Manor Farm
Fringford
Bicester
Oxfordshire OX27 8DP
Unusual to serve on a barbeque and are bound to be popular.
Make a marinade of 2 tbsp each of olive oil and lemon juice, season with black pepper and a couple
of cloves of chopped garlic and add a handful each of chopped fennel
and parsley.
Marinate 400g each of salmon and cod in large cubes with 16 large prawns and 8
bay leaves for an hour.
Thread onto skewers, with peppers and cherry tomatoes if you wish, before grilling.
Hot and Herby BBQ rub is great with chicken, turkey, salmon, aubergine and other substantial vegetables.
Grind or blend together:
This is enough for 4 chicken thighs or the equivalent and will keep in the fridge for up to a week.
If you have time, wrap the feta in kitchen paper for up to an hour to draw out any excess moisture.
Pre-heat your grill to high.
Choose a small oven proof dish which will just hold the feta block and sprinkle the thyme and lavender on top of the cheese.
Season with pepper and a little salt — remember feta is quite salty already.
Drizzle over the honey and grill the dish for about 5 minutes until golden and bubbling.
All grills are different so keep and eye on it so it doesn't overcook.
Leave for a couple of minutes before serving, garnished with the extra lavender flowers.
This is a really easy recipe to double or even triple depending on your number of guests.
Slice about 500g courgettes about as thick as a pound coin.
Heat a wide frying pan and drizzle with a little olive oil.
Sauté the courgettes with the zest of a lemon, 2 finely chopped garlic cloves and ¼ tsp turmeric until they are tender and golden.
Toss in 1 tbsp each of finely chopped apple mint and garlic chives just before serving.
Serves 2–3
A quick and healthy side dish.
Chop the fenugreek coarsely just before you need it. If you chop it up in advance it tends to be bitter.
In a wok, stir fry the mustard and cumin seeds, when they start to pop add the fenugreek
and stir fry for about 5 minutes until the water evaporates.
Add the carrots, spices and salt and continue to stir fry until the carrots are cooked but still with a little bite.
This is a quick and tasty side dish to serve with virtually anything!
Serves 3 – 4
One pot dishes with herbs are great: all the herby flavours have time to infuse through the dish.
Try this full flavoured chicken dish — for a veggie option replace the chicken with wedges of butternut squash.
Method:
This is always good time to start increasing the amount of vegetables which we eat.
A satisfying Minestrone soup / stew can help boost your 5 a day and also use up all those odds and ends that accumulate in the vegetable drawer of the fridge.
The ingredients can vary depending on what you have to hand — this is just a guide.
Method:
At this point you can add some pieces of cooked chicken, gammon or slices of cooked smoked sausage, but meat isn't necessary if you want a vegetarian feast.
When the pasta is cooked in about 10 minutes, taste and add pepper and salt to taste.
Some stock is quite salty so you may not need much salt.
Serve ladled into bowls with grated cheese to hand around and some nice crusty bread.
If you have made your own dough why not try your hand at making Traditional Turkish pide.
These boat shaped pizzas originate from the Samsun area of the Black Sea and have been around for a long time — going back to the Ottoman era.
The dough should be rolled into thin rectangles 30cm x 10cm.
Put your chosen topping onto each piece of dough leaving a 2cm border all around the edge.
Fold the 2 long borders over onto the topping to make a rim, then squeeze and twist each end together,
so the pide looks a bit like a rather long canoe.
Traditionally the pide is brushed with melted butter before baking in a very hot oven for 5 – 8 minutes,
but you can use an egg wash if you prefer.
Classic Turkish pide toppings include Halloumi cheese, feta, peppers, chilli, olives, red onions and sliced sucuk (a type of turkish sausage) — usually there are 2 or 3 different toppings per pide seasoned with sumac or lemon juice, salt and black pepper and of course herbs of your choice — mint, parsley or winter savory are all great.
Served of course with a suitable salad, try our Middle Eastern diced salad or look through our recipe selection online.
Red Onion Pizza is a colourful vegetarian option and a and popular mid week supper. Divided into 3 stages you can take short cuts or go for the full home-made recipe if you have a bit more time.
Stage 1: Pizza base.
There are lots of good shop bought bases readily available for those days when you are in a hurry.
Alternatively a bread machine makes a great dough ready to roll out.
Use the recipe in your instruction booklet and try adding 2 tbsp of finely chopped rosemary
to the dough to give a herby flavour.
450g of bread flour makes enough dough for 4 good sized pizzas.
Stage 2: The tomato sauce.
Short on time — there are lots of brands of pizza sauce on the market.
However whilst you are preparing the toppings it's quick and easy to make your own with a few store cupboard ingredients.
Stage 3: The toppings.
Preparation and baking:
Cooking times vary tremendously depending on the ferocity of your oven — anything from 5 to 10 minutes.
Keep a close eye on them and, when the crust is just starting to go golden, remove from the oven and
add the parmesan.
Carry on baking for just a couple of minutes more to melt the parmesan and finish the crust.
Serve with some ground black pepper, sea salt and freshly picked wild rocket leaves.
In summer it's good to have a repertoire of quick cooking meals so we can make the most of being outdoors.
Pizza tops the bill and is universally popular in most households. It's quick and easy to make your own rather than buy the ready made supermarket varieties.
You can buy ready made pizza bases to speed things along or use our recipe for flatbread which is ideal to use as a pizza base either with or without the herbs and garlic.
Homemade tomato sauce is a 10 minute task. This makes enough to top 2 medium sized pizzas.
Pizza Toppings — everyone has their favourites: sometimes it's good to try something different!
Shredded parma ham goes well with crumbled goats cheese and greek basil.
Spinach, feta and mint:
Lamb and chilli is a traditional turkish topping:
Pizzas need to be baked in the hottest oven you can manage. They take 5 – 8 minutes depending a lot on your oven, fan ovens are fastest. Just keep an eye on them every minute or so.
Serves 3 – 4 as a side dish
Method:
Not only do these pears taste great with the roasts mentioned above but they also go well with cold cuts or rissoles made with the left overs.
Scrambled eggs with mixed soft herbs make a quick and tasty addition to Sunday Brunch or as a light lunch, serve with slices of good bread.
For 2 people — beat 4 eggs in a bowl with a whisk until light and fluffy.
Beat in 25ml milk, 1 tbsp cream or crème fraiche, some salt and pepper and 1 heaped tbsp finely chopped fresh herbs — your choice, we like the combination of garlic chives and parsley.
Melt a small knob of butter in a medium pan and cook the egg mixture stirring constantly until lightly scrambled. Serve with toast and sprinkle over more chopped herbs if you like.
For a more substantial brunch or a light supper try our Turkish Eggs.
Serves 2
For a more substantial brunch or a light supper try our Turkish Eggs.
Inspired by similar dishes in the Eastern Mediterranean, this tasty dish makes the most of fresh herbs.
The ingredients in this dish can vary depending on what ingredients to hand. We have been served it made with watercress and even lettuce instead of the classic spinach, although the rocket is an important ingredient because of its peppery taste.
Method:
Serves 4
Whilst this sounds rather sweet and pudding-like it is actually an Italian speciality.
The addition of lots of onion and balsamic vinegar makes it totally savoury.
About half an hour before you want to start cooking, quarter the strawberries and mix with
the balsamic vinegar to infuse. Reserve a few for garnish.
This is great served with a plain green salad with the addition of plenty of green herbs like flat leaf parsley, garlic chives and some shredded sorrel leaves.
In a small pan combine all the ingredients except the hyssop and simmer gently over a low heat until the carrots are tender. Remove the lid after 10 minutes so that the liquid reduces to a syrupy glaze. Add the finely chopped hyssop leaves and toss together before serving.
Typical Chimichurri contains parsley, oregano and lots of garlic. Borage, and indeed mint leaves, can replace some or all of the parsley to make a delicious alternative to serve with chicken and fish.
Add everything to the food processor except the oil and turn on to chop the herbs. Keep the motor running and slowly pour in the olive oil until it is all combined, a bit like making mayonnaise. The best taste develops if you make this a few hours before serving.
This serves 4 people and can also be part of a Boxing Day buffet.
A brilliant way to cook cauliflower, crunchy and concentrated in flavour — a far cry from boiled and watery offerings!
Use either tinned chickpeas — drained and rinsed, or soak and cook some dried ones.
For the cauliflower:
For the chickpeas:
To serve:
Preheat your oven to 200°C / 400°F / gas mark 6.
Cut the cauliflower florets from the main stem so that they are each no larger than 2cm,
any bigger ones can be halved. In a baking tray toss them with the oil, coriander and garlic.
Spread out and cook for 30 minutes until golden.
To prepare the chickpeas – sauté the garlic, cumin seeds, paprika and winter savory for a few moments
before stirring in the chickpeas. Just cover the chick peas with water and cook uncovered until
the water has nearly evaporated, this should take 10 – 20 minutes. Season to taste.
To serve: Make a bed of shredded lettuce and spread the roasted cauliflower on top.
Sprinkle the chickpeas with lemon juice and spoon over the cauliflower.
Top with tablespoons of thick Greek yoghurt, and anchovy fillets if you wish, then sprinkle over
your chosen green herb.
Using dried beans in this recipe is it much more economical
and
the taste and texture are so much better than the tinned variety.
This warm and creamy dish is great with salmon or any other fish.
Serves 2 – 3
To garnish:
Plan ahead and put the beans to soak the night before in plenty of cold water.
When you are ready to cook, drain the beans, cover with fresh water and bring to the boil.
After 10 minutes boiling turn down to a low simmer for 20 minutes then drain well.
Meanwhile heat the oil in a medium sized pan and sauté the onion and celery until softened but not brown.
Stir in the savory and beans with enough of the stock to just cover.
Cover the pan and simmer until the beans are nice and soft, this can take from 30 minutes to an hour depending on the type
and age of the beans that you used.
Keep an eye on the beans, if they absorb all of the stock add a little more.
There should not be much liquid left in the pan when the beans are cooked,
if it is still a bit too
moist then cook for another 15 minutes with the lid off of the pan.
Stir in the lemon juice, crème fraiche and grated cheese, and add salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon into a serving dish and garnish with more cheese and the chopped parsley before serving.
If you forget to soak the beans then use 2 x 400 g cans of pre-cooked ones, just rinse them well to
freshen them up and reduce the amount of stock to 150 ml. The cooking time after adding the beans
will only be 15 minutes, just enough for the flavours to mingle.
Makes a quick and economical lunch or supper dish, served with a green leafy salad.
Serves 4 - 6
Preheat the oven to 180C, 350F or Gas mark 4.
Crush the garlic cloves and then chop finely, mix into the softened butter.
Cut the crusts from the bread and spread the garlic butter onto the slices, then cut each slice into quarters.
Use the bread pieces, butter side down, to line a shallow ovenproof dish (25 x 20 cm or similar).
Sprinkle over the garlic chives.
Beat all the remaining ingredients together in a large bowl with an electric whisk until well mixed.
Pour over the bread and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately with a green salad.
This serves 4 - 6 people, depending on appetite.
Adding the herbs at the end of cooking preserves all their lovely flavours and fragrance.
You can of course vary the herbs depending on those which you have available.
Basil,
chives
and garlic chives
and oregano are all lovely substitutes - anything with a soft leaf.
Melt the butter in a large heavy based saucepan and gently sauté the onions until golden and soft but not too brown.
Meanwhile rinse the rice well under cold water, leave to soak for 5 minutes and then drain well.
Add the rice to the onions and stir gently until all of the grains are coated in butter.
Pour in the stock and salt. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to as low as possible.
Cover and cook for 15 minutes when all of the stock will have been absorbed.
Remove from the heat, place a clean tea towel or sheets of kitchen paper over the pan and replace the lid on top.
Leave to stand for 10 minutes whilst you prepare the herbs.
Gently loosen the rice with a fork and add the herbs and some black pepper to season before serving.
Serves 6 as a side dish, or 2 - 3 as a main course.
Preheat your oven to 400F, 200C or Gas mark 6.
Bring 250 ml of the stock to the boil in a small saucepan.
Stir in the couscous, cover and leave to stand for 10 minutes, then fluff up with a fork.
Meanwhile sauté the onions and courgettes in a little bit of oil in a medium sized pan for 5 minutes until they soften. Add the mushrooms, herbs and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes more.
Combine this vegetable mixture with the couscous, and half of the grated cheese.
Mix in the remaining stock, egg and seasoning.
Spoon into a greased baking dish and top with the remaining cheese.
Bake for about 30 minutes until golden brown.
Mix together 150 g softened butter with 1 tablespoon each of French mustard and grated horseradish, season with salt and black pepper and use with sweet corn cobs, grilled fish and to liven up winter vegetables.
Serves 4
Preheat the oven to 400F, Gas Mark 6 or 200C (180C fan).
Place each chicken breast in a plastic bag and flatten slightly by bashing with a rolling pin.
This helps it cook more evenly.
Place 3 sprigs of lavender on top of each breast and wrap 2 pieces of bacon around each one to enclose the lavender.
Transfer to a shallow oven proof dish so that the side of the chicken with the lavender on is uppermost
and season well with ground black pepper and salt, and the chilli flakes if you decide to use them.
Bake for 20 minutes and then sprinkle on the cheese.
Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
Serve with new potatoes dressed with minty butter and sautéed courgettes.
Combine all the ingredients and crush coarsely in a mortar and pestle, or in a strong plastic bag with a rolling pin. Store in a small jar to rub onto your roasts or barbecue meat.
Fennel enhances the flavour of oily fish,
cooked whole either on the BBQ or under the grill.
Wash and dry whole cleaned fish such as mackerel or red mullet and sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
Fill the inside of each fish with as many fennel leaves as possible.
Brush with oil and grill or BBQ for 10 – 12 minutes until brown on both sides.
Arrange more fennel stalks on a serving dish and lay the fish on top of them to serve, garnished with lemon wedges.
This stuffing can be used to fill 4 fish prior to grilling, a large roasting chicken or courgette halves with the seeds hollowed out, stuffed and baked in the oven until tender.
Melt the butter in a small pan over a gentle heat and soften the finely chopped onion for about 10 minutes but do not allow to brown. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and mix gently, season to taste.
An unusual recipe for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. The cheese can be either grilled or cooked on a barbecue. Halloumi cheese stays solid when heated unlike most other cheeses that melt and drip.
Dry the halloumi and cut into slices about 2 cm thick and place in a wide shallow dish.
Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over the cheese slices,
turning them so that they are well coated with the marinade.
Cover and place in the fridge, leave to marinate for as long as possible up to a maximum of 24 hours.
Grill or barbecue the halloumi slices, turning frequently, for 10 minutes until they are brown on the edges.
The grilled halloumi is particularly nice served with the
red rice salad recipe.
Tomato sauce can be used as a base for pizzas or pasta dishes. It freezes well and can be made in bulk. In summer, if there is a glut, fresh peeled tomatoes can be substituted for the tinned ones.
Heat the oil and gently fry the onion and garlic until soft and golden. Add the rest of the ingredients and season to taste. Simmer on a low heat in the covered pan for 30 minutes then remove the lid and simmer a little longer until the sauce has thickened.
The sauce maybe served hot or cold, with chicken, poached or hard-boiled eggs and seasonal vegetables such as asparagus.
Fry the onion in the oil until it is just starting to brown.
Lower the heat, stir in the flour and cook for one minute.
Gradually add the stock and bring to the boil stirring constantly until the sauce has thickened.
Add the salad burnet leaves and the crème fraiche and mix the sauce well.
Reheat before serving if required hot.
Add the swede to a large pan of boiling water and simmer for about 15 minutes until very tender.
Drain very well and mash with the rest of the ingredients
Use this instead of the usual mashed potato to top your favourite cottage or shepherds pie base,
three large peeled and chopped carrots can be substituted for half of the swede for change.
A recipe to use all those chives!
In a wide sauté pan or frying pan melt the butter with the oil and sauté the potatoes, onions, garlic
and seasoning over a low heat, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes,
or until the potatoes are starting to go golden brown.
Add the diced peppers and cook again for another 5 or 10 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
Add the olives and snip in the chives using a pair of scissors, heat through for a couple of minutes
and serve straight away from the pan.
Excellent with grilled meats, BBQs and cold meat and any other well flavoured dish, or on its own as a light lunch.
Method:
This recipe is a quick lunch for 3-4 or can be served as part of a main meal with chicken kebabs or other grilled meat.
Preheat your oven to 200C, 400F or Gas Mark 6.
Mix the prepared vegetables with the rosemary and half of the olive oil in a small roasting tin and cook for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and add the tomatoes, stir gently and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes
Meanwhile prepare the couscous as per the instructions on the pack
and whisk together the vinegar, mustard, honey with the remaining oil in a small bowl to make the dressing,
season to taste.
When the vegetables are nearly ready, melt the butter in a large pan and gently sauté;
the couscous for 3 – 4 minutes. Divide the couscous between individual plates and top with the roasted vegetables.
Drizzle over the dressing to taste.
(Serves 2 – 3)
First blanch the beans in a pan of boiling salted water for just 3 minutes.
Drain and put straight into a bowl of cold water to stop them cooking further and retain their bright green colour.
When cool drain well in a sieve.
In a medium sized pan heat the oil and gently fry the bacon and onion until soft.
If using halloumi add this when the onion is nearly done.
Add the garlic, chilli flakes and rosemary, stir to mix all the ingredients together then add the drained beans.
Cook stirring gently so that the beans don't break up for 3 minutes, then add the tomato pieces and
cook for a further 3 minutes or until the tomatoes start to soften but still retain their shape.
(Chicken with a chocolate sauce – serves 4)
For the sauce:
Preheat the oven to 180C, 350F or Gas Mark 4.
Place the chicken thighs into a baking dish and drizzle with the oil, sprinkle over the cumin
and bake in the oven for 45 minutes, cover with a little foil for the first 30 minutes
to keep the chicken from becoming too brown.
Meanwhile make the sauce.
Heat the oil in a medium pan and soften the onion.
Add the almonds, tomatoes, sultanas, tortillas, cinnamon and chillies and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes.
Pour in the chicken stock and simmer for 5 minutes more.
Using a blender, puree to give a smooth sauce.
Return the sauce to the heat, stir in the chocolate and 1½ tbs of the mint,
and stir until the sauce is thick.
Pour a little of the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with the remaining mint.
Serve with brown rice and the rest of the sauce.
In a bowl dissolve the salt and sugar in the boiling water, stir in the lemon verbena leaves and allow to cool completely.
Choose a flat dish just large enough to hold the fillets of salmon in a single layer.
Arrange the salmon skin side uppermost in the bottom and pour over the marinade.
Refrigerate whilst the salmon marinates, allow 30 – 40 minutes for thin fillets — the tail end,
and 50 – 60 minutes for the marinade to penetrate a thicker fillet.
Rinse and dry the salmon, brush with the olive oil, and either grill or fry.
Choose a mix of veggies - carrots, swede, parsnips, squash and sweet potato all work well.
Peel and cut 500g into 2cm cubes and parboil for 5 minutes.
Drain and add to a roasting dish and toss with a large knob of butter, some ground black pepper
and 2 tbs of chopped orange thyme leaves.
Sprinkle over 3 tbs orange juice and roast at 180°C for about 15 - 20 minutes,
until the vegetables are tender and starting to brown.