Wild Garlic, Gooseberries and Me: A chef’s stories and recipes from the land

In a wide frying pan, heat 1cm (1/2 in) vegetable oil to a medium temperature, about 160°C/325°F. Carefully slide in some of the spring rolls, making sure you don’t crowd the pan. Cook for a few minutes on each side until the spring rolls are crisp and coloured. You can also cook them in a deep-fryer but make sure the temperature is not too high or they may burst. Remove the spring rolls and place them on kitchen paper to drain off any excess oil.

Serve the spring rolls with the tamarind sauce as a dip.

Asparagus, Spinach and Durrus Cheese Egg Rolls with Balsamic Beetroot Sauce

I love this earthy, sweet and sharp beetroot sauce (or syrup as it might properly be called) with the flavours in the egg rolls. You can make the sauce well in advance and it keeps for days.

It isn’t always easy to tell if it has reduced enough in the pan, so if it isn’t nicely syrupy when cooled, you can simply put it back in a pan and reduce it some more. The sauce can be very pretty on the plate or it can make a terrible mess, as beetroot always can, so it is best to put it on in a nice pattern from one of those squeezy bottles with a thin nozzle.

The rolls are also lovely with a tomato salsa, possibly with capers and/or avocado too.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. For the

sauce, chop the beetroot into small dice and put in a

large saucepan with the water. Bring this to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Blend the beetroot and water to a fine purée, pass this through a fine sieve, and return to the pan. Add the balsamic vinegar, bring it to the boil and simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly. This may take 20-30 minutes. Leave the sauce to cool, when it will thicken some more.

Snap the tough ends off the asparagus spears. Slice any fat spears in half lengthways. Blanch the spears by dropping them in boiling water for 2-3 minutes until tender but still crisp, then cool them in a bowl of cold water.

Drop the spinach into boiling water for 2 minutes or until soft, then drain and cool it in a colander under cold running water. Squeeze the spinach dry and chop it very finely. Stir in the tomato pesto and season with salt and pepper.

Beat the eggs and milk lightly together in a bowl, season with salt and stir in the chives. Heat a heavy or non-stick 15cm (6in) frying pan over a low heat and brush it lightly with olive oil. Pour in enough of the egg mixture to make a very thin omelette, and cook it until set but only lightly coloured on the bottom. Flip the omelette over and cook the other side for 1 minute, then remove from the pan. Oil the pan again and repeat. The mixture should make eight omelettes or egg rolls.

Lay an omelette on a work surface and place a layer of cheese across the middle. Place some asparagus pieces on top to cover the cheese evenly. Then press some of the spinach mixture on to the asparagus. Fold over the omelette from the near end first, then the top, to make a tight roll. Repeat with the rest and place the egg rolls, seam-side down, on an oven tray lined with baking parchment. Brush the tops lightly with olive oil. Place the egg rolls in the oven for 3-4 minutes until the cheese is just beginning to melt. Drizzle some of the beetroot sauce on each of the serving plates and place the egg rolls on top. Serve the rest of the sauce in a jug at the table.

New Zealand Spinach, Puy Lentils, Fennel and Sheep’s Cheese on Tomato Crostini

Because New Zealand spinach holds its shape so well, this looks good enough to be served as a starter, but it also makes a nice light lunch or late night snack.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Cook the lentils in boiling water for 12-15 minutes until tender but firm. Rinse briefly under cold running water to stop the cooking, but leaving the lentils warm.

To make the crostini, brush the bread lightly with olive oil on both sides, place it on an oven tray lined with baking parchment and bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes until crisp on both sides but still a little soft in the middle. You may need to turn the bread slices once during cooking to get an even finish on both sides. Leave for a few minutes to cool to room temperature, then spread a little tomato pesto on each one.

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, drop in the spinach and cook for 1 minute. Drain well.

At the same time, heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan and cook the onion, fennel, garlic and lentils for 5 minutes. Add the spinach and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Place one of the crostini on each plate and put the spinach mixture loosely on top. Squeeze some lemon juice over each portion. Coarsely grate or thinly shave the sheep’s cheese and sprinkle it over.

Artichoke, Asparagus and Quail Egg Salad with Citrus Dressing

Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard them. Cut each spear in three, then bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and drop the asparagus into boiling water to cook for 1 minute. Cool under cold running water briefly, then drain well.

Pull off the outer leaves of the artichokes until only the paler, less green flesh is visible. Cut the leaves across below the tops. Trim the stalk with a knife and discard the tough outer skin to reveal the tender edible part at the centre. Cut the artichokes into quarters and scoop out any hairy choke. Drop the artichoke quarters into water with a little of the lemon juice. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add the artichoke pieces and cook for 5-7 minutes until just tender. Cool briefly under cold running water and drain well.

Cook the quail eggs by dropping them into boiling water for just 1 minute, then cool them in a bowl of cold water. Peel the eggs carefully – the yolks should still be soft.

Make a dressing by whisking or shaking together the orange and remaining lemon juice, the orange zest and the olive oil.

Toss the asparagus and artichokes together with the chives and enough dressing to coat the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Place some rocket on four plates and share out half of the vegetables on top. Scatter on some more rocket and top with the rest of the vegetables. Cut the tops off the eggs, and tuck them into the salads. Drizzle some more of the dressing over and around the salad.

Spinach, Aubergine and Chickpea Curry

I like to make this curry with a strong chilli hit and then serve it with another, milder curry, either yoghurt or coconut based, and of course some rice or bread.

Cook the spinach in boiling water for 2 minutes, then cool it under cold running water and squeeze gently to remove most of the liquid. In a food processor, chop the spinach to a coarse purée.

Heat half the olive oil in a large pan and cook the onion, chickpeas, garlic, chilli and spices for 5 minutes over a medium heat. Add the remaining olive oil and the aubergine. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often, until the aubergine is coloured. Add the tomatoes and a pinch of salt, then cover the pan, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the aubergine is soft. Stir in the spinach purée and serve.