Carrot and parsnip soup

A great use of two Farm stalwarts: carrots and parsnips. Don’t forget the Herb Garden for the thyme. You can substitute a handful of thyme leaves for the chill and, for an extra creamy touch, stir in 50ml double cream before you blend the soup.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/carrot_and_parsnip_soup_92927

Cavalo nero, walnut and orange pesto

We’re rarely short of cavalo nero. Make it last in this green pesto from Waitrose https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/recipe/cavolo-nero-walnut-orange-pesto-linguine

Cavalo nero tabbouleh

Substitute the parsley in this recipe for cavalo nero – cut the tough ribs out first. Lovely served on crunchy lettuce leaves with crumbled feta.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/aug/01/yotam-ottolenghi-vegetarian-tabbouleh

Celeriac, leek, and sweetcorn soup

https://www.qualityresearchinternational.com/Recipes/celeriacsweetcornleeksouprecipe.html

Celeriac and apple remoulade

A simple side from Olive magazine using seasonal Farm produce and herbs.

https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/vegetarian/celeriac-and-apple-remoulade/

Chard and Goat’s Cheese Tart

I like this with 150ml creme fraiche and 150ml milk with the eggs to make a “gooey-er” custard, a handful of finely-chopped fresh herbs such as oregano, basil, or thyme. Top with a couple of tablespoons of chopped walnuts or pine nuts before baking to add some more texture. If you don’t want to make your own shortcrust pastry, ready rolled puff pastry works beautifully.

https://www.dovesfarm.co.uk/recipes/swiss-chard-and-goats-cheese-quiche

Chard, squash and hazelnut cannelloni

From Delicious magazine. https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/squash-chard-hazelnut-cannelloni/

Chestnut puree

Try this with around 2lbs sweet chestnuts https://totallywilduk.co.uk/2024/12/12/sweet-chestnut-puree-recipe/

Chestnut and chocolate cake

From Robbie via Olive and Mango: https://www.oliveandmango.com/chocolate-chestnut-cake/ Take a look at the link if you want more information to identify chestnuts.

Courgette and tomatoes au gratin

Adapt this Delia recipe by roasting the courgettes instead of frying them (leave the garlic clove whole and unpeeled then squish it over the courgettes when they are browned) or by leaving the cheese out of the layers and making a crumbly topping for the veg (whizz breadcrumbs, basil, a little oil, and the cheese).

https://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/main-ingredient/tomatoes/courgettes-and-tomatoes-au-gratin

Courgette cake with lime frosting

We usually have more courgettes than we can deal with so baking them into a cake makes sense:

https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/courgette-cake-with-lime-buttercream/

Courgette fritti

Make this favourite from The Ivy restaurant with Farm courgettes.

https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/recipe/courgette-fritti?

Courgette soup

This soup can be frozen so that you can enjoy the courgette flavour after the season. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/courgette-potato-cheddar-soup

Mushy courgettes with garlic and mint

Despite the unpromising title, this is one of the most tasty recipes for courgettes. It’s a delicious alternative to mushy peas and freezes well for winter meals.

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/recipes/mushy-courgettes-with-garlic-and-mint-1727728.html

Courgette slice

An easy-eating Australian classic https://www.recipetineats.com/zucchini-slice/

Creamy courgette lasagne

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/creamy-courgette-lasagne

Cucumber cake

Paul regularly treats the team to home-made cake. Here’s his recipe for a summer cucumber cake.

Ingredients

  • About 300g or so of cucumbers to give the required 200g of drained grated cucumber
  • 250g butter (softened)
  • 200g sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 250g self raising flour
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • For icing: 2 – 3 tbsp cucumber juice and 100g icing sugar

Method

The cucumber preparation should be done a few hours before making the cake.

  1. Peel the cucumbers and slice in half along their lengths, if the seeds are large scrape them out with a teaspoon and discard or put in a small sieve to catch the juice.
  2. Grate the cucumber over a sieve which is over a bowl, the cucumber needs to drain/dry out a little and you will need the juice for the icing.
  3. Grease and line a 5cm deep 30cm x 20cm tin or 2 x 20cm round cake tins with baking parchment.
  4. Heat oven to 180C/ fan 160C.
  5. Beat together the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, bicarb, mixed spice until smooth
  6. Stir in 200g of the grated drained cucumber.
  7. Divide the mixture between the two round tins or pour it all into a large tin and smooth it out.
  8. Pop into the oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
  9. Leave to cool.
  10. Gradually add cucumber juice to the icing sugar and mix until it is a smooth thick but drizzly icing.
  11. Drizzle the icing over the cake and leave to set