In June, when my tomato plants were setting their first trusses (truss is tomato talk for flowers and flowers mean tomatoes), I gave my Gazpacho with Trimmings recipe made with Isle of Wight (www.thetomatostall.co.uk) tomatoes. I’m still using some of their gorgeous little cherry tomatoes in this no-fuss Gazpacho but I’ve been able to include…

If you have a veg plot, you are sure to be growing courgettes and boy, do they keep on giving, particularly when the sun is shining. Look away and they start turning into marrows which is when I loose interest. I used a pretty big one for this soup and took the precaution of grating…

A huge leek prompted this risotto, a very handsome leek that could have won a beauty competition. Finely sliced it soon melts down cooked in butter, the rice flavoured with white wine and chicken stock although you could use vegetarian stock if you prefer. The risotto is finished with masses of finely grated Parmesan and…

I’ve failed miserably growing lettuce this year but very successful with rocket and various herbs, particularly mint. Both joined little gem lettuce with quickly pickled cucumber in this lovely so-called garden salad. I topped it with hard-boiled egg and grated hard ricotta, a new discovery. Ricotta salata is made with the whey part of sheep…

Dried, ground fig leaves bring a hint of coconut to sweet and savoury dishes. Make this adaptable seasoning yourself if you have access to fig leaves, if not it really doesn’t matter for this recipe because the escalopes will be delicious without. Cauliflower cream is best described as pureed cauliflower cheese but that undersells a…

This is pretty much my standard ragu recipe whatever the meat I use. It is often prompted by the dregs of a bottle of red wine; a funny stimulus to start a recipe but there it is. This version, with spinach stirred in at the end, was piled over tagliatelle tossed with butter and a…

This hardly needs a recipe. Fresh mint is finely chopped, placed in a jug or small bowl, a little sugar added and then a splash of boiling water to melt the sugar and release the flavour. Add vinegar and it’s done. Serves: 4 Prep: 5 minutes generous handful of mint leaves scant ¼ tsp white…

A gloriously simple soup to make, everything chopped up and splashed with olive oil in an earthenware dish with foil lid. Cherry tomatoes, red onion and red pepper liquidized with chicken or vegetable stock. What could be easier? Season it as you like; I added a squeeze or orange and hint of its zest. Sliced…

New potatoes always make me greedy for more but I love leftovers. Apart from potato salads, I love roasting and frying them. The latter is particularly good with bacon, specially smoked bacon or pancetta, with finely chopped spring onions melted in right at the end. If you have flat leaf parsley to hand and a…