asparagus
aubergine
beetroot
broad beans
broccoli
carrots
courgettes
cucumber
fennel
french beans
garlic
jersey royal new potatoes
kohlrabi
lettuces and salad leaves
mangetout new potatoes
onions
peas
potatoes (maincrop)
radishes
rhubarb
rocket
runner beans
samphire
spinach
spring onions
turnips
watercress
wild mushrooms
wild nettles

Fruit

apricots
blueberries
cherries
chillies
gooseberries
greengages
kiwi fruit
lemons
loganberries
melons
oranges
peaches
raspberries
redcurrants
strawberries
tomatoes

Herbs, Flowers, Fungi & Nuts

basil
chervil
chives
coriander
dill
mint
mushrooms (cultivated)
mushrooms (wild)
oregano, parsley (curly)
parsley (flat-leaf)
rosemary
sage
sorrel
tarragon
thyme

beef
chicken
lamb
pork
rabbit
venison,
wood pigeon

Fish & Seafood

cockles
cod
coley
conger eel
crab
dab
dover sole
grey mullet
haddock
halibut
herring
john dory
lemon sole
lobster
mackerel
plaice
pollack
prawns
salmon
sardines
scallops
sea bass
sea bream
sea trout
shrimp
squid
whelks
whitebait

Flour (one and a half cups) 170g
Baking powder (1 teaspoon)
Salt (half a teaspoon)
Unsalted butter (one and a half sticks) 170g
Light brown sugar (one cup)100g
Dark brown sugar (half a cup)100g
Eggs (2 large)
Vanilla extract (one and a half teaspoons)
Milk chocolate chips (one cup) 110g
Toffee chips (quarter cup plus 2 tablespoons)
Toasted almonds, coarsely chopped (half cup)226g/ 8oz

Method

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Line and butter a baking tray (9×9x2 inch) with parchment paper allowing a 2 inch overhang. Butter the lining too.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter; add both sugars and whisk until combined and sugar is melted (approximately five minutes).
4. Transfer the mixture into a medium bowl and let cool. Whisk in the vanilla and eggs until combined. Add the flour and whisk until just integrated.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips, toffee chips and almonds.
6. Transfer mixture to the baking tray.
7. Bake for 24-27 minutes or until slight cracks are observed at the top and to touch, is firm and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out with most pieces clinging onto it.
8. Once this is done, remove onto a wire rack and let it cool down completely.
9. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 2 inch squares.

Balsamic vinegar (half a cup)
Dijon mustard (1 tablespoon)
Coarsely chopped garlic (2 cloves)
Olive oil (1 cup)
Salt, freshly ground pepper

Courgettes, green, quartered lengthwise (x2)
Courgettes, yellow, quartered lengthwise (x2)
Asparagus, trimmed (10 spears)
Cherry tomatoes ( x12)
Red bell pepper, quartered and seeded (x1)
Yellow bell pepper, quartered and seeded (x1)
Basil chiffonade (quarter cup)
Coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley (quarter cup)

Olive oil (3 tablespoons)
Couscous (0.5kg)
Salted vegetable stock or water, heated (4 cups)

Method

1. Whisk together the vinegar, mustard and garlic, slowly adding in the olive oil until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Pour half the marinade over all the vegetables and let it sit at room temperature.
2. Preheat the grill and grill the vegetables after removing from the marinade. Let them just cook through. Cut the aubergine and peppers into half inch pieces, the tomatoes in half and the asparagus into half inch pieces.
3. Over medium-heat, heat the olive oil, adding the couscous. Toast until lightly golden brown. Cover the couscous with the hot stock and bring to the boil. Cook until al dente and drain well. Place in a large serving bowl adding the grilled vegetables and herbs. Toss with the remaining vinaigrette and serve at room temperature.

1. Preheat the grill to medium. Pull the outer husks to the base and fold back and tie with kitchen string. Place the corn in a large bowl of cold water with 1 tablespoon of salt for 10 minutes.
2. Remove the corn from the water and shake off any excess. Place the corn on the grill for 15-20 minutes with the cover on. Turn every five minutes or until the kernels are tender when pierced. Remove the husks and eat on the cob.

Basil butter
Slightly softened  unsalted butter (2 sticks)
Tightly packed fresh basil leaves (half a cup)
Sea salt (2 teaspoons)
Freshly ground black pepper (quarter teaspoon)

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Scrape into a bowl and serve at room temperature or can be prepared up to 4 hours in advance, refrigerated and then brought out to room temperature before serving.

Red chilli butter
Slightly softened  unsalted butter (2 sticks)
Chilli powder (2 tablespoons)
Paprika (2 teaspoons)
Honey (2 teaspoons)
Sea salt (2 teaspoons)
Freshly ground black pepper (quarter teaspoon)

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Scrape into a bowl and serve at room temperature or can be prepared up to 8 hours in advance, refrigerated and then brought out to room temperature before serving.

Fresh asparagus (about 24 stalks)
Pure olive oil (3 tablespoons)
Sea salt, freshly ground pepper
Perfectly grilled asparagus

Method

1. Preheat grill to high. You can cut off the bottoms of the asparagus with a knife and peel the bottom half of the stalk.
2. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet, toss with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 3-5 minutes on each side until just crisp tender.

Green peppercorn vinaigrette
White wine vinegar (3 tablespoons)
Dijon mustard (2 teaspoons)
Sea salt (half a teaspoon)
Freshly ground black pepper (quarter teaspoon)
Extra virgin olive oil (quarter cup) 113g/4oz,  plus 2 tablespoons)
Green peppercorns in brine, drained (2 tablespoons)

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper until combined. Whisk in the olive oil slowly until emulsified and stir in the peppercorns. Let the vinaigrette sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. If made in advance, it can last up to eight hours but needs to be refrigerated.

Green chilli vinaigrette
Roasted chillies, peeled, seeded and chopped (x2)
Roasted garlic, peeled (4 cloves)
Red wine vinegar (3 tablespoons)
Lime juice, fresh (3 tablespoons)
Water (quarter cup) 113g/ 4oz.
Honey (1 tablespoon)
Salt, freshly ground pepper
Canola oil (three quarter cup) 340g/ 12oz
Fresh coriander (quarter cup) 113g/4oz.

In a blender, combine chillies, garlic, vinegar, lime juice, water, honey and salt and pepper and blend until smooth. Whilst the blender is on, slowly add the oil until emulsified. Add the coriander, blend for 5 seconds longer.

Rib-eye
Rib-eye steaks 500g/ 1.1lb.
Canola oil
Sea salt, coarsely ground black pepper
Coriander sprigs
Chipotle honey glaze
Roasted pepper relish

Chipotle honey glaze
Honey (half a cup) 227g/ 8oz.
Chipotle puree (1 tablespoon)
Dijon mustard (1 tablespoon)
Canola oil (2 tablespoons)
Sea salt (1 teaspoon)

In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until they are combined.
Roasted pepper relish
Roasted peppers, cut into thin strips (2)
Garlic cloves, finely chopped (2)
Extra virgin olive oil (3 tablespoons)
Finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley (2 tablespoons)
Finely chopped fresh coriander (2 tablespoons)
Sea salt, freshly ground pepper

In a medium sized bowl, combine the ingredients and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

Method

1. Preheat grill to high. Brush the steaks with oil, and generously season with salt and pepper on both sides.
2. Place the steaks on the grill and leave until golden brown and slightly charred (approximately 4-5 minutes). Turn the steaks over and continue to grill for 5-6 minutes for medium-rare doneness. During the last minute of cooking, brush a generous amount of chipotle-honey glaze on top of the steaks.
3. Remove from the grill and brush with more glaze.  Leave for 5 minutes before serving and top each steak with a large dollop of the roasted pepper relish. Garnish with coriander sprigs.

Burger mince 900g/ 2lbs
Sea salt, freshly ground pepper
Homemade mayonnaise (half a cup) 227g/ 8oz.
Roasted garlic, pureed (3 cloves)
Dijon mustard 113g/ 4oz
Hamburger buns (x4)
Thinly sliced smoked ham (x4)
Thinly sliced Swiss cheese (x8)
Dill pickles, sliced into quarter inch thick slices (x2)

Method

1. Preheat grill to high. Make the mince into four thick burgers. Season the mince with salt and pepper on both sides and grill for 2-3 minutes on both sides until the burgers are medium rare.
2. Mix the mayonnaise and roasted garlic with salt and pepper to taste. Spread both sides of each bun with the Dijon mustard and mayonnaise mixture. Place a slice of cheese on the bottom half of the bun, placing the burger on top. Top this with a slice of ham and then another slice of cheese, followed by the pickle slices. Place the top half of the bun on top of the pickles and then wrap the burgers in aluminium foil, placing on the grill.
3. Either using a heavy pan or a brick wrapped in aluminium foil, press down on the burgers for about 30 seconds to one minute. Continue grilling for 1-2 minutes, after lowering the lid until the cheese has melted and the bun has become pressed.

25ml gin
25ml sugar syrup
25ml sloe gin
100ml soda water
20ml fresh lemon juice
Crushed ice and cubed ice
Method

In a cocktail shaker; shake all ingredients together without the ice until a nice froth is observed. Then add in the crushed ice and shake again. Pour into a glass through a sieve to keep out ice splinters. Put some ice cubes into a tumbler and pour in the mixture until it is 4/5 full. Top up with soda water and add in a slice of lemon.

Cocoa trees require warm, moist climates and are largely found in West Africa. The ancient Greek term for the Cocoa Tree is ‘Theobroma Cacao’ meaning ‘Food for the Gods’.

The Mayans and Aztecs believed that the Cocoa Beans originated from Paradise and would bring wisdom and power to anyone consuming them.

The Maya people prepared chocolate strictly for drinking. Chocolate history doesn’t include solid chocolate until the 1850s

The traditional recipe for drinking chocolate consisted of the beans being fermented, and dried. They were then roasted and the shells removed and the rest was ground into a paste. The paste was mixed with hot water and spices, such as chili, vanilla, annatto, allspice, honey, and flowers. Then the mixture was frothed by pouring it back and forth between two containers.

Cocoa Trees produce pods and each pod contains about 20 to 50 coco beans.  Different varieties of bean produce different flavours and are used to make different types of chocolate.

Emperor Montezuma of Mexico drank a Chocolate drink before entering his harem. This gave rise to the notion of Chocolate having aphrodisiac properties.

There is some truth to this myth, since Chocolate contains numerous chemicals including the feel-good stimulants - Caffeine, Theobromine, and Phenyethylamine.

Cocoa Beans were first brought to Europe by the Spanish Conquistadors in 1528

Henri Nestle of Switzerland was the first to create milk chocolate by adding condensed milk to the mixture when making chocolate bars.

Rudolphe Lindt of Switzerland in 1879 was the first to develop a method to give Chocolate a smooth consistency.

Requires:

Granulated sugar
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
4 egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon  salt
2 teaspoons grated lime zest

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F/200C.
2. Butter a 2 pint soufflé dish and dust generously with granulated sugar.
3. Place the soufflé dish in the freezer to chill.
4. Stir 1/4 cup of the caster sugar with the lime juice in a small bowl until the sugar is dissolved.
5. Set aside. Beat the egg whites by hand or with an electric mixer until foamy and then add the salt and the remaining 1/4 cup of caster sugar.
6. Continue beating until the whites hold a soft peak.
7. Gently fold in the lime juice mixture and the zest.
8. Spoon the soufflé mixture into the chilled soufflé dish.
9. Wipe the rim with your fingers or a damp cloth to ensure proper rising.
10. Put the dish on a baking sheet and place in the oven immediately.
11. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, until the soufflé is well risen and lightly browned on top.
12. Serve and eat immediately