Riverford at Pines Gardens

Dover, Kent was the location for the latest demonstration for my friends at Riverford organics , the veg box people. Once again we were inspiring new ideas and some innovative methods of cooking some of the , well , less exciting veg that heralds in the new autumn season, the much maligned Swede for instance. Autumn also has a treasure-trove of delights in store and is quite possibly my favourite food season. Much as in spring when purple sprouting broccoli is available for the first time , Kale brings a similar frisson of excitement with it's arrival in the weekly box. This week it was the deeply gorgeous long leaves of Cavalo Nero but soon curly Kale will be in abundance and I shall indulge.

The main focus of this weeks demonstration was Swede though and sage seemed to be the appropriate partner. Try roasting Swede seasoned with salt and pepper, some chopped sage leaves and roasted in the over for 20 minutes or so and serve as an alternative to roast potato. Using a very similar method , only chopping the Swede into more delicate pieces a risotto of roasted Swede and sage butter drizzle was a real hit with both lovers and haters of this golden and fleshed root.

Roast Swede and sage risotto

Serves: 4

• 250g Arborio rice 
• 750ml Vegetable stock 
• 3tbsp olive oil 
• 1 white onion finely chopped 
• 1 celery stick, finely chopped 
• 150g grated parmesan cheese 
• 1 garlic clove crushed 
• 1 lemon juiced 
• 1 glass of white dry wine 
• 30g butter 
• Salt & pepper 

Heat the oil in a heavy based pan and gently fry the onion & celery for a few minutes. Add the crushed garlic clove stir in for a minute or two and then pour in some more olive oil and add the rice. Cook the rice for a few minutes until the rice absorbs some of the oil and starts to puff a little. If you are using wine this is the time to add it to the pan and heat until absorbed into the rice. Now start adding the stock, just cover the rice and stir whilst it is absorbed and then repeat. Keep cooking until the rice is nearly done but still a bit ‘husky’ and now add the lemon juice, season with salt & pepper and keep cooking adding more stock as required until the rice is al dente. Remove from the heat, stir in the Parmesan cheese cover and let it sit for five minutes, before adding flavourings.

Roasted Swede & sage: 

• 1 medium Swede 
• a handful of fresh sage leaves 
• a few spinach leaves , washed and dried 
• olive oil 

Cube the Swede into 1cm pieces, drizzle with olive oil, season and add a handful of chopped sage leaves, mix together and roast in the oven at 180 degrees for 20 mins or so. Add the roasted Swede to the risotto with a handful of spinach leaves and while the risotto is resting, fry some sage leaves in butter until crisp. Serve the crisp leaves on top of the risotto and drizzle with the butter.

Event photos by Chrissy Asteraki-Speer

Humble roots

We had a bit of a glut this week, Carrots, that most humble of root vegetables, they seemed to be everywhere. We hadn’t even started on the bunch that came in last weeks veg box when another bunch turned up all fresh and perky in this weeks offering. There were a few still left over from the week before and in a major failing of my faculties I actually bought yet more whilst out food shopping; just because they were the right shape, you know those delicious little baby Chantenay carrots, I wanted them for a version of Coq-Au-Vin I was cooking mid week and thought they’d look good in the dish. So due to this slight over run of the gloriously humble Daucus carota I found myself searching around for a few recipes to appease, not only my shopping guilt but the excess.

There are of course many ways to cook a carrot and nothing better than to boil until just tender, drain and then glaze with butter, a little sugar and serve sprinkled with fresh chopped Parsley. We call these ‘naughty carrots’ at home and in a stroke of genius and by employing a degree of psychological warfare the kids were wooed into eating them by simply designating them as ‘naughty’ (due to the sugar & butter content), all kids like something naughty and this system worked a treat and we still refer to this dish by the same name today. In an aside to this: we once convinced my son, probably aged two (poor lad had no idea) that sparkling mineral water was ‘white coca-cola’, another battle won by simple psychological techniques, worked until he went to nursery school and started mixing with other better informed children who were already indoctrinated in the delights of ‘the real thing’!

There is always a soup I suppose, a classic way to relieve oneself of an overflowing supply of vegetables, but today I fancied something a little more tantalising and something to accompany some slow roasted lamb shoulder that was oozing and spitting in the oven. I was thinking of a Greek flavour or an exotic North African spicing that would go perfectly with the lamb. Once again Ottoleghi’s Plenty came to the rescue with a very simple Moroccan spiced carrot recipe that I instantly suspected could be adapted in several ways. The basic idea was simple, we like that, par-cook the carrots, fry some onion and spice these with cumin, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, chilli and garlic, return the carrots, stir together and eventually serve with some fresh coriander and an indulgent dollop of Greek yoghurt drizzled with your best olive oil.

Moroccan spiced carrot salad

Serves: 4

• 1 kg carrots 
• 100 ml olive oil 
• 1 onion finely chopped 
• 3 cloves of garlic 
• 2 green chillies 
• 1 pinch of ground cloves 
• 1 pinch of ground ginger 
• 1 pinch of ground coriander 
• 1 tsp of ground cinnamon 
• 1 tsp sweet paprika 
• 1 tsp ground cumin 
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar 
• 1 tbsp of chopped preserved lemon skin (if you have it or the grated zest of a lemon 
• Juice of 1 lemon 
• 1 handful of fresh chopped coriander 
• Greek yoghurt to serve 
• Salt & pepper 

Wash, peel and cut the carrots into 1cm thick batons about 3 cm in length. Cook in slowly boiling salted water until just tender but retaining some degree of crunch. Drain and allow to cool.


In a frying pan soften the onion in olive oil until just starting to colour, sprinkle in all the ground herbs, the chopped garlic, finely chopped chillies, white wine vinegar and lemon zest and continue cooking for a few minutes until all the flavours are combined and the onion is browned and golden.

Return the carrots to the onion mixture and mix thoroughly so all the carrots are coated in the onions and spices. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Just before serving stir through the chopped coriander and serve in individual bowls with a spoon of Greek yoghurt and a drizzle of olive oil.


I was cooking at a music festival the other week and used this basic recipe to create a couscous dish that could be pre-prepared and taste good all day. It turned out to be a real hit and I have prepared it a few times since. It follows the same basic principles as the Ottolenghi dish above but combines couscous, mint & raisins to make a sweet and spicy warm (or cold) salad that is great as an accompaniment to meats or is an ideal lunch box recipe.

Moroccan spiced carrot couscous

Serves: 4

• 1 kg carrots
• 150g couscous
• 100ml olive oil
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 green chillies
• 1 pinch of ground coriander
• 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 handful of fresh chopped coriander
• 1 handful of fresh chopped mint
• 1 handful of the best raisins you can afford
• Salt & pepper

Wash, peel and cut the carrots into 1cm thick batons about 3 cm in length. Cook in slowly boiling salted water until just tender but retaining some degree of crunch. Drain and allow to cool.

In a frying pan soften the onion in olive oil until just starting to colour, sprinkle with all the ground herbs, the chopped garlic, finely chopped chillies and continue cooking for a few minutes until all the flavours are combined and the onion is browned and golden.

Return the carrots to the onion mixture and mix thoroughly so all the carrots are coated in the onions and spices. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Put the couscous in a large bowl, sprinkle with salt and cover with boiling water. Put a lid on the bowl or cover the bowl with cling film and leave to stand for 10 minutes. After ten minutes ‘fluff’ the couscous up with a plastic fork and drizzle in a little olive oil and lemon juice just to help the grains separate. Stir in the chopped mint and coriander, season to taste with salt & pepper and add more lemon juice if required. Now add the carrots and onion mixture and the raisins and stir all the ingredients together. Adjust the seasoning to taste, add more chopped herbs and lemon if required then place in into a large serving dish.