Parsnip and Parmesan Soup

A creamy and comforting winter soup full of flavour and perfect for a cold day. I found this recipe is one of my mother's cookery books and have adapted it slightly to make it vegetarian.

The parsnips are first boiled for a few minutes before being drained, tossed in the grated Parmesan and then roasted to caramelise them. Double cream is added towards the end to add richness to the soup and I would suggest croûtons for texture.

450g parsnips

50g grated Parmesan

2 tbsp olive oil

15g butter

1 medium onion

1 tbsp plain flour

1.25 litres vegetable stock

salt and pepper to taste

4 tbsp double cream

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Peel the parsnips and cut into lengths. Put into a saucepan of water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes and then drain. Put into into a clean bowl, sprinkle over 25g of the grated Parmesan and toss around with a spoon. Put the olive oil into a roasting tin, heat in the oven for a couple of minutes and then add the parsnips. and the knob of butter. Roast for 20-30 minutes, basting every ten minutes or so, and make sure they don't colour too much.

While that's happening, peel and finely chop the onion and make the stock.

When the parsnips are done, drain the excess oil into a 2 litre saucepan and add the chopped onion. Cook on a low heat for about ten minutes until soft (keep the lid on to stop them browning). Then add the vegetable stock and the cooked parsnips and continue to simmer for ten minutes.

Take off the heat and allow to cool for five minutes before blending with the remaining Parmesan. Taste for seasoning and stir in the double cream. If you're planning to freeze this, omit the cream and add once unfrozen.

Serve in deep soup bowls with croûtons or cheese twists.

Apple Rose Pastries

This is a real showstopper dessert which has become very popular possibly because it is relatively simple to make. Once baked, all you need to serve this is a sprinkling of icing sugar and maybe some crème fraîche or warm custard.

You will need a six hole muffin tin which should be lightly greased.

1 sheet of ready rolled puff pastry

3-4 apples

2 tablespoons of apricot jam

tablespoon of boiling water

juice of ½ lemon

Take the pastry out of the fridge about an hour before you want to use it.

Preheat the oven to 190ºC

The first thing you need to do is fill a saucepan with cold water and add the lemon juice. Then core and thinly slice the apples, adding them to the lemony water as you go. This will prevent them from going brown.

Now bring to a simmer over a low heat and turn off once you see bubbles forming. This will soften the apple slices without them losing their shape. Drain and allow to cool.

While that's happening, mix your apricot jam with the boiled water to loosen it slightly.

Unroll your pastry onto a board, laying it horizontally in front of you. Cut into six strips from top to bottom.

Brush with the apricot jam mixture across the middle of each strip. Next lay the apple slices along one side so they overlap and extend out slightly from the pastry edge.

Fold the pastry up from the other side to cover the apple slices and press down so the apricot jam holds it together.

Then simply roll up from one end and place into your muffin tin. Repeat for the other five strips so you have six roses.

Place the tin into the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. Keep an eye on them and if the apples start to brown faster than the pastry, place a sheet of tin foil on top.

Once the time is up, leave in the tin until they are cool.

Sprinkle with a little icing sugar to serve.

Bulgar Wheat Salad

Love this salad. Hardly any cooking involved, full of healthy ingredients and a fresh lemon flavour perfect for the summer. It's a bit like tabboulah but I've left out the essential parsley and given it a Greek twist with the addition of olives and feta. This can be prepared ahead of time chilled in the fridge before serving. Great picnic food but also good as a side dish for a summer barbeque.

Serves 4

100g bulgar wheat

150g red and yellow cherry tomatoes, cut in half

200g feta cheese, cubed

1 tbsp dried oregano

half a jar of black olives, sliced

3-4 spring onions (or 1 shallot), finely sliced (or chopped chives)

grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

bunch of fresh mint, chopped

sprinkle of sea salt

Put the bulgar wheat in a sieve and rinse under cold running water. Bring 400ml of water to the boil and add the bulgar wheat. Reduce to a simmer and cook for ten minutes by which time most of the water should have been absorbed. (Keep an eye on it towards the end of the cooking time in case it sticks). Fluff the grains with a fork and allow to cool.

While that's happening, halve the tomatoes, cube the feta, and slice the olives and spring onions. Finally, chop the mint and zest and juice the lemon.

Once the bulgar wheat has cooled, sprinkle on the dried oregano and sea salt and stir in. Then add the remainder of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Put into the fridge for about an hour to allow the flavours to blend together.

This is perfect picnic food as it can be served straight from a tupperware container alongside a savoury tart or quiche.