Green Tomato Chutney

Green tomato chutney is a bit of a treat and something you will rarely find in the shops. It's also a fantastic way of using up those end of season green tomatoes from the garden, those unlikely to turn red before the first cold snap of winter!

I found this in my mother's recipe book and have brought it up to date, using the same amount of apples as green tomatoes and using allspice instead of chilli. It's a sweet and spicy mix, perfect with a mature cheddar cheese and a slice of fresh bread.

1 kg Bramley apples, cored, peeled and chopped

1 kg green tomatoes, chopped

1 large Spanish onion, peeled and finely chopped

350g granulated sugar

350g soft brown sugar

350g chopped sultanas (optional)

2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp allspice

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 large garlic clove, grated

1 tsp salt

900ml white wine vinegar

This amount makes about five jars

First, sterilise your jars. Have a look at 'all you need to know about making chutney' to find out how easy this is.

Next, prepare all the ingredients and then put everything into a large enamel pan. Simmer for about an hour or until it's reduced by half. Be sure to stir frequently towards the end of the cooking time to make sure it's not catching on the bottom of the pan.

When it's done, allow to cool for a short while and then spoon into warm sterilised jars and seal. It's best to leave it to mature for a few weeks before indulging as this will allow the flavours to develop.

Too many courgettes!

Courgettes (or zucchini as they are known in the US and Italy) seem to need harvesting all at once, and they need to be picked daily so they don't get too large. Storing them is also tricky as their high water content means they do not freeze well. But they will keep in the fridge for up to a week after harvesting, as long as you keep them dry and you don't put them into a plastic bag.

If you have an excess of courgettes in your garden, there are a number of dishes you can make or bake, some of which can be frozen.

Courgettes are also delicious eaten raw and included on a plate of cruditeés with a selection of tasty dips. Or use a vegetable peeler to slice them into long, thin ribbons for a salad with feta or goat's cheese crumbled on top.

Courgette ribbons can also be put on top of a homemade pizza or a summer tart. This courgette, feta and mint tart is perfect for a summer picnic or an outdoor lunch. It's very easy to make using a ready rolled sheet of puff pastry, crème fraîche, ribbons of courgette, some chopped mint and crumbled feta cheese.

To avoid excess water in these recipes, it's a good idea to put the sliced courgettes into a colander (over a bowl), sprinkle with salt and put a plate and some weights on top. Set aside for at least an hour.

You could also make courgette 'roses' with a sheet of puff pastry, shown here ready to go in the oven.

These are made in the same way as my apple rose pastries, but the pastry sheet is spread with goats cheese and slices of courgette before being rolled up and put into your muffin tins.

These are delicious for a quick supper with a salad. Or you could try and sneak them into your child's school lunch box!

Typically, courgettes become soft and lose their taste when they are boiled so a good alternative is to roast them. This not only intensifies the flavour but means you can freeze them for later use. Simply cut the courgette into thick slices, drizzle with olive oil and roast for 20 minutes at 190ºC.

I also make batches of soup to freeze for the winter months. My tomato and courgette or pancetta and bean minestrone are both tried and tested and both include a couple of chopped courgettes. Homemade croûtons optional.

And if you still have courgettes to eat up, here's a few other ideas.

Simply thread large pieces of courgette onto skewers with some red onion, colourful peppers and chestnut mushrooms and place under the grill or on the barbecue. This is a great vegetable accompaniment to your bbq meats and an often welcome alternative to salads.

Courgette carbonara is also a favourite in our house. Simply fry some cubed pancetta, add some colourful courgettes (cut into short lengths) and sprinkle over some dried thyme. When that's done, add the cooked pasta and stir in the beaten egg and cheese mixture.

And if you want to go the sweet route, you can grate courgettes into muffins or a cake making sure to get rid of the excess water first. If you like the moistness of a carrot cake, you'll love a courgette cake. Nigella Lawson includes the best recipe ever in her book 'How to be a Domestic Goddess' that uses a homemade lime curd filling and a cream cheese and lime frosting. Be sure to look it up.

Traditional Greek Salad

With just a handful of fresh ingredients, this vibrant salad will transport you to the Mediterranean. It's quick and easy to prepare, requires no special ingredients and needs just the best olive oil, red wine vinegar and a sprinkle of oregano to serve. The perfect salad on a sunny day.

1 medium red onion

4 medium tomatoes or about 12 cherry tomatoes.

For maximum flavour, use vine ripened tomatoes

1 cucumber

1 green bell pepper

50g pitted Kalamata black olives

1 block Greek feta cheese

3 tbsp olive oil

1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1½ tsp dried oregano

sprinkle of sea salt

Red Onion - Peel and halve the red onion and slice thinly. Put the onion slices into a bowl of iced water, add a teaspoon of red wine vinegar and leave to soak for 10-15 minutes. This will mellow the onion's raw taste.

Tomatoes - If you using medium sized tomatoes, simply cut them into wedges. For cherry tomatoes, cut them in half.

Cucumber - Score down the skin with a fork or partially peel so the skin has a striped pattern. Then cut in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and cut the flesh into 1cm slices.

There are a few ways to deseed a cucumber - if you leave it whole. cut off a length and stand it on its end, you can use an apple corer or if you cut it in half lengthwise, you can run a teaspoon down the length to scoop out the seeds.

Green bell pepper - slice thinly across the pepper, removing the seeds as you go.

Black olives - any good quality black olives will do, but try and get Greek Kalamata olives for their authentic flavour.

Feta - again, a good quality feta cheese is best and it should be the star of the show sitting on top of the vegetables. Cut into cubes or tear into larger chunks.

Dressing

Olive oil and a dash of red wine vinegar - no need to whisk.

Once you've assembled everything, sprinkle with the dried oregano and sea salt, then add the dressing. Lightly toss and top with the feta cheese. Sprinkle a little more dried oregano and sea salt over the top before serving.