Spring Has Sprung

You won’t have missed the very volatile weather we are having and despite us now being in spring, this very changeable season is making new demands on our taste buds as we try and provide something light and fresh as well as hearty and warming. This week I wanted to share a whole range of dishes I thought you could use in the coming days and weeks.

Even the Met Office says you're more likely to see snow at Easter than at Christmas and so you need to stand ready to change your cooking habits along with the weather.

Want something special for Sunday lunch? Mary Berry's marinated lamb is full of flavour and perfect with salsa verde.

You can find the full recipe HERE but I also wanted to share a note about a type of lamb you will sometime see. Some lamb goes even beyond free-range, to actually specify the type of pasture it is reared on. “Saltmarsh lamb” is a real treat for anyone who can get access to it. This is meat from animals reared on grassland on the coast or on salted marsh land, where they enjoy extremely clean, salty pasture and crystal clean fresh air. This lifestyle results in high-quality, sweet tasting lamb that should be cooked with little more than basic seasoning to really appreciate the flavour and texture of the meat.

On those days when the weather is less kind – I think you need something a little more warming and I love this recipe for Griddled lamb chops with Inzimino. Inzimino sounds exotic, but in fact it is an easy chard and chickpea stew that goes perfectly with succulent griddled lamb chops and I love this recipe from leading Chef and restaurateur Theo Randall which you can see HERE

If you are looking for something a bit more exotic, I’ve been tempted by this roast pork from Antigua by way of Portugal which is called Vinidaloush, which you can find HERE It is also known as garlic pork but has a lot more to it than that name suggest, including the warming spirit of the Caribbean with a good shot of rum, coriander and honey.