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.

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.

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.

Lamb braised in milk with garlic & fennelBy Ben WatsonThis recipe is rather rich and luxurious, hailing as it does from New York's Italian super chef, Mario Batali, and adjusted to use shoulder steaks. The Florentine fennel is a BFS addition. For some reason wild fennel seed and Florentine fennel bulbs are rarely used together but I can’t think why. It seemed to work.

Kimchi and prawn frittersBy Ben WatsonAs usual, I’m way behind the times but I’ve finally seen the light and kimchi has become part of my kitchen toolbox. I much prefer to cook with it than eat it raw - it brings a deliciously savoury, saline twang to everything it touches. Hopefully, we’ll soon have our own version from the deli counters but, in the meantime, here is an idea from Serious Eats.

Cucumber PickleBy Ben WatsonThis pickle adds a welcome tang to cold meats or burgers, and is a great way to make your cucumbers last into winter! You'll need to do the prep 24 hours before the cooking.

Warm lentil and sausage saladBy Ben WatsonSausages and lentils are a great combination - pair them in a salad or a casserole depending on the time of year.

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