recipes from organic local produce in our farm shops

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.

Dinner76 Recipes

Lunch45 Recipes

Fabulous French Onion TartBy Ben WatsonNot to be confused with Quiche Lorraine, French Onion tart really is what it says. Onions. With a bit of cream, cheese and eggs. But don't let the apparent simplicity fool you - it is a real treat, especially if enjoyed al fresco. In fact, it really comes into its own served at picnic hamper temperature. There's a bit of room to get creative with the pastry too. A few fresh thyme leaves, a little Dijon mustard and even a splash of wine all add a little je ne sais quoi.

Tuscan Roast Duck for EasterBy Ben WatsonTake the plunge and look beyond leg of lamb this Easter. Instead, how about opting for roast duck? It's rich, tasty and simple - it's hard to go far wrong, even for the most reluctant of chefs. Our free range ducks naturally pair well with an orange/ cherry palette. But if you fancy veering away from that, this Tuscan style recipe is a surefire winner. Stuffed with a pork, fennel seed and garlic mixture and roasted over potato boulangère, it's a low input, impressive Easter lunch.Better still, the leftovers make for mouthwatering calzone or empanadas the next day.

Austrian Apple & Horseradish SauceBy Ben Watson

Traditionally served with tafelspitz (an Austrian 'boiled' beef dish much favoured by the Emperor Franz Joseph) this apple and horseradish sauce adds a kick to any meal. It can be adapted to suit your tastes, so whether you like it hot or a little more on the mild side, it's a must.

Puerco de la Costa with PineappleBy Ben WatsonIn Mexico there are whole genres of pork and pineapple recipes that come under the rather broad name of puerco de la costa (which translates as 'pork in the costal style). This is one of mine from a few years back, that came to mind again after our shops started stocking some particularly good fresh organic pineapples. If you want something a bit more 'bulked out' you can add lentils - just pop them in alongside the sweet potato. Or serve with rice as we've done here. Alternatively, if you cook off a little more of the liquid, this makes a fantastic filling for tacos or tortillas.

Montbelliard Sausage and Lentil casseroleBy Ben WatsonThis dish is a welcome addition on a cold day - a classic lentil and smoked sausage casserole. The perfect bowl of braised lentils is a special thing and, for me, this is as close as it gets...

Nduja and honey aranciniBy Ben WatsonNduja (enduya) has been foodies' flavour of the month for some time and definitely isn't for the faint hearted. However if you're chilli tolerant, it's a great tool to have in the draw. The secret to making the perfect nduja is the ridiculously large quantity of fermented chilli, which kicks off the curing process by lowering the acidity overnight. Ours is available as a sausage or blitzed with olive oil in a jar, which is used in this recipe that was created by Ashley in the wine bar.The honey works well with the chilli. Traditionally, the risotto mix should be folded around the filling but in this case, I couldn't see the point so I mixed everything together. I prefer them small, croquette size anyway.Enough for quite a few.

Braised pheasant with cabbage and Montbeliard sausageBy Ben WatsonIt might be easily affordable but pheasant is one of the hardest meats to cook. Even plump, young birds will have put in a lot of leg work and, unlike chickens and turkeys, they do actually fly so even the breast can be dry when roasted. Generally, it's either very slow or fast (breasts only) but get it right and roast pheasant can be pretty good. As usual, hens make better eating than cocks and the best birds to pick have a good covering of yellow fat. With legs taking longer to cook than breast, they either need to be cooked separately, or, somehow, subjected to different methods. Poaching the legs in liquid whilst the breast gently steams is the way to go but first you need to prep the bird. Drumsticks are always going to be so stringy with tendons that it's best to cut them off, with the hocks, before you start. Then you can cut down the between the breast and thigh, pushing the thigh down so it's horizontal and easily covered with liquid, as in the recipe below.

Cordero Verde – Spiced Lamb CasseroleBy Ben Watson

Citrus and spice flavours make this one pot Spanish 'olla' perfect for seeing off the Autumn blues. In fact, the flavourings aren't all that different from those they would have used with mutton back in the day. Go large and make it last for a few days. Serves 8.

Sausages with fennel, borlotti beans and polentaBy Ben WatsonCognoscenti might recognise this as one of Nigel Slater's midweek suppers from The Observer magazine but the polenta and borlotti beans are my addition. It's equally good with soft/wet or firm polenta - timing is easier with the firm so I've done that.Serves 4.

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