Green Food Zone

Ingredients
3 carrots
3 raw beetroots (different colours if possible)
1 bunch of radishes
1 celery heart (with leaves)
½ a small radicchio , or 1 baby gem lettuce
1 fennel bulb
1 lemon
½ a bunch of fresh mint
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Method
1. Wearing a pair of rubber gloves, use a Y-shaped peeler to carefully peel the carrots and beetroots over a chopping board, discarding the peelings.

2. Using the Y-shaped peeler again, shave the carrots and beetroots into nice thin wavy strips, then place in a large mixing bowl.

3. Carefully cut the tops and tails off the radishes, then finely slice and add to the bowl.

4. Trim and finely slice the celery, including any paler inner leaves, then add to the bowl.

5. Trim and finely slice the lettuce, discarding any tatty outer leaves and tough stalky bits, then add to the bowl.

6. Pick the leafy fennel tops and put to one side, then finely slice the fennel bulb and add to the bowl.

7. Cut the lemon in half.

8. Squeeze the juice into a small bowl or a jam jar, using your fingers to catch any pips.

9. Pick and finely chop the mint leaves, keeping the baby ones to one side, then add to the small bowl or jam jar, discarding the stalks.

10. Add the extra virgin olive oil and whisk together with a fork or put the lid securely on the jar and shake well.

11. Taste the dressing and season with a tiny pinch of salt and pepper, if you think it needs it, then pour over the root vegetables and taste again to check you’re happy.

12. Toss the vegetables in the dressing, then transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle over the fennel tops and reserved baby mint
leaves and dig in.

Ingredients
100 g frozen broad beans
225 g halloumi cheese
1 small bunch of asparagus
2 courgettes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots
200 g ripe cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon capers
½ a bunch of fresh sweet marjoram or oregano
½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
DRESSING
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp cider vinegar

Method
Put all the dressing ingredients in a clean jam jar and shake to combine. Set aside.
Cook the broad beans in boiling water for 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain and cool in cold water, then remove and discard the thick, white outer skins.
Cut the halloumi into slices, trim and slice the asparagus, then finely slice the courgettes lengthways. Toss in the olive oil, then season.
Heat a griddle pan over a high heat, then add the asparagus, courgettes and halloumi. Cook until nicely charred, remove and set aside.
Finely slice the shallots into rings, halve the tomatoes, then layer up on a platter with the asparagus, courgettes, halloumi, broad beans and capers.
Chop and scatter over the fresh herbs and finish with a drizzling of the dressing.

Ingredients
1 medium ripe tomato
200 g ripe cherry tomatoes
1 beef tomato
1 medium red onion , peeled
1 cucumber
1 green pepper
1 handful fresh dill
1 handful fresh mint leaves
1 large handful black olives , stoned
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons good-quality Greek extra virgin olive oil
200 g block feta cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Method
I think it’s quite nice to have different shapes and sizes in a salad, so cut your medium tomato into wedges, halve the cherry tomatoes and slice the beef tomato into large rounds. Put all the tomatoes into a large salad bowl. Slice the onion very finely so it’s wafer thin and add to the tomatoes. Scratch a fork down the sides of the cucumber so it leaves deep grooves in the skin, then cut it into thick slices. Deseed your pepper, slice it into rings and add them to the salad along with the cucumber.
Roughly chop the dill and most of the mint leaves, reserving the smaller ones for garnish. Add the chopped herbs to the bowl of salad, then squeeze your handful of olives over so they season the vegetables, then drop them in.
Add a pinch of sea salt, the vinegar and the extra virgin olive oil. Quickly toss everything together with your hands. The minute all those flavours start working with the veg is when the magic starts to happen. Have a taste, and adjust the flavours if need be.
To serve, pop the block of feta right on the top of the salad. Sprinkle the oregano over the top along with the reserved mint leaves, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and take it straight to the table. It’s confident and scruffy with a bit of attitude. Delicious.
PS I’ve been known to pop leftover Greek salad into a liquidizer with a splash of extra virgin olive oil and a few ice cubes, then blitz it up to a smooth consistency so it's basically a Greek gazpacho. It’s not a classic thing to do, but it is very delicious, not to mention a great way of using up leftovers!

Ingredients
1 cucumber
4 tomatoes , on the vine
1 green pepper
6 black olives (stone in)
1 red onion , peeled
extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
red wine vinegar
1 lemon
200 g feta cheese
1 few sprigs of flowering oregano
1 small bunch of fresh mint

Method
Scratch a fork down the sides of the cucumber so it leaves deep grooves in the skin, then chop into erratic slices at an angle. Roughly chop the tomatoes, deseed and slice the pepper lengthways and add to a salad bowl with the chopped veg.
Destone the olives and tear into the bowl. Halve and finely slice the red onion (you can also try shaving it with a speed peeler), then add to the bowl along with a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a good pinch of black pepper and a splash of red wine vinegar.
Toss everything together, then add a good squeeze of lemon juice. Break the feta in half and place on top, add a scattering of flowering oregano, drizzle over a little more extra virgin olive oil and pick over the mint leaves.

Ingredients
olive oil
25 g unsalted butter
4 sprigs of fresh woody herbs , such as rosemary, sage, thyme
600 g leftover roast potatoes
600 g leftover cooked veg , such as carrots, swede, turnips, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, kale
leftover vac-packed chestnuts , optional

Method
Put a 28cm non-stick frying pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil and the butter (or, even better, any leftover dripping you have in the fridge).
Pick in the fresh herb leaves and let them crisp up for a minute, then add the potatoes, veg, and any leftover chestnuts you’ve got. There’s no need to chop anything first, as now we’re going to mash it all up with a potato masher into a nice, flat, even layer.
Season well with sea salt and black pepper, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until a lovely golden crust starts forming on the bottom.
Now we get into the rhythm of the secret to good bubble & squeak. Use a fish slice to fold those lovely crispy bits back into the mash, then pat and flatten everything down again. Let it crisp up again, then repeat the process, and – importantly – keep repeating it over a period of about 20 minutes, until it’s golden, super- crispy and delicious. About halfway through, nick a bit, taste it, and correct the seasoning if you need to. When it’s looking good, you can serve it right away, or you can leave it on the lowest heat for a while – the flavour will only improve.
You can serve this any which way you like – let’s be honest, it’s going to be amazing whatever you have it with. I like mine with fried eggs, a little lemon-dressed watercress and a few bombs of Piccalilli. Slices of leftover cooked ham are always going to go down a treat,