Try Something New?
Spring is here and it’s time to drag ourselves out from under our winter duvets, as we hope for sunshine and warmer weather.
If you’re anything like me, the daffodils’ sunny colour helps get you feeling more motivated about the year. I literally come out of hibernation!
So, how about trying something new? My challenge [...]
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My sister is famous for her attitude towards cooking: “If it takes longer to cook than it does to eat, then I’m not interested!”
She has mellowed a little these days, but for many of us, we no longer have hours to spend creating culinary delights in the kitchen.
That’s why so many people resort to ready-made [...]
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With Shrove Tuesday aka Pancake Day well under way, the UK is tossing pancakes galore.
And I was wondering what your favourite pancake fillings are…
At home this evening, I had freshly squeezed lemon juice with honey. Louis had chocolate and hazelnut spread on one and maple syrup on the other. So we’re a sweet-toothed pancake family.
As [...]
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The nature festival of Imbolc celebrates the earliest start of spring.
So whilst it might not yet feel spring-like, the signs are there.
We’ve got snow drops, cautiously peaking their heads out from under the autumn’s leaves and even the daffodils are casually announcing their imminent arrival.
When it comes to vegetables, we’re seeing the last of the [...]
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Are you fed up with the “same old” Christmas menu each year? Only so much turkey, boiled sprouts and roast parsnip a person can eat?
Here are some suggestions to add a little variety to your Christmas dinner.
Instead of turkey or goose, why not try a nut roast?
Instead of boiled Brussel sprouts, why not try a [...]
Filed under: Surviving Christmas, seasonal recipes | No Comments »
It’s that time of year again - Christmas is upon us. Where did it come from? I don’t know about you, but each year it seems to sneak up on me without me realising…
And it got me wondering - each of us has our own family traditions at Christmas - some of them sensible, others [...]
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Making your own cranberry sauce is simple and delicious.
And it’s a great winter immune system booster.
Getting hold of the cranberries, on the other hand, can be more of a challenge!
If you can’t find fresh cranberries, dried will work fine - just reduce the sugar a bit, as they’re usually already sweetened. We’ve included recipes here [...]
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Curly kale is one of those ingredients that you rarely find outside of veg boxes and farm shops.
It’s not your typical supermarket veggie.
That’s why so few of us know how to cook it.
I have to admit, it took me a while to warm to it - it used to be one of those guilt-inducing ingredients [...]
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I have to say I never thought I’d enjoy this recipe, but needs must when your vegetable drawer has spare turnips lurking in its depths.
I wanted to make soup for dinner and decided to go for a real experiment, to use up some leftover veggies.
2 turnips (I’m not a mad fan), some cooked sweet potato, [...]
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This delicious parsnip recipe is simple and makes a change from plain roast parsnips.
Peel the parsnips and cut them into chunks.
Put 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon of Balsamic vinegar in a plastic bag and add the parsnips. Shake well to coat the chunks in the oil.
Roast at 200 C for about 45 minutes, [...]
Filed under: Surviving Christmas, seasonal recipes | 6 Comments »
Has anyone else got sprout tops in their veg box this week?
I knew they were on their way because I’ve started to get emails about what to do with them.
So I wasn’t surprised to get one this week.
The good thing about “sprout tops” is that the Brussels Sprouts on them seem to keep fresh longer [...]
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Obviously I’m talking veg here… (Rutabaga for anyone living outside of Blighty!)
I’ve now got 2 swedes lurking in the bottom of my vegetable drawer and I’m going to have to resign myself to doing something with them very soon…
We’ve got 4 good recipes on the VegBox-Recipes website for swede, but I really fancy a bit [...]
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This week our veg box had a lovely surprise - 2 baby purple cauliflowers and a small Romanesco.
But what to do with them…?
Here’s what we’ve just had for dinner: Purple Cauliflower & Romanesco with blue cheese sauce. Scrum!
I’ve discovered that steaming the purple cauliflower, rather than boiling it, means it keeps its colour - it [...]
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I don’t normallly get overly excited about recipes I invent - I’ve been doing it for a couple of decades and am kind of used to it But this one is something special.
Actually, I can only take half the credit for it ‘cos it was partly Andy’s idea, too.
We had a bit of a [...]
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Did you know…? I’m now writing a seasonal recipes column each month for Tastes of Britain magazine.
Tastes of Britain is all about British regional specialities, the producers, food heroes, and the stories behind the best food that Britain has to offer.
As their marketing spiel says: “From Land’s End to John O’ Groats; from pheasant to [...]
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The pumpkin and squash section of VegBox-Recipes is going bonkers.
No great surprise.
After all, once you’ve lovingly carved out the innards of this year’s Hallowe’en pumpkin, you’ve got to find something to do with them.
Here’s some info about pumpkins and a few favourite recipes: http://www.vegbox-recipes.co.uk/ingredients/pumpkin.php
I still have memories of mum telling us about Hallowe’en in her [...]
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11 months on and I’m still ploughing through last winter’s pickled beetroot.
I really love the pickled beetroot recipe we have on the main VegBox-Recipes.co.uk site. But why haven’t I eaten it all yet???
Because I made a quadruple batch. At least.
I was pregnant with Theo at the time and remembered that, in my pre-veg-box-not-quite-so-organic days, when [...]
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Hi everyone,
Quick favour to ask here!
I’m trying to work out whether people would be interested in buying a Veg Box Recipes book - you know, a good, old-fashioned paper copy of the best recipes for veg boxes, that you can keep in the kitchen!
I get daily emails from people telling me how useful the website [...]
Filed under: seasonal recipes, veg box recipes news, veg box stuff | 4 Comments »
For those of you who are finding butternut squash in your veg boxes, here’s my all-time favourite butternut squash recipe:
Aoki Sweetcorn & Chilli Butternut Squash
In fact, I’m making it again tonight, for the first time this year, and I can’t wait!
We’ve gots loads of other butternut squash recipes on the website, including one for a [...]
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At last, after 3 months of intermittent weeding and trying to keep up with whether the seedlings are going to be scorched or drowned, our first allotment crops are in!
It’s official!
This week we’ve been enjoying loads of broad beans, salad leaves, rocket, radishes and even our very first blueberry.
It’s great getting a veg box, but [...]
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It’s that time of year - broad beans are creeping into veg boxes and farmers’ markets. And the early season beans are particularly delicious.
Later in the season, the beans can tend to get a bit tough and need skinning (a labour of love, but worth it). So make the most of them now.
Here are some [...]
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Grab your free copy of the May Veg Box Recipes Newsletter now.
It’s out today and is packed with news, updates and info on the latest seasonal recipes.
This month’s edition includes:
What’s In Season?
Asparagus Recipes
Rhubarb Recipes
Survey: Should Veg Box Schemes Charge Extra For “Fussy Eaters”?
Allotment News: the first seeds are in!
The End Of The Road For Plastic [...]
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It’s that time of year! The asparagus season has started.
And if you’re lucky enough to find it in your veg box or farm shop, then it’s time to enjoy.
It’s a real treat, heralding the start of summer. And the asparagus season doesn’t last long, so it’s worth making the most of it while you can.
We’ve [...]
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Have you had rhubarb in your veg box this week?
Early-season forced rhubarb is now in, so it’s time to get cooking and make the most of this early sign of spring!
Cooking rhubarb is easy, as long as you remember to throw away the leaves (slightly toxic) and add enough sweetness.
My top tip is to sweeten [...]
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Do you like experimenting with new recipe ideas in the kitchen?
Want to get involved with promoting seasonal food recipes?
We need more testers to join our team.
What’s involved?
Every few weeks we send out a list of new recipes. If you fancy trying out one of them, let us know - no pressure. You can volunteer as [...]
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Want some last minute Christmas veg recipes?
Here are some ideas to brighten up your Christmas lunch. Sorry Nigella - no goose fat in sight!
Roast Potatoes
These can either be traditional, laced with oil, or slightly healthier. Either way, they’re a delicious and essential part of Christmas Dinner!
Traditional Roast Potatoes: Roast potatoes are one of those dishes [...]
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It’s never too late to make a Christmas pudding.
Yes, I know it’s supposed to mature for months, and all that, but this recipe is just so scrummy, you could get making it tonight!
The key is to use lots of dried fruits, good quality spices and not too many bulking agents (fats and sugars).
The recipe is [...]
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Allegedly, Brussel Sprouts are the UK’s most hated vegetable. Our recent survey certainly confirmed they’re in the top 3 most boycotted veggies.
But at Christmas time, it can be hard to avoid them.
If you, like me, spent childhood Christmases dreading the arrival of noxious green balls on your Christmas Dinner plate, then chances are you need [...]
Filed under: healthy eating, seasonal recipes | 1 Comment »
Is it just me, or does it feel like winter has finally arrived today?
This morning was grey, foggy and, quite frankly, freezing.
What happened to the wonderful Indian Summer we’ve been having?
I’m not being a pessimist - it could be December and I’ll still be hoping for sunshine - but it’s definitely time to get the [...]
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