the flavours merge and the celeriac softens.
Serve with cold meats, saucisson, smoked salmon etc. and some good bread.
A very easy and delicious vegatable stew which is ideal for serving with lamb or alongside polenta chips for a vegaterian version.
The essential thing for this stew is a very good homemade veg stock to add depth and flavour.
I used pre-cooked artichoke hearts for this, if using fresh prepare and cook them beforehand.
Add a very finely chopped clove of garlic to some olive oil in a pan and gently cook through with out colouring.
Cut the asparagus into smaller pieces and add to the pan and cook for a minute or so.
Add the stock and bring to a simmer.
Add the chopped artichoke hearts, peas and broad beans and bring back to a simmer.
Cook until the veg is cooked through - this will only a few minutes, sprinkle with a bunch of chopped parsley and a few shreded mint leaves and serve.
You could also leave to rest after adding the peas, beans and chokes, allowing all the flavours to merge and reheat before serving.
First make the dressing with a tea spoon of dijon mustard, a little sherry vinegar, a good amount of lemon juice, salt & pepper and extra virgin oilive oil.
Finely shred the white cabbage & fennel and dress.
Cover and leave for ten minutes or so - the acid in the dressing will "cook" the cabbage and take the edge off it.
Mix in the cooked shrimps and a bunch of chopped chervil (a mix of 1/4 tarragon and 3/4 parsley is also good if you dont have chervil), and serve.
A very tasty sauce that is a take on mint sauce / salsa verde - at this time of year you could subsitute wild garlic for traditional garlic and add jack by the hedge (garlic mustard), it's great with lamb but you could adjust the herbs to suit chicken, beef, fish or game.
Chop a clove of garlic and add salt and pound in a mortar & pestle until it is a pulp.
Add a little chopped mint, a chopped bunch of parsley, lemon zest and a dash of juice, a dash of sherry vinegar, a grind of pepper and a glug of extra virgin olive oil and keep grinding it down until it is a paste.
Very finely chop a spring onion and mix in.
Leave for all the flavours to merge and serve.
