Bergamot Marmalade

Deliciously sharp and tangy organic bergamots are currently in season, so why not make this fantastic marmalade!

Rinse and dry the bergamots, trim off the stem ends, then cut each in half and remove any seeds.

Using a sharp knife slice the bergamots as thinly as possible. Don’t use a food processor, as that will make the finished marmalade cloudy.

Put the sliced bergamots in a large pan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Let boil for five minutes, then drain well. This blanches the bergamot peel and removes any bitterness.

Return the bergamots to the pan, add preserving sugar, a litre of water, and a generous pinch of sea salt, and bring to a boil. Cook the bergamots, stirring occasionally, until the marmalade begins to set using the wrinkle test: turn the marmalade off and put a dab on a plate that’s been in the freezer then check it after five minutes; if it wrinkles when you nudge it, it’s done. If not, continue to cook, repeating this step, until it reaches the desired consistency.

Depending on the heat, the marmalade will take at least 30 minutes to reach this point, although if you’re used to making other jams, it will look slightly more liquid than others when done. You can also use a jam thermometer; the jam will be done when the temperature reaches around 105ºC.

Once done, carefully ladle into clean sterilised jars and twist on the lids. Once cool, store in the refrigerator, where they’ll keep for at least six months.

Blackberry Gelato

Pour double cream and whole milk into a pan with the seeds and casing of a vanilla pod. Heat the mixture until it boils, then immediately take it off the heat. 

In a food processor, beat organic free-range egg yolks and raw organic caster sugar to a thick, pale yellow consistency. 

From the boiled cream mixture, carefully remove the vanilla pod, then thinly dribble the hot milk liquid into the egg mix, keeping the food processor going all the time to prevent the mixture from curdling. Then return the combined eggs yolks, sugar and milk back to the saucepan and heat gently, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool down to room temperature.

In a blender, reduce your blackberries to a pulp and sieve to remove any lingering pips. Stir the gorgeously bright purple smooth berry purée into the custard mixture.

Churn the combined mixture in an ice cream maker until it’s frozen. Spoon into a freezer-proof container and freeze for at least an hour. 

Golden Beetroot Tart Tatin

The arrival of some handsome golden beetroot prompted this delicious lunch dish, with flaky pastry, soft, salty goats cheese and the sweet earthiness of the beetroot. 

Cook the beetroot in a pressure cooker with a cupful of water; this should only take about 15 minutes. Once cooked, release the pressure and set the beetroot aside to cool, then cut into thick, juicy slices. 

In a heavy oven-proof frying pan, heat some raw organic caster sugar until it melts into a golden caramel, add a pinch of flaky sea salt, butter and a slug of deep, rich sherry vinegar. The mixture will bubble and spit vigorously, so be careful and use protective oven glove. Keep on stiring carefully until it turns deep brown. Add in a dollop of organic honey and strew the caramel with some fronds of thyme for both flavour and decoration. Remove from the heat.

Arrange the slices of beetroot around the pan in a fan or flower shape (taking care not to burn your fingers on the hot caramel). Season with salt and a grind of white and green pepper. 

Roll out a sheet of butter-rich puff pastry, then place over the top of the beetroot, carefully tucking the edges of the pastry sheet down around the sides of the pan. Put the pan in the oven to bake until the pastry lid is puffed up and golden brown. 

Remove the pan from the oven and hold a large plate firmly in place over the frying pan. In one swift, confident move, flip the two over, so the tarte comes out onto the plate. Allow a few moments for the liquid caramel to drizzle out over the beetroot. 

Sprinkle chunks of soft, salty goats cheese over the top and serve with a glass of crisp dry white wine and a peppery watercress salad. 

Our own apple juice

One of the real joys of living at ‘Meadow View’ is the produce we can grow here. From the Spring blossom right through to the Autumn harvest, we enjoy watching the apple crop grow on our trees. 

This year, we had a bumper crop of nearly 50kg of apples and we were delighted to be invited by our friends Anne-Marie and Stephen Tuck from Highgate Farm to watch our apples being turned into home-grown juice for our B&B guests. 

Steven poured the apples into a machine that chipped the apples into little shreds, then these were placed into a pneumatic press. 

The inflatable bladder pressed all the juice from the pulped apple chips and we watched as it ran down the side of the press in rivulets. 

The juice was collected, bottled and pasteurised within hours of being picked from our trees, and has a fresh, slightly tart flavour that goes really well with our breakfasts. It’s great to be able to tell guests that the juice they’re enjoying was made from fruit grown within sight of the dining room.

Potato Lasagne

(vegetarian, and can be made gluten-free)

This makes a really substantial supper dish, perfect for winter teatimes.

Sauté some thinly sliced onions with a little raw caster sugar to enhance the sweetness. Let them turn soft and lightly caramelised. Put these aside, and blitz black olives and rosemary in a food processor into a chunky paste. 

Prepare an ovenproof dish by brushing with a little olive oil. Peel large, floury potatoes and slice as thin as possible - a food processor is probably best. Take a sheet of lasagne, spread some of the olive paste over it and lay in the dish. Once the olive-smeared lasagne sheets cover the base of the dish, spoon over some of the onions. Onto these, place a layer of overlapping potato slices. Repeat the layers until the dish is full and the ingredients are used up - the uppermost layer should be potatoes.

Whisk together double cream, milk, crushed garlic, finely chopped sage, grated Parmesan and Gruyère, and pour the mixture over the lasagne layers. 

Cover the dish with foil and bake in the oven. For the last 20 minutes, remove the foil and scatter over some more grated Parmesan to form a bubbly golden cheese crust. Serve with fresh bread (we made honey brioche rolls) and a crisp salad.