OUR VEGETARIAN BLOG
Microwave brown sauce
This is a delicious balance of savoury and sweet. Great to have in the fridge, ready to elevate the next late-night dinner of cheese on toast to a special treat. It also makes an excellent gift as part of a hamper of good cheeses and crackers.If you haven’t got a…
Lemon curd
This makes a great gift and can be prepared well in advance and kept in the fridge. We have tried using other fruit juices for this, such as lime and passion fruit, and they both work really well. It’s best spread on hot buttered toast or served with our White…
Basic shortcrust pastry
This is a simple shortcrust. The savoury version can be used for pies and quiches; the sweet makes a great base for tarts. The trick is in rolling out the pastry between two sheets of baking parchment – this way you don’t need to use any extra flour so the mix stays…
Apple chutney
An essential, this goes with almost anything. We use Braeburn apples, which have a good balance of acidity and sweetness, but feel free to experiment with different varieties such as Cox’s, Bramley or russet, which will each lend their particular character to your…
Truffled mushroom and dill pâté sandwich
This recipe started life as something called mushroom duxelles, a French recipe which is part of the classic beef Wellington. Ironically, we have transformed it into a vegan recipe. Adding the dill helps to balance the richness of the truffley mushrooms and creates…
Strawberry, mint and tomato salad
It may seem strange to pair strawberries and tomatoes, but technically they are both fruits. When you can get sweet tomatoes at the height of summer, their slight acidity balances well with the strawberries (tomatoes run the risk of being a bit too acidic at other…
Scotch duck egg with tomato jam
This is a really interesting dish. As it has a meaty feel to it, the sweet and sour of the tomato jam makes a good complement. You can serve these hot straight away, or allow to cool, chill and serve with a salad, or take to work for lunch. Try omitting the sage and…
Pickled cucumbers and gherkins in horseradish vinegar
The idea for horseradish vinegar came from Hungary – it’s quite popular over there. This dish has quite a kick, so try serving it with a Red onion, vintage Cheddar and sage pasty (see here), or anything else which is a bit rich. This recipe will make more vinegar than…
Piccalilli
Piccalilli started life in India – the English brought the idea back to England and adapted it to what we know today. When you look at the ingredients, you can see the Indian influence in spices such as turmeric. A lot of recipes ask you to sprinkle the vegetables…
Heritage potato salad with truffled mayonnaise
A trendy version of good old potato salad. Heritage potatoes are actually varieties which were commonplace before the Second World War. To feed the country, new types of potato were introduced which were easier to grow and gave a higher yield. When the war was over,…
Fruity carrot coleslaw
We use dried rather than fresh fruit in this coleslaw because, if you add apple or orange, they tend to become soft and mushy as they sit in the mayonnaise. The dried fruit also gives individual hits of sweetness as you eat it … and you probably have some dried fruit…
Courgette, marjoram and toasted almond salad
This combination of soft courgette and crunchy almonds makes a great side salad. Try adding a little English feta (see here) and some granary bread croutons to turn it into a meal. If you cannot get hold of marjoram – and it can be tricky – try oregano instead. If you…