Filed under: Gardening Tips, Jason Hornbuckle - Lewtrenchard Manor (Devon), Keep up with the Gardens
I love this time of year when peas and beans are in season – there is an abundance of produce coming into the Lewtrenchard kitchen….we are currently working on a new Garden menu so watch this space for more recipes…..
According to Martin, the gardener, peas are actually green beans and technically, they’re not a vegetable, they’re a legume.
Martin’s tips for growing peas – They are one of the first vegetables to be planted and one of the first to be harvested. They can be sown in November or overwintering or March to June- use a small amount of base fertilizer. Peas generally thrive in moist and cool weather. In hot weather keep an eye out for pea moth which can be damaging to the plants. Most peas grow best up pea sticks.
Harvest usually May onwards – check the plants 3 weeks after flowering has commenced. Pods which are shiny and plump are ripe and ready for picking.
Here are some of my favourite recipes – which are easy to follow, nutritious and delicious!
Pea Soup
250ml of chicken stock
50g duck fat
1 sprig of thyme
2 cloves of garlic
Salt and pepper
8 oz fresh peas
Boil the chicken stock with the duck fat, thyme and garlic – add a little pinch of salt
When boiling rapidly add the fresh peas and cook until tender.
Liquidise and pass through a sieve.
Re-season with salt and pepper and serve immediately with nice crusty bread.
Fresh garden pea salad
6 oz fresh peas shelled but raw
8 baby carrots peeled and cooked in salted water
100g washed rocket salad
2 baby gem lettuce cut in quarters
1 sprig fresh mint chopped
Small bunch of chives chopped
For the Dressing:
200ml extra virgin oil
25 ml lemon juice
1 teaspoon English mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1 clove of garlic (crushed)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 sprig of tarragon chopped
Whisk all the ingredients of the dressing together and season with salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over all the ingredients and gently coat the salad and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Filed under: 1, Gardening Tips, Jason Hornbuckle - Lewtrenchard Manor (Devon), Keep up with the Gardens, Martin Ashley (Lewtrenchard Manor), Recipes
One of my favourite fruits (or is it really a vegetable? ) I’ll have to ask Martin…..
We started re-growing rhubarb in our walled garden a couple of years ago and since then it’s been a favourite on my menu at this time of year – Martin advises the following for planting:
Buy quality rhubarb crown from the local nursery. Plant them in November with plenty of farmyard manure underneath them.Don’t pull the rhubarb in the first year, allow growth and pull them in the second year. If the crowns grow too large they can be dug up and split with a spade into two or four, depending on size. Each crown can be re-planted in November. They need to be kept in moist soil.Do not put the leaves on a compost heap as they are poisonous . Never cut the rhubarb always pull it, don’t let it grow too large or it will become woody and inedible.
Stop pulling the rhubarb in September.
Good advice from Martin… – now onto the best bit….dessert…a crumble or a fool is delicious but I like the following: with another Lewtrenchard favourite – strawberries….
Strawberry and crème fraiche parfait with rhubarb sorbet
Makes 10 individual portions
100 ml water
125g strawberries
75g sugar
125g crème fraiche
35g egg whites(for the meringue)
35g sugar(for the meringue)
250g semi whipped cream
For the strawberry puree take 125g strawberries, put into pan, add the water and add 75g sugar. Bring to the boil and leave to simmer for 30 mins. Take off the heat and leave to cool. Whilst waiting for the strawberries to cool separate the eggs. Use the egg whites, whisk continually whilst adding sugar slowly. Whisk to a firm peak. Go back to the strawberries and blend into a puree. Fold the puree into the meringue mix. Last of all semi whip the cream and crème fraiche to a ribbon consistency then fold the two mixtures together. Pour into moulds and place in the freezer.
Take out of freezer five minutes before serving.
Rhubarb sorbet
250g Rhubarb
250ml water
100g sugar
100ml water
Peel and cut rhubarb and place into a pan. Add water and sugar and bring to the boil. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the rhubarb is cooked right through. Take off the heat and leave to cool. Once cool blend the mixture until smooth. Add the second measure of water and mix together. Put the mixture into a container and into the freezer. Whisk lightly every 15 minutes until it sets.
Take out of freezer five minutes before serving. Serve on top of parfait.
More Strawberry recipes coming soon – we have a chef demo coming up on the 26th June – for culinary creations with strawberries….
Filed under: Jason Hornbuckle - Lewtrenchard Manor (Devon)
I thoroughly enjoyed our debut at the Devon County Show this past weekend – the weather was glorious and it was a true celebration of the county. I was lucky enough to be invited along by the SWRDA as a local chef demonstrating simple cooking using the finest of local seasonal ingredients. I used Lewtrenchard soft fruits and other fruits from local farms to make refreshing smoothies and as fast as I was blending them they were being guzzled by the masses and loved by all – as I kept saying – it’s such a simple way to ensure you get your five a day! I went on throughout the day to make foccacia bread with local smoked bacon, blue cheese and onion – perfect for picnics – will be posting the recipe very soon so watch this space!
Filed under: Jason Hornbuckle - Lewtrenchard Manor (Devon), Keep up with the Kitchen, Recipes
Ingredients (serves 4):
6 Smoked Herring Fillets
1 Carrot
Half a Celeriac
3 Sticks of Celery
Small Bunch of Chopped Parsley
Picked Chervil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Juice of 1 Lemon
8 Scallops
1 Bunch of Spring Onions
Salt and Pepper
Method:
Finely cut the celeriac, celery and carrot into strips and mix in a bowl with the chopped parsley and chervil.
Add the olive oil and lemon juice.
Cut the smoked herring fillets into small strips and add to the bowl and mix gently.
Season with salt and pepper.
Make a small tower in the centre of the plate with the smoked herring mixture leaving the juice in the bowl.
Finely chop the spring onions and add to the juice in the bowl and drizzle around the tower.
Pan fry the scallops in a hot pan with a little oil and caramelise on both sides. Serve two on each plate either side of the tower.
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