Recipe: Smashed Purple Sprouting with Poached Egg on Sourdough

I’ve struggled to know what to call this; ‘Early Spring on Toast’ seems the most simply explained, although it doesn’t speak to the ingredients! I wanted to create topped-sourdough breakfast / brunch dish that could take the place of avocado on toast - delicious, but imported. I was very excited to see our purple sprouting plants produce another batch of tender stems and wanted to incorporate them, accompanied by other ingredients that are available in the garden and hedgerows in early Spring. At this time of year (late March) it’s known to be hard to find local ingredients - there’s a promise of much to come, heralded by the arrival of clumps of wild garlic; but little has got going yet.

This recipe also embraces zero waste principles, utilising not only the very tops of the stems but leaves and some of the firmer stalks that might often be discarded; they are quickly roasted then blitzed along with the other ingredients.

I prepared this as I shared brunch with Jeffrey Robinson of The New Yard Restaurant in West Cornwall. You can listen to our conversation on sustainable cooking within the restaurant industry via Episode 13 of my podcast, Breakfast & Beyond.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Smashed Purple Sprouting & Poached Egg on Sourdough

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 150g purple sprouting broccoli - use the heads, stems and leaves

• 50g hazlenuts

• Small handful wild garlic leaves

• 1 large lemon

• 1 tsp rose harissa

• Couple of splashes cider vinegar

• Small handful parsley (or other garden herb)

• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus a little more for drizzling

• 2 tbsp ricotta

• Salt & Pepper

• 4 slices sourdough (or alternative bread)

• 4 eggs (at room temperature)

• To garnish: hedgerow leaves and flowers of your choice eg wild garlic flowers and leaves, sorrel

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180C.

2. Roughly chop the purple sprouting broccoli (heads, stems and leaves) into bite-size pieces, spread out on a large baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in the oven for 5 minutes then remove (when vibrant green colour), turn off the oven and set aside to cool.

3. Roughly chop the hazelnuts, toast for a few minutes in a small, dry frying pan, shaking regularly, until just starting to turn golden. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

4. Once cool, put most of the hazelnuts into a food processor, setting a few aside for garnish. Blitz those in the food processor for about one minute, until resembling breadcrumbs. Add the cooled broccoli, blitz again.

5. Grate the lemon rind into the food processor, then add the lemon juice. Set aside a few wild garlic leaves for garnishing, roughly tear the rest and add to the food processor. Add the harissa, the small handful of parsley, 2 tbsp olive oil and a dash of vinegar. Blitz again until well combined. Add the ricotta, blitz again and season with salt and pepper. You can adjust the consistency if you would like to with olive oil and/or lemon juice. Set aside.

6. Bring a pan of water to simmer, add a dash of vinegar. Keeping the pan at a simmer, crack the eggs in one at a time. Keep the pan simmering, you will likely need to turn up the heat slightly once the eggs are in. Set your timer for 4 minutes. Prepare a plate with kitchen roll on top, that the eggs will be placed on when they come out of the water.

7. While the eggs are poaching, toast the sourdough slices. When toasted, lay on plates and drizzle with olive oil. Spoon the smashed broccoli onto the toast, so there’s a thick layer on each slice.

8. When the eggs are done, remove with a slotted spoon onto the kitchen roll. Lightly lay another piece of kitchen roll on top to remove excess water. Then place an egg on top of each piece of toast.

9. Garnish each plate with the remaining wild garlic leaves, toasted hazelnuts plus any other seasonal flowers or leaves such as sorrel or wild garlic flowers. Crack pepper on top and serve.

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April Botelet Breakfast Club Conversations: Emily Scott, John Hersey & Johanneke Kodde

Today marks the second of our Botelet Breakfast Clubs that has been postponed due to lockdown. At this time when we are all missing community we wanted to bring you some more voices from the Breakfast Club table, and this month we are so thrilled to be able to share conversations with three of our Breakfast Clubbers: Chef, restauranteur and beautiful soul Emily Scott who also shares one of her delicious breakfast recipes; Photographer, Art Director and all-round Botelet bestie John Hersey; and our dear friend and wild swimming partner Dr Johanneke Kodde.

As with every single person around the globe, each of these three special friends of Botelet have been affected by the current COVID crisis in different yet significant ways; and all of them share words of hope in their conversations below, along with top-tips on how to sink into seasonal living during this time of social separation.

We are delighted to feature another of our Breakfast Club recipes - this month it’s Spring Muffin Frittatas that would have appeared on the April Breakfast Club menu. A simple and adaptable recipe depending upon what’s available in your store cupboard, and some recommendations for those who have access to the countryside for foraging.

We do hope you will enjoy sharing in these insights and recipes from our friends as much as we have, and we very much look forward to welcoming Emily, John, Johanneke - and you - back to the Breakfast Club table when we are able to gather together once again.

Sending love from us all here at Botelet,
Tia, Richard and Julie along with Barbara, Cyra, Otto and Nell x

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Emily Scott, photo credit Holes in the World Studio

Richard and I first met Emily eight years ago, we were lucky enough that she cooked for our wedding here at Botelet - the most insanely delicious al fresco feast. We’ve stayed in touch, following with interest Emily’s ongoing success not only as a chef and restauranter but as an influential voice within the hospitality industry, we have welcomed Emily and her partner Mark to the Botelet Breakfast Club table, and have loved every moment of visits we’ve made to Emily’s beautiful restaurant on the moor, The St Tudy Inn. It’s on top of list of go-to’s once we’re all allowed out again. We are thrilled that Emily has contributed not only her thoughts on how to make the most of this era of isolation, but also a mouth-watering breakfast recipe - see below. So much thanks and love, Emily x

Where do you call home?
Cornwall is where I found my home and my heart, my soulmate, where my children have been lucky enough to spend carefree days by the sea.  I have over the years developed my passion for simple, seasonal cooking with Cornwall’s beautiful ingredients.

I am passionate about the connection between food, a sense of place and storytelling. I find it infectious, intriguing and comforting all at the same time. My story is one which interweaves the sentimental tales of a childhood also in Provence with my grandfather ‘Papa’ collecting strawberries from the fields to the hum of crickets in the warm sunshine, to the beautiful shores of Cornwall and golden sandy beaches. Experience and memories are translated into ingredients which collectively are heightening into simplistic, rustic dishes which are easily recreated at home.

What’s your occupation?
Restauranteur / Chef

What do you love to eat for breakfast?
In the warmer months fruit is what I crave, cool and gently sweet accompanied by yoghurt, toasted granola and honey. Pancakes are delicious and indulgent, with maple syrup and raspberry butter and I adore simply grilled sourdough bread with slow roasted ripe tomatoes, olive oil and plenty of flaky cornish sea salt.

What do you love most about spring?
I love this season as the earth slowly wakes up from its long Cornish winter. A time for so many wonderful ingredients to fill your kitchen with and be inspired to cook. Windy open moors covered in bright yellow gorse, sea pinks appear on the coast framing the cliff edges, alexanders start reaching for the sky, sea cabbage, wild primroses appear and wild garlic often found on a woodland walk, green vibrant leaves, pretty white flowers with a subtle wonderful fragrance. There is always time for cake.

What positives are you hoping to take from the current global health situation?
Everyone is kinder and more appreciative, perhaps a slower more gentle way of living and we will all become more connected in real life together. Enjoying our days in a whole new way.

Do you have any top seasonal tips to share with the Botelet community, as we all spend a lot more time at home?
Herbs always make me feel happy, their colour, scent and shape, so clever and diverse.  I must always have herbs in my kitchen. I would encourage you to grow herbs in pots on your kitchen windowsill, outside your kitchen door or window boxes, where they are easily at hand to inspire you in your kitchen. 

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Emily Scott’s Pancakes with Raspberry Butter & Maple Syrup

Recipe: Emily Scott’s Pancakes with Raspberry Butter & Maple Syrup

Serves 6

125g/4oz plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp caster sugar
1 egg
170ml/6fl oz whole milk
Maple syrup

150g/5oz softened butter
1 punnet of raspberries

First, make the raspberry butter. Put the butter into a clean bowl and beat using a wooden spoon until light and slightly paler in colour. Using the back of a fork, slightly mash the raspberries and then stir gently through the butter, then set aside while you make the pancakes.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the sugar and stir to combine. Make a well in the centre, crack in the egg and pour in the milk and whisk until smooth. Rest for 15 minutes. Now heat a small non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and brush with a little butter (be careful not to let the butter brown). Spoon a ladleful of batter into the centre of the pan, turn down the heat slightly and cook for two minutes. Once bubbles begin to appear on the surface, turn the pancakes and cook for a minute on the other side. Very often the first pancake is less than perfect, but don't be disheartened: this is completely normal.

Serve hot from the pan with a spoonful of raspberry butter and maple syrup.

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John Hersey

Next up is John Hersey aka Holes in the World Studio. We met John in the early days of Botelet Breakfast Club, just over two years ago. It seems incredible to think two years have gone by since we began our Breakfast Club, but also that it’s only been two years since we met John - he is one of those friends whom once you’ve met, you can’t imagine life without. From the moment he stepped into our lives at Botelet, John has been part of the journey: he has stayed, eaten, coffee’ed, photographed, laughed and shared in pretty much every space indoor and out, his gentle eye for light drawing him to curious corners, and his kind demeanour meaning that when the kids see his car come in the drive there are shrieks of “Camera John!” as they run off to meet him (and he’ll then spend half an hour patiently being led around their latest projects). Thank you John for sharing your beautiful words here, and for your friendship for which we are all grateful x

Where do you call home?
Pentire Headland in Newquay. 

What’s your occupation?
Photographer & Art Director Holes in the World Studio / Sons of Thunder Agency

What do you love to eat for breakfast?
I’m just the biggest advocate for stuff ‘on toast’ especially mixing sweet and savoury toppings, for example cream cheese, grilled sweet potato and maple syrup, or spinach, toasted nuts and honey. Anything egg related too, I mean, buttery sourdough with sunny side fried eggs, fresh coriander and smokey chilli jam, delicious right? Or eggs baked in vine tomatoes and sweetcorn… on toast. I’m not the biggest fan of eating straight after waking up, I normally take a break for breakfast around half ten in the morning and spend a nice bit of time on it.  Especially now the sun is shining, morning yoga or a cold swim take priority over eating straight away, it’s all about the ‘second breakfast’ to me, not quite brunch, not quite breakfast. Bagels are a common feature and often replace the square or oval ‘toast’. 

What do you love most about spring?
Blossom, swallows, the nibble of a chilly breeze on an otherwise mild day, lighter evenings, softer shadows, enjoyable barefoot walking, jumper and short combos, the slight change in vibration that makes for more common smiling between stranger. Birdsong, the ocean swims that start to feel like freedom. 

What positives are you hoping to take from the current global health situation?
I don’t think I realised that I was making myself ill with my workload pre-lockdown. Even after just a couple of weeks, I can taste food differently, feel my body differently, my movement is free and painless, my concentration is tenfold what it was already. I can sit and read books for hours, whereas before I would often work until sleep and usually not take my eyes off a screen for most of the day. It’s also showed me how far I had gone from my intentions with both my work and my personal pursuits. I’m certainly thinking more now about the quality and integrity of pursuits, time is so precious and time spent with people and work closer to the heart no doubt serves us better as individuals and in our families and extended communities. It’s taught me to embrace my introverted nature, and to stop poisoning my spirit with situations that cause me nothing but anxiety just to further my career. My plan moving forward is to carve out a little bit of lockdown time every day, to plant some veggies, read more paper books, generally take it slower and trust the process of creation.  

Do you have any top seasonal tips to share with the Botelet community, as we all spend a lot more time at home?
If possible, submerging in cold water in natural places has to be the single best thing for your body, mind and spirit, I think this has been the thing that’s made lockdown most barable. Meditate on nature during Spring, seeing how beautiful something is when growing as it’s own pace. Be reactive to light and shadow, and only producing when the conditions allow it to be the purest form of expression. Accepting the shadow, stretch in the light, grow in the dark.
Peace and light to one and all xxx

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Johanneke Kodde

Johanneke (Joh) is one of our local heroes. We came to know Joh through friends within our local Lostwithiel community and life has been that little bit brighter since. Joh is one of those friends who is a constant source of inspiration; she doesn’t do life by half whether it’s training for a triathlon, sea swimming in minus degrees or simply sticking to a prior arrangement to lead a Book Club meet-up (pre COVID!) following an exhausting week at work - Joh always shows up. Fiercely loyal, but also great fun, grounded, thoughtful and empathetic with a refreshing dose of ‘Dutchness’ thrown in for good measure (Joh’s husband Ramon once told me, “Even by Dutch standards, Johanneke’s pretty straightforward!”) you know where you stand with Johanneke and believe me, it’s a true honour to count her as one of your best buddies.

During the past few weeks, Johanneke’s home and family life have been turned upside down by COVID as she and the other partners at the surgery where she works works have had to tirelessly transform the practice to support those in the community with Coronia Virus or suspected symptoms, whilst also still reaching out to those with other ailments, trying to plan for lockdown and beyond with the huge levels of uncertainty the whole country is facing. With three children back at home, and much out-of-hours working and planning, lockdown living has had very different manifestations for Joh as compared with many of us.

Thank you to all you’re giving our community right now Joh, it is so appreciated and we cannot wait to welcome you back to Breakfast Club when lockdown is over - we’re going to arrange another Monday one just for you! x

Where do you call home?
Currently I would say Cornwall certainly feels as my 'home'. I was born in the Netherlands where I grew up on a farm with a small camp site, near the sea. I went to medical school in Belgium, was a junior doctor in Amsterdam and London and eventually settled to have a family in Devon and moved to Lostwithiel in 2010. The last 10 years as a GP in Cornwall have been wonderful and I feel truly at home in this beautiful county. 

What’s your occupation?
As mentioned, I'm a GP. I've always found this an amazing and privileged job, which gives me purpose and fulfillment and I see it as my role to be an advisor and facilitator in people's lives. I am a big believer in helping my patients live happily and healthily and try to really listen to their 'stories' and encourage positive lifestyle choices. Unfortunately under the current circumstances we are minimizing patient contacts and we've had to completely overhaul how we work, with the situation and advice changing on a daily, sometimes hourly basis. When you read this we may be in the peak of the pandemic and who knows what I'll be doing day-to-day. So I can only hope people are finding time to look after themselves with the help of each other, books, social media, music and creativity!

What do you love to eat for breakfast?
My breakfast is usually either porridge or natural yoghurt with granola. Topped with fresh fruit, nuts and seeds and maple syrup or honey with some cinnamon. And a cappuccino.

What do you love most about spring?
I love being in the garden and seeing everything come back to life. I love the magnolia trees and their lush pink blossoms, I love the road sides and hedgerows with the yellows of the primroses, daffodils and buttercups, followed by wild garlic, blue bells and lots of other wild flowers. And I love sowing seeds and seeing the tiny plants come up. I love the days being longer again and warm enough to spend a lot of time outside. What's not to love about spring?

What positives are you hoping to take from the current global health situation?
I can't help but be amazed when watching the world not being so 'busy' - not racing around in cars, from school runs to work to sport classes and meetings and to be forced to slow down. I hope it gives many people time to re-evaluate their priorities. And I hope it gives (particularly low paid) key workers permanently more value in our society. I hope there will be a shift towards a more fair and inclusive attitude and that people won't forget that it wasn't the rich celebrity that held their loved ones' hand in the hospital, but more likely the immigrant care worker or nurse (like our prime minister found out). It has come at a time when no one could really imagine changing their lifestyle for the climate or the greater good, but now we have shown ourselves and the political leaders that it can be done. Let's hope it brings about permanent positive changes, but let's also hope we can go back to more human physical interaction very soon!

Do you have any top seasonal tips to share with the Botelet community, as we all spend a lot more time at home? 
I'm not really spending more time at home and my days off are often still spent catching up on the latest developments, policies, guidelines and making plans for the next phase. However when I am at home there are no school runs, swimming lessons or sadly also no sea swims, rowing, yoga, book club, social events or supper club to go to. I wouldn't have the energy either! You know I'm a bit of a social animal, but all my energy seems consumed with work and all I want to do besides that is looking after my plants, spending time with my family and the occasional run. Very little virtual classes going on for me! 

My top seasonal tip is try out seeding and growing some veg and herbs. Mix it up with flowers and you'll have something to do and look after every day. I made an improvised arch between two raised beds (sticks, old bamboo canes and lots of rope) which I'm hoping will guide courgette and cucumber plants from one bed and sweets peas from the other. The garden certainly helps me switch off my busy mind!

Botelet Breakfast Club: A Seasonal Space?

Seasonal eating - a buzz word of our time. A fabulous intention - to eat that which is produced locally to us in harmony with the seasons, reconnecting with how our bodies were no doubt designed to eat before food was a global commodity and we became accustomed to eating fresh fruits and vegetables at any time of year, simply because our tastebuds fancied it or a recipe required it.

I am always drawn to restaurants offering a seasonal menu, it speaks to an intuitive sense of what is ‘right’. But then again, are there many eateries these days that aren’t using the term ‘seasonal’ to describe their offering? It feels as though we have collectively acknowledged the importance of seasonal eating - for freshness, for quality, for nutritional content, to support local producers and reduce food miles - but when a dish or menu is promoted as ‘seasonal’ it may be simply because one or two components are, with plenty of others shipped in, seriously degrading the sustainability of the meal. I know, as I’ve done this too! I have prepared and offered food as ‘seasonal’, referencing elements that are grown locally - for example an overnight oats topped with a compote that’s made with primarily with garden produce, but with oranges, grapefruits and pomegranates featuring within the recipe. They may be considered ‘winter’ fruits, but clearly not from the UK!

Seasonality has been playing on my mind. Perhaps living in the countryside where I’m so directly immersed in nature’s shifts; perhaps through my role of planning and delivering food for our monthly pop-up breakfast café Botelet Breakfast Club - but certainly through a recent weekend away as part of a creative collective, hosted by chef James Strawbridge at his family’s home, the beautiful Chateau de la Motte Husson. James set the themes for this immersive weekend retreat around seasonality, sustainability and collaboration. I am eternally grateful for the chance to have been part of such an extraordinary experience, working alongside chefs, musicians, artists, artisans, designers and more in a multi-disciplinary space to make, eat and create.

During the weekend I was lucky enough to meet (and eat the insanely delicious food of) Jamie Park, Head Chef at The Frog Restaurant in Hoxton. Jamie has taken seasonal eating to a new level, creating a significant challenge for himself and his team by committing to sourcing the majority of fresh produce from within the British Isles - and making careful decisions within these parameters about the sustainability of produce that he includes in the menu. Committing to be truly seasonal when working on a restaurant-scale, and with the expectations of an ever-changing menu, I was hugely inspired by Jamie’s approach. Not only in terms of what is happening at his particular restaurant, but the broader message it conveys which can extend through to influence our food choices and eating habits outside of restaurant experiences, too. Jamie talked about reactions to having repetitions of certain food groups through the menu - especially in winter when plant-based produce that’s grown in the UK is more limited. Yet you can cook - say, a cauliflower - many different ways, catering to different tastes and preferences. I love this boldness: this produce is in season locally, so it’s what is on the menu. Here are different ways in which you may like to eat and enjoy. If we extend this approach into home cooking, how often do we feel pressure to create a menu for the week (even one that’s spontaneous rather than overly planned) that’s based on variety of ingredients, rather than celebrating and getting creative with the repetition of seasonal items, and feeling comfortable with continuing to eat the same foods until they are finished rather than throwing away and starting again the next day - especially when we are cooking for others and are mindful of their expectations?

Returning from the weekend retreat in France my mind has kept returning to the question: if Jamie’s dedication to sustainable eating enables him to offer a seasonal menu in a fast-paced London restaurant, what more can I be doing (even in the smallest of ways) at home in rural Cornwall, where I’m surrounded by local organic growers and home-grown as well as foraged food options - with our Botelet Breakfast Club offering, and by extension with our family’s food? I have pitched our ‘Breakfast Club’ as being seasonal, but is it - really?

The first task I set myself in examining the true seasonality of our current offering was to do an audit of the fresh produce I used at our last Breakfast Club, and track back where it was sourced from. It’s worth noting that I reference plant-based and dairy produce as our Breakfast Club offering is vegetarian. This is what I found:

Produced in the UK: cauliflower, leeks, sea buckthorn, apples, yogurt, milk, butter, primroses

Imported from outside the UK: lemons, oranges, grapefruit, pomegranate, fresh coriander

Seasonal? Definitely embracing some fantastic locally grown (and garden) produce but, I believe, could be better. Do I really need to use the fruits that are shipped over from Europe and beyond?

My answer to this question, having returned from France, is: no. So I’m going to be bold, inspired by Jamie’s approach, and use the (albeit tiny) space in which we offer food through our Breakfast Club to explore true seasonality in vegetarian cooking. Going forward, the fresh produce that is part of the menu will be sourced from Cornwall.

We are lucky enough to have a small vegetable patch here at Botelet with scope to grow plenty, but I’m not an especially green-fingered soul, so whilst I am looking forward to challenging myself to increase the time I spend in the garden I also want this journey to be a chance to learn about more about foraged foods, and to become more connected to the fantastic local producers surrounding us. So, no more avocados, bananas or pomegranate appearing on the Breakfast Club menu.

I have chosen to set the locally-sourced parameters just to fresh produce - plants and dairy. Clearly there are issues around importing store cupboard items as well; however fresh produce seems the first and most obvious to source locally thereby maintaining freshness and nutritional value, and without the same need to rush goods into the UK from overseas before they spoil, with a potentially heavier environmental footprint where food travels by air.

I am also aware that there is a balance to be struck between purchasing seasonal and therefore local whilst also supporting global producers, acknowledging the significant economic contribution that UK food exports make especially to farmers in developing countries. It strikes me that we need to celebrate the local, but not at the risk of cutting out global producers who rely on selling their products to us. The global food market has some starkly differing standards of sustainability within it both environmentally and socially, and our role as conscious consumers must surely be to make the best choices we can that take account of these. So it seems that fresh produce is the obvious one to aim for as local, and for all other items - that originate from within our country and beyond - to be “sourced from the best possible places” (to quote Jamie Park), taking account of organic and fair-trade options, as well as looking at issues around packaging when considering an item’s environmental footprint.

And so as I start planning for our next Botelet Breakfast Club, I am excited to become more attuned to the rhythms of the seasons as they unfold, celebrating what they have to offer. My starting point has been to explore the fruits and vegetables that may be available each season (see chart below) and consider not only what can be used fresh, but how I might utilise pickling, preserving and freezing to extend the availability of the produce - all areas that I’ve never thoroughly explored.

I hope to use this space not only to cook seasonally, but to open up conversations around the breakfast table and beyond regarding how we cook and eat. We all make choices in relation to where we source our food from, and as consumers these choices ultimately impact upon how sustainably food is produced. I am excited - and daunted - by the challenge of presenting a truly seasonal offering through our Breakfast Club, and look forward to the ripple effect it may have on our family’s eating habits too.

What strikes me as I consider the topic of seasonal eating is that, once again, a more sustainable approach seems to be all about keeping things simple. Stripping back: the menu, the variety, the expectations of what will be offered. Yet in doing so, embracing the challenge to be more creative with what we have; the beauty of simplicity.

I do hope you can join us for an upcoming Botelet Breakfast Club - and as I embark on this journey, I would love to know your thoughts on seasonal eating, and any tips for locally-grown produce, especially here in Cornwall!

Tia x

With special thanks to James Strawbridge for his endless inspiration, Jamie Park for his thoughts, time and lessons in all things foodie, and to each and every one of the Chateau Crew who created a space for ideas to evolve and thoughts to thrive.

Foodie chats with James

Botelet pomme

Jamie Park

Seasonal?

The humble carrot

Breakfast Clubbing

Images by Holes in the World, Richard Tamblyn and me

Sourced from: www.eatseasonably.co.uk/what-to-eat-now/calendar/