Recipes

At the Farm Shop we don’t treat cooking as a precise science, nor are we trying to give a comprehensive list of recipes. These are some of our favourite dishes and we hope you’ll give some of them a try. They’ve worked for us on countless occasions but that doesn’t mean, with a bit of imagination and a few tweaks, they can’t be improved. Good luck.
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Main IngredientBeefChicken and poultryGameLambMuttonPorkSausageSeafoodVegetableMealDinnerLunchSeasonAutumnSpringSummerWinterSweetDessert
Pesto alla Poly TunnelBy Ben WatsonLike many, I think I might have overdone it a bit on the tomato planting in the poly tunnel yet again this year, so any way of preserving them in their semi fresh state is to be jumped at. My basil is also entering its 'use it or lose it' stage so when Rachel Roddy started eulogizing about the about pesto alla trapanese in the Guardian a few weeks ago when I was on the verge of binning bucket loads of its two main ingredients, I sat up and took notice. The third ingredient, almonds are far cheaper than pine nuts, but I still couldn't resist substituting a part ration of sunflower seeds. That seemed to work, leaving the possibility of swapping olive oil for rapeseed oil, for a true Pesto alla Brexit. Rightly or wrongly, I've always been a bit wary of the neonicotinoid/rapeseed connection so tend to avoid it, but I'm sure it would work.A brief online search revealed that the Pesto Trapanese recipe is about as loose as they come - the main areas of divergence being the amount of garlic and whether or not to add a pecorino type cheese. I quickly decided that the cheese was best left until the end but the garlic was more difficult. Rachel Roddy's 1-3 cloves seemed more reasonable than others' 6-10 but whilst the latter puts me in quarantine for a week the former was a bit insipid. Tempering the full amount by lightly roasting might seem cowardly but it bought about benefits in terms of body, depth and untuosity (good word).I imagine it would be good with pasta but it never gets further than a piece of toast in my house - maybe with a slice or two of griddled courgette - I have an abundance of those too.
Green Eggs Over LentilsBy Ben WatsonThe best things are often afterthoughts and this was just that. I was tweaking Nigel Slater's 'hangover' beef salad and I ran out of beef. I thought the eggs, lentils and Mojo Verde worked a treat together. As you might have noticed, Mojo Verde seems to have sneaked its way into a lot of my suggestions. As I've said, it's become a sort of green ketchup chez Benz!
Rare Roast Beef and Lentil SaladBy Ben WatsonRare roast beef and lentils are a great basis for any salad but what really gives this it's oomph is the addition of a few roast vegetables and our Mojo Verde. Adding the beef juices into the dressing will take it to the next level.
Perfect Beef FajitasBy Ben WatsonWe've started making our own fajita rub but adding a bit of lime and pineapple juice definitely raises these fajitas to another level. Pineapple is a well known tenderiser but over an extended period the juice of that and the lime will end up pickling and eventually drying out the meat. I'd suggest adding them an hour or so before cooking.
Sticky Shiitake MushroomsBy Ben WatsonCooking the mushrooms in cornflour gives them a rich, meaty texture that pairs beautifully with the sweetness of the caramelised ginger and garlic. Tasty and satisfying.
Elderflower CordialBy Ben WatsonIf you find the over fragrant 'cat's pee' smell of elderflower a bit too much, the secret is to add double the suggested citrus, particularly orange, and even a dash or two of Angostura bitters at serving. I tend to make this in fairly industrial quantities – the quantities below will make about ten 75cl bottles.
Lemon CordialBy Ben WatsonYou can either make a big batch, pasteurise it in a water bath and store in a cool cupboard or, as lemons are available all year round, just make it whenever you run out. If you like your lemonade on the tart side, boil the peel for an extra five minutes and cut back on the sugar by 10%. Straining through a sieve will give a fairly cloudy lemonade. If you like your lemonade a little clearer, strain through muslin. Dilute with three parts water - sparkling will raise it to the next level.
Kimchi Chicken RiceBy Ben WatsonThis recipe has become my go-to midweek supper - except when it’s pork or prawns or a weekend. For the best fried rice you need to cook it and spread it out on a tray to cool and if you do this in the fridge it will keep for two or three days so it becomes even easier and quicker.
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