RED CABBAGE WITH APPLE & JUNIPER BERRIES
Serves 4-6

Small red cabbage – shredded
8 prunes soaked in 2-3 tbs balsamic vinegar
6 juniper berries- crushed
1 large onion – sliced
2 Medium cooking apples- cored, peeled & roughly chopped
200g cooked chestnuts
2 cloves garlic – crushed
2 tbs olive or rapeseed oil
Black pepper & salt

Heat a large heavy bottomed pan or casserole, add the oil & gently sweat the onion for about five mins.

Add all other ingredients & cook very slowly for about 45 mins on the cooker or in the oven until tender & juicy, & syrupy.

Stir occasionally & add a little stock if needed to prevent the mixture from sticking.

Delicious with nut roast & roast potatoes or just with jacket potatoes.

Gluten-Free & Vegan
Serves 4-6

 1 medium onion or leek – peeled & finely chopped
2 sticks celery – finely chopped
2 cloves garlic – crushed
1 tsp each of dried heaped or 1 tbsp fresh sage, parsley, thyme

Sweat in olive oil in a covered saucepan until just tender
Season with salt & black pepper

500g winter squash (eg butternut, crown prince) – peeled & chopped into small chunks
500g mixed veg eg parsnip, celeriac, red pepper, courgette- in small chunks

Place in a roasting tin with oil & six tablespoons water, cover tightly with lid or foil & roast at 200 C until tender, about 30mins.

Break up with a fork so that there are still some small lumps in a smoother base.

125g cashew nuts – very finely ground
125g walnuts & brazil nuts – roughly chopped

Combine all ingredients, if the mixture seems at all dry moisten with a little stock.
Put in a one pound loaf tin, press down & cover with foil.
Bake at 170 C for about 40 mins then cook uncovered for 10 – 15 mins to brown.
Serve hot with roast potatoes, onion gravy & Brussels sprouts
Delicious cold with chutney & coleslaw.

Here is a broccoli soup recipe that is a bit different.  Great for using up ‘trees’ that are perhaps a bit past their best – use the stalks too, simply trim off any outer skin or tough parts.

Broccoli Soup

BROCCOLI SOUP

Serves 4 – 6 people

500g broccoli, chopped
1 medium potato
1 clove garlic – crushed
1 large onion
1 tablespoon olive or rapeseed oil
1 bay leaf
570 ml veg stock
                                                            ½ lemon – juice of
                                                            black pepper
                                                            To garnish, natural yogurt

• Saute the onion and bay leaf in the oil until the onion is soft
• Add potato and garlic and saute for a further 3 – 4 minutes
• Add broccoli and stock
• Cover and simmer for 15 mins or until potato broccoli are tender
• Allow to cool slightly and remove bay leaf
• Add lemon juice and season, then blend until smooth
• Reheat and serve garnished with a swirl of yogurt.

6oz Bulgar Wheat
3oz Dried Apricots
1oz Pumpkin Seeds
1oz Sunflower Seeds
4 Spring Onions Chopped
3 Tbsp fresh coriander chopped
1 red pepper chopped

Dressing
Juice 1 lemon
2-3 Tbsp fresh orange juice
4 Tbsp olive oil
Salt & Black Pepper

Cover the bulgar wheat with about ½ pt boiling water & leave for 30-40 mins.

Combine with other ingredients & whisk the dressing together & pour over.

Mix well & chill for several hours

WHOLESOME BEE GRANOLA

Pre-heat the oven to140 C, Gas 1.
100ml sunflower or rapeseed oil
75ml clear honey
75ml malt extract
1 tbsp water
Melt above gently in a saucepan then add to the following ingredients & mix well in a large bowl.
150g porridge oats
100g jumbo oats
100g barley flakes
100g wheat flakes
100g rye flakes
25g desiccated coconut
75g sunflower seeds
25g pumpkin seeds
50g sesame seeds
100g chopped almonds 

Spread the mixture in 2 large baking trays & bake in the oven for 45-55 minutes until the flakes are light golden colour.
Stir thoroughly every 15minutes to prevent sticking & burning.
Remove from the oven & stir in 100g raisins.
Leave to cool & then store in an airtight container.

For a gluten free version use millet flakes & gluten-free oats instead of normal porridge and jumbo oats.
Omit malt extract & substitute honey.

Delicious served with milk, nut milk etc, yoghurt or ice-cream.

Our thanks go to a customer for suggesting this – a great way to use up beetroot which may have gone soft!  We have adapted the recipe, no doubt you will all have your own versions too after a few bakes!

100 gm     drinking chocolate
230 gm     self raising flour
200 gm     muscovado sugar
100 gm     dark chocolate
125 gm      unsalted butter
200 gm     cooked, pureed beetroot
3             large eggs, beaten

Grease and line a 18cm round cake tin, pre-heat oven to 180 c (170 c  fan oven)

In a large bowl, sift together drinking chocolate and flour, stir in sugar and mix together with fingers, squishing out any lumps.

Melt together (over a pan of simmering water) the chocolate and butter in a bowl, once soft stir to mix well.
Mix together the pureed beetroot and eggs, then add the slightly cooled melted chocolate mixture, stirring well until blended.  Add this wet, beetroot/chocolate mix to the dry ingredients and beat together.

At this stage my mix was like a  thick  batter, so I poured it into my lined cake tin and placed it in the pre-heated oven at 170 c (fan oven).  It took about 50 minutes to bake, then I let it stand for 10 mins before turning out to cool completely.

This made a good, solid cake, nice and moist, but not tasting of beetroot at all.  Reminded me a bit of a good black-forest gateaux!  Decorate how you want, would be nice with a runny chocolate sauce or cream, we ate it with black cherry yogurt.

Note:  If you want to cut down the sugar, try reducing the amount you add.  Our customer who brought in the original recipe (this one is an adaptation) said it made little difference if you cut the amount of sugar right down.