Summer Recipe: Blueberry & Lemon Overnight Oats

Right now - mid August - we are lucky enough to have an abundance of blueberries growing in the garden, and this recipe is a winner in our household for a simple, nutritious breakfast that can take as few or as many blueberries as you have available!

It’s very easy to adapt - there are notes below on simple swap-ins to make it vegan, and you can adjust toppings according to what you have available. I loved combining the blueberries with the first of the ripe blackberries that are appearing in the hedgerows.

This recipe featured on the breakfast menu as I spoke all things sustainable packaging with Bella Collins, Managing Director of Flexi-Hex - an innovative packaging company based in West Cornwall - in Episode 16 of my podcast, Breakfast & Beyond. Do take a listen, I hope you enjoy the conversation and the recipe!

Recipe: Blueberry & Lemon Overnight Oats

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

• 180g oats

• 2 tbsp chia seeds

• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed

• 1/4 tsp ground ginger

• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

• Seeds from 2 cardamom pods, crushed

• 2 tbsp maple syrup (could use honey if not vegan)

• 500ml dairy or plant-based milk

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 handfuls blueberries plus a few more for scattering on top if you wish

• Optional serving suggestions: toasted seeds and nuts, fresh fruits, yoghurt, drizzle of maple syrup

Method:

1. Place the oats, chia seeds, flaxseed, cinnamon, ginger and crushed cardamom seeds in a large bowl, mix well then add the milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract.

2. Gently fold in two handfuls of blueberries and stir so thoroughly combined.

3. Place a lid or plate on top of the bowl and pop it in the fridge overnight or for at least six hours, until the liquid has been absorbed by the oats.

4. I like to serve overnight oats at room temperature, so remove from the fridge approx half an hour before serving, add your favourite toppings (or none) and enjoy!

Recipe: Gooseberry & Pineapple Weed Muffins

Gooseberries - quintessential summertime fruits - and although I love the slightly eye-watering ‘pop’ as the tartness of a fresh fruit is released in your mouth, I also love to have a few cooked gooseberry recipes up my sleeve to use up the abundance as they ripen!

Pineapple weed flowers at the same time as gooseberries ripen here in the UK, and I think they make a great pairing. Neither feature on the ‘most loved’ ingredient lists, but compliment each other well. The recipe below is gluten and processed sugar free, and is easily adaptable if you wish to change up the type of flours used, or in add say some extra chopped dried fruit or nuts.

I cooked these muffins for breakfast with Dean Harvey and Catherine Collin in Episode 15 of my podcast, Breakfast & Beyond, as we discussed the theme of mental health within Cornwall. Do take a listen .. and I very much hope you enjoy cooking and eating these muffins!

Recipe: Gooseberry & Pineapple Weed Muffins

Makes approx 12 muffins

Ingredients:

• 150g gooseberries, tops and tails nipped off and cut in half

• 20g pineapple weed (wild chamomile) flowers and leaves, roughly chopped (see foraging guidelines below for identifying and sustainably harvesting)

• 200g ground almonds

• 125g self-raising flour (I used gluten free)

• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder (I used gluten free)

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1 egg, beaten

• 2 tbsp maple syrup (or melted honey)

• 150g yoghurt (cow’s milk or coconut)

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil (or alternative oil) plus extra for greasing muffin tin

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• Splash of milk (cow’s or dairy free)

Method:

1. Heat oven to 180°C. Grease a 12 hole muffin tin using oil.

2. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients: ground almonds, flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon, mix well.

3. Add the wet ingredients except the splash of milk: beaten egg, maple syrup, yoghurt, oil and vanilla extract.

4. Fold in the halved blueberries and chopped pineapple weed, mix until combined but don’t over-mix.

5. Check the consistency of the batter, add a splash of milk if needed.

6. Distribute the mixture amongst the 12 muffin tins and place in oven.

7. Cook for approx 35 minutes, until the muffins are golden brown. Remove onto a wire rack and eat either warm or when cooled.

Foraging for pineapple weed (otherwise known as wild chamomile):

For information on identification and culinary uses of pineapple weed, see this article: https://britishlocalfood.com/pineapple-weed/ Note that pineapple weed is good for digestion, and the leaves and flowers can also be used in other ways such as making teas and syrups.

The Woodland Trust has useful foraging guidelines to keep you safe and ensure that edible foods are harvested sustainably.

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Recipe: Elderflower Poached Summer Fruits

Right now, mid July, we have gooseberries and raspberries growing in the garden and I’ve been enjoying picking up punnets of blackcurrants and redcurrants from local lane-side stalls. I love soft summer fruits - who doesn’t - but wanted to create a simple recipe that enhanced their flavours without dousing them in too much sugar, that kept some of their shape whilst softening them a little, and added a touch of elderflower flavour as the last of the flowers subside from the bushes. For this recipe I used elderflower cordial, made with my son Otto a couple of weeks earlier, and decorated with fresh elderflowers.

Feel free to change the quantities of each fruit according to what you have available to you or that needs using up.

This recipe was created for Episode 6 of my podcast Breakfast & Beyond in which I shared conversations on sustainable living, over breakfast, with Amanda Winwood of Cornish skincare company Made for Life Organics.

Recipe: Elderflower Poached Summer Fruits

Serves 4 - 8 according to portion size

Ingredients:

• 200ml elderflower cordial

• 1 star anise

• 75g gooseberries

• 75g redcurrants

• 75g blackcurrants

• 100g raspberries

• 1 tbsp chia seeds

Method:

1. Prepare the fruits: top, tail and halve the gooseberries; remove stalks from the remaining berries.

2. Place the elderflower cordial and star anise in a small to medium sized saucepan. Bring up to simmer.

3. Place the gooseberries in the saucepan, simmer for one minute.

4. Add the rest of the fruits, simmer for one further minute until fruits have softened but still hold some shape.

5. Remove saucepan from heat, add chia seeds and stir well. Leave cool.

6. Remove star anise before serving.

7. Eat when cool and chia seeds have absorbed some of the liquid, or store in the fridge.

Summer Recipe: Gooseberry & mint compote

Gooseberries and mint: both in their prime in high summer and a heavenly match on the palette. We are lucky enough to have both gooseberries and mint growing in abundance right now at Botelet, and I managed to find a moment when the gooseberry bush hadn’t just been stripped by hungry children to harvest some for breakfast!

I toyed with whether or not to share this recipe as it is so ridiculously simple; the recipes I love all have simplicity in common but this particular one takes it to a new level. And yet I know that the recipes I love to make - for their taste and for process - are the most simple. So here goes. I have called this recipe a ‘compote’ but it’s my take on it - I’ve tasted a number of gooseberry compotes that I’ve found disappointing as the gooseberries end up in a gloop that disguises the joy of their plumpness and texture. In this recipe they are softened in a frying pan along with honey, oil and mint - but be careful to cook only for a couple of minutes to retain their shape and a certain amount of ‘bite’.

As ever with my recipes this one is processed sugar free, and you can adjust the levels of honey for a sweeter tooth or if you wish to create more of the syrup.

I have used this as a compote to top breakfast pots with granola and yogurt (as pictured above), to accompany a light supper of roasted summer vegetables, as well as providing flavour and moisture within breakfast muffins - so do play around with how to use it, and I hope you enjoy.

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Recipe: Gooseberry & mint compote

Serves 4 as a topping for breakfast pots

Ingredients:

• 200g gooseberries topped and tailed, and cut in half

• 1 desert spoon honey (local if possible)

• 8 mint leaves, torn into small pieces

• Drizzle of oil eg sunflower

• Optional serving suggestion: yogurt, muesli or granola & mint sprigs

Method:

• Wash, top and tail the gooseberries then cut them in half.

• Place a drizzle of oil in a frying pan, add the honey and warm at a low to medium heat so that the honey and oil spread over the base of the pan and are just beginning to sizzle.

• Add the gooseberries, cook for about one minute until the fruit turns from translucent to a white-ish colour. Stir gently to keep the shape of the gooseberries.

• Add the mint leaves and cook for a further one minute.

• Remove from heat.

• Serve warm, or cool then store in fridge.

It really is as simple as that!

Recipe: Elderflower & Rhubarb Cordial

The arrival of summer is always met with great excitement in our household as the first elderflowers emerge from the hedgerows. Elderflower cordial is a seasonal family ritual, but this year I wanted to try out some new ideas. Firstly, in my exploration of seasonal eating I wanted to pair elderflower with an alternative to lemons, something grown here in Cornwall that could be used to enhance and ground the heady notes of the flowers. My trusty friend rhubarb is still growing in the garden so I had a play, and have loved matching these two home-grown ingredients within the recipe.

I also wanted to try alternatives to using processed sugar within the cordial as I find the recipe I normally use - a family heirloom passed down from my mother - is utterly delicious yet somewhat overwhelming as someone with a savoury palette. So instead I’ve used local honey to soften the flavours and help to cook down the rhubarb initially before leaving the mixture to steep. I love the versatility of this cordial recipe, which we are using three ways:

1. Lollies - my kids expect that the first jug of cordial will be poured into lolly moulds ready for the next hot day. I find it’s great to have home-made, sugar free treats at the ready.

2. Morning cleanser - I begin each day right now with a warming drink of 1/3 of a cup of cordial, 2/3 cup boiled water then top with a mint leaf to energise.

3. Aperitif - add sparkling water and a small handful of wild strawberries as an early evening spritzer.
   

This year the elderflowers arrived early due to the unseasonably warm spring. They are still available right now however if you’re struggling to find flowers that are still light coloured without browning, look on the north side of hedges or wooded areas where the elderflowers don’t receive as much early light, and are more protected.

I hope you enjoy this version of a quintessential summer drink!

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Recipe: Elderflower & Rhubarb Cordial

Note that the recipe is made over a couple of days - on the first day you gather the ingredients and begin the process of steeping. Two days later you strain the mixture then pour into lolly moulds (if using) and bottles - so make sure you have bottles ready and sterilised for two days after steeping.

Equipment

• Large metal pan

• Sieve

• Large jug

• Lolly moulds (optional - if you wish to make lollies using some of the cordial)

• Sterilised bottles - after filling lolly moulds I made 1 x litre bottle with this recipe, if not using lolly moulds perhaps use 2 x 1 litre bottles or 1 x 1 litre and 2 x 500ml bottles, I always like to sterilise more than I’m likely to use rather than find myself with excess cordial.

Ingredients:

• 6 elderflower heads

• 4 rhubarb stalks

• 6 tbsp honey

• 2 litres water

• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

• Serving suggestions: sparkling water, sprig of mint, handful of wild strawberries or boiled water for a warm drink

Method:

• Pick the elderflower heads, choose ones that are bright white with open flowers. Give a shake to remove any insects from the flower heads.

• Wash the rhubarb and chop into small pieces

• In a large pan, place the honey in the bottom and slowly melt then add a splash of water and the rhubarb. Gently warm the rhubarb for approx 8 minutes until the shape has softened, releasing the flavours.

• Add the water and continue to gently heat for a couple of minutes until the honey has dissolved.

• Add the white wine vinegar and mix well.

• Remove from heat and allow to cool then add the elderflower heads, place the lid on top of the saucepan and leave to steep for 48 hours, stirring a couple of times a day.

• The following day when you are ready to bottle give a good mix again then strain into a jug - place a sieve over a wide-topped jug and ladle in spoonfuls of the cordial. Pour from the jug into your lolly moulds and/or sterilised bottles.

Keeps for approx 2 weeks in the fridge