Kitchen Around in Zermatt

by Andrea Warburton

Zermatt has an abundance of restaurants to choose from with a variety of styles, so it is difficult to decide where to start.  Luckily,  a local event planner, Marco Godat, had a bright idea while eating in the kitchen of a restaurant where he had organised a wedding.  He loved the idea of being 'backstage'and seeing the craziness of how a restaurant kitchen works and thought others would be interested in this too.  After approaching restaurants that were open to new ideas the Kitchen Around tour was realised.

Starting at Cervo mountain resort, our table for four was snuggled in at the end of the kitchen with a view over all of the action.  When booking, we attempted to make it for five, but once we were ensconced in our seats, we really could see why there was a limit of four guests.  Our starter was a caramelised goats cheese and beet root salad served with a beautiful Johannisberg white wine from the Valais region.  It was easy to get distracted from our own food as we watched beautifully presented plates going out to the diners in the restaurant and used a menu to decipher the different dishes going passed. 

After a taxi ride, in the little electric buggies that are the only vehicles allowed in Zermatt, we came to our second course at Walliserhof in the centre of town.  This was a much larger hotel with a traditional Stubli, brasserie and a banqueting room and the kitchen reflected this being the largest we visited.  We were shown around the kitchen by the head chef and then settled into their table which is used for the kitchen's own 'family' meals.  Our amuse bouche of parsley root soup with mini ravioli was followed by the main course rabbit with polenta and mustard sauce.  The local Waliser Pinot noir complemented the rabbit perfectly.  

As we were leaving we were given a bag of goodies and our walking directions to our next stop, Z'Art.  This was the smallest kitchen by far and it was clear that equipment had to be moved around to accommodate our table in the corner, it really felt like the chefs were having to work around us.  Even with their limited space the Chocolate Creation dessert with the rich moist chocolate cake, creamy chocolate ice cream and refreshing tangerine finished our roaming dinner perfectly. 

Having seen the cramped working spaces and knowing what some chefs are like I was surprised that this whole Kitchen Around tour works, but as Marco pointed out, the chefs were not so happy to begin with but now they love it.  It is only available on Saturday and Tuesday evenings so the chefs do get a break from being on public display. 

At 139CHF per person including all of your food, wine, taxi and gift it is a great way to get around some of the best restaurants in Zermatt and a great introduction to inspire other nights out.

Hazelnut Macaroons with Vanilla Buttercream and Chocolate Macaroons

by Ana-Maria Chira

Hazelnut Macaroons with Vanilla Buttercream and Chocolate Macaroons

(Adapted from a Waitrose recipe)

Memories... What are they? They feel like a gentle waft of air, they remind me of the beauty found sometimes in a detail and that the imponderable weighs sometimes the most in life.  A tapestry of beautiful little things, like the treasures we collect in a box when children, sometimes weighing no more than a gentle breath. They are linked with nothing, other than us and the splendid details in which life, with its intrinsic beauty, likes to lose its trace... 

For me cooking and baking is about memories, of family, of childhood, of places we travel to ... and about sharing these memories with you and others. These macaroons are lovely wrapped up and taken to a friend as a gift or if left on a plate in the kitchen, the kids will make them just disappear. 

Makes about 25 filled macaroons

Ingredients:

For the macaroons

175 g caster sugar

70 ml water

65 g egg whites

175 g whole roasted hazelnuts 

175 g icing sugar

65 g egg whites

For the vanilla butter cream:

140g butter, softened

280g icing sugar

1-2 tbsp milk

few drops of vanilla essence

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 140C. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2.To make the Italian meringue, place the caster sugar and water in a small saucepan and heat until 114C. Put 65 g egg whites in a large food mixer with the whisk attached and whisk until stiff peaks form. Gradually pour the sugar syrup on the egg whites while the food mixer is running until you have a thick, glossy, stiff meringue.

3. Blitz the whole roasted hazelnuts in a food processor until very finely ground,

4. In a large bowl add the ground roasted hazelnuts, icing sugar and 65 g egg whites and mix until it forms a paste.

5. Gradually add the Italian meringue to the hazelnut paste and place the mixture in a piping bag. Cut the end of the piping bag to a 1cm whole.

6. Pipe the macaroons roughly the size of a 10p piece in straight lines leaving a 2cm gap in between each macaroon. 

Place in the oven for 14 minutes.

Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring onto a cooling rack. When completely cold, sandwich the macaroons together in pairs with the vanilla butter cream

To make the filling, beat the butter until creamy, then add the 1/2 of the icing sugar and beat until smooth. Add the remaining icing sugar and one tablespoon of the milk and beat the mixture until creamy and smooth. Beat in the milk, if necessary, to loosen the mixture. Stir in the vanilla essence and stir to combine.

Chocolate Macaroons
Replace the hazelnuts with 175 g ground almonds and 2 tablespoons of sifted cocoa, then continue with step 4. Use Nutella Chocolate Spread to sandwich the macaroons together. 

Roast Dinner at sea

by Esme Robinson

Sailing from one land to anther is a romantic notion that is associated with blue skies, gentle winds and dolphins playing on the bow.  You leave one world and arrive into another having feasted on fresh tuna sashimi and Wahu fish and chips. It is a terrific adventure that can also be terrifying. When the winds pick up and the waves are aggressive, the experience becomes altogether nauseating, especially when you are down in the galley being thrown around like a raw potato in a blunt blender.

Sailing from the Galapagos to Tahiti in a 90ft sailing boat took about 19 days. We were sailing ‘down wind’ and cruising over gentle pacific rolling waves, occasionally being hit by flying fish. All the hatches were open so fresh warm air was flowing through the boat and all 6 crew were relaxed and happy. I had so much fresh fish in the freezer I had to ban the boys from fishing for a couple of days, as there was no more room! We had a huge branch of bananas strapped onto the mast that were ripening quickly. Banana smoothies and banana cake were on the menu everyday. We were very gently and contentedly being blown all the way to French Polynesia.

On one particular day half way through the trip I decided to cook a roast chicken dinner for the crew, a simple but favorite dish. The chicken was defrosted and marinating in the preserved lemons I had made previously.  All of a sudden, a wave hit the boat and about half a bucket worth of water came through the galley hatch above, and drenched the chicken and me.  The hatches were instantly shut and I mopped up the water. The Captain said the wind had shifted and we were coming into a bit of a storm. I looked at the chicken, cleaned it up and decided it definitely didn’t need any more salt!

After some very jerky motions I went up on deck to see what was going on. The main sail had been brought right in and we were now heading up wind and the skies were threatening ahead.  It was 2 hours to dinnertime and I had to cook the chicken.

The galley was far forward in the boat, which means you really feel the waves. I sprinkled the chicken with herbs and stuffed it with the remaining lemon and garlic and put it straight into the oven.  Ovens on sailing boats are on ‘gimbles’.  As the boat moves the oven is free to move too so you always have a flat surface (supposedly). On the stovetop you also have metal rods that hold the pans in place. I found the potatoes and started to chop them, only to notice that we were starting to lean more to the starboard side. The chopped potatoes starting to roll away from me and as I went to catch them, the knife then rolled towards me too, narrowly missing my hand! Clearly now everything had to be wedged into a corner with the horrid non-skid plastic to keep in one place. I would normally blanche the potatoes before roasting them, but today was a day to avoid large pots of boiling water! I also prepped some carrot wedges to be roasted and went back on deck to see what was going on.

On deck the boys were in their foul weather gear and preparing themselves for the worst. It was now quite cold outside and the usual stars could not be seen. When the boat starts slamming into the waves, the whole boat shudders, as do you.  The grey tanks which hold all the boats dirty water start to shake around and a nasty smell of sewage starts to permeate through the boat. I had also noticed that there was a slight smell of diesel wafting through the boat and asked the first mate if he had any idea what this could be. He said one of the tanks up in the forward storage must have lost its lid in all the movement. He couldn’t do anything about it now because if a wave hit the boat we would take on water.

I went back down below to the hot smelly interior to continue the dinner with a sense of foreboding. The chicken was starting to smell so I put the potatoes in the oven too. The boat was really slamming now and we were healed over quite dramatically. The mixture of sewage, diesel and roast chicken with the stuffy hot interior and jerky motion was starting to make my stomach turn. The easiest option for vegetables at this point was frozen peas. Opening the freezer was a slight issue because at the angle we were at, gravity was going to try and hurl the contents out. I opened it cautiously, trying to use my hands and body to stop all the fish falling out.  Boom! We hit a massive wave, I was thrown back and all the frozen fish fell out. The galley floor is protected with clear plastic for everyday wear and tear. As I scrambled back up the floor, which was now at a 40-degree uphill angle, I slid back down again as the plastic had become wet. Ten minutes and a lot of swearing later everything was back in the freezer and the peas were found. By this time, nausea had taken over and I ran up on deck to get fresh air.

Up on deck it was raining heavily, I was asked if I was OK as very pale. I replied ‘”I think I am going to be sick!” The first mate took me to the down wind side of the boat and held onto the back of my shorts whilst I crouched down and vomited. This is always such a horrible experience looking into the dark endless sea getting soaked by seawater and rain. Now I was shivering, but felt slightly better.

10 minutes later and back in the galley the peas were cooked and drained. The chicken was cooked and the vegetables were almost finished. I took the chicken out of the oven and rested it on the stovetop wedged in-between the metal rods so it could not move.  Boom! We hit an even bigger wave and the roasted chicken flew out of the baking tray and landed behind the oven. This would never normally happen, but because we were healing over so much the oven was at a serious angle, which made a perfect gap for the chicken to hide in. All the chicken juices started to pour underneath the oven and down onto the plastic floor! Now this was really impossible and the language coming out of my mouth was getting worse.  I climbed up next to the oven with a wooden spoon as my weapon on choice. I put my arm behind the very hot oven fishing for the chicken whilst holding onto a cupboard so I didn’t fall. At this point I really was swearing and the first mate walked in, wondering when dinner was going to be ready! Between us, we managed to rescue the escaped chicken and I once again cleared up the mess.

Everything was now ready. The salty chicken was beaten up but cooked to perfection, the roasted potatoes were not crispy but ok, the carrots were caramelized perfection and the baby garden peas were clearly lovingly prepared! No gravy and definitely no desert!! Mind you by the time all the crew had come downstairs and smelt the sewage and diesel, no one really wanted to eat!

Marble Cake

by Bobby Ananta

I grew up in small town in Central Java, I learned to bake from the age of 7, not just because I loved to do it, but it was my mother's idea of child Labour. However as I was the youngest of give kids I could get away from the hardest jobs of baking cakes. Before she bought a hand electric mixer, she used to make cakes with a traditional hand mixer that looks like a metal spiral that we must dry up properly or it would go rusty.

I bet you would say that I was a lazy boy when my mother asked for a little help. If it was only one cake, that would have been easy for us, but once I remembered she agreed to bake more than 100 plates of cakes for 'nyewu' a Javanese tradition, when a family celebrates a thousand days after someone has passed away. So with fie kids as soldiers my mother was a strong leader to make sure 120 marble cakes (25cm x 25cm) was delivered. Thinking she was lucky because my grandmother owned a battery hen farm, because for one marble cake recipe she would need 8 egg yolks and 4 egg whites, so at that time she needed more than 100kg of eggs.

Marble cake:
8 eggs yolk
4 eggs whites
250g butter, room temperature
200g plain flour
300g caster sugar
1tso. vanilla extract
2 tsp. cocoa powder

Heat the oven to 180c, line the base and sides of a 25cm square tin with parchment paper.
Whisk the butter and the sugar until white and fluffy.
In clean bowls whisk the egg white until glossy and thick.
Add the flour and mix the butter, vanilla and sugar slowly with a spatula, mix gently making sure you get right down to the bottom of the bowl.
Add the egg whites and gently mix.
Put 3tbs. of the cake mixture into a small bowl and mix in the cocoa powder.
Spoon the batter into a baking tin and spread evenly, add the chocolate mixture on top.
With a fork or chopsticks, slowly marble the batter and bake for about 40 minutes, poke with a skewer and if it pulls out clean the cake is ready.
Remove the cake from the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.

When I bake with this recipe I always have an excess of 4 eggs whites, I recently followed Nigel Slater's Classic Meringue Recipe to make the most of them.

Sinful Chocolate Simnel Cake & Simnel History

by Sophie Spurgeon

 Traditionally, Simnel cake is a light fruit cake baked during the Easter period. Made with saffron, lemon, currants and almonds, the cake is layered with almond marzipan and topped with 11 toasted marzipan balls. The 11 marzipan balls represent the 11 apostles that attended the Last Supper, minus Judas, the betrayer of Jesus.

The tradition of Simnel cake is questionable, with several alleges of its origin. The first being that it was a cake intended for the middle Sunday of Lent, when the forty day fast is relaxed. It is believed that girls in service would bake them to take home on Mothering Sunday. Another being that siblings could not decide whether to make a sponge or fruit cake for Easter, so made both. There is also a legend that it was invented by Lambert Simnel in the 15th Century.

The Lambert Simnel Version:

In the 15th Century, at the age of 10, Lambert Simnel was tutored by Richard Simon, an Oxford-trained priest. Simon taught him courtly manners and etiquette with the intention of making him a King.

He was initially trained to impersonate Richard, Duke of York, the younger son of Edward IV. However, the plan changed when the Earl of Warwick, another Yorkist claimant to the throne, died during his imprisonment at the Tower of London. Simon spread a rumour that Warwick had in fact escaped and was seeking shelter with him.

Simnel was taken to Ireland by Simon where the Earl of Kildare, head of the Irish government, supported the story and was even willing to invade England to overthrow King Henry VII with them. In May 1487, Simnel was crowned King Edward VI by Lord Kildare and an army of Irish soldiers was formed.

Along the way Simnel's army gained support. The Earl of Lincoln claimed to have taken part in Warwick's supposed escape from imprisonment. Warwick's aunt, Margaret of York, collected 2,000 Flemish mercenaries and shipped them to Ireland.    In June, Simnel's army (mainly Flemish and Irish) landed in Lancashire and were joined by some English supporters. During a clash with the King's army at the Battle of Stoke Field, Kildare was captured and Lincoln killed. Simon narrowly escaped execution due to his priestly status and was instead imprisoned for life.

   Although Simnel was taken prisoner, to show Henry VII's lenience, he was pardonned and employed as a scullion to the royal kitchen. It is believed this is where he created the recipe for Simnel cake.

This delicious chocolate cake is an alternative interpretation of Simnel cake with layers of chocolate marzipan and can be topped with 11 chocolate eggs for a touch of tradition.

Sinful Chocolate Simnel Cake
(Cake adapted from April 2010 BBC Good Food)

Chocolate and almond cake:
     250g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
     100g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids)
     400g plain flour
     500g golden caster sugar
     25g cocoa, plus extra for dusting
     1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
     2 eggs
     284ml buttermilk
     zest and juice of 1 orange
     150ml boiling water

Preheat the oven to 180oc. Grease and line two deep 23cm cake tins.

Boil the kettle. Melt the butter and chocolate in a small pan over a low heat, stirring, until melted. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt. In a jug, whisk the eggs, buttermilk, orange juice and zest together. Scrape the melted chocolate mixture and egg into the dry ingredients. Add 150ml of boiling water and briefly mix with an electric whisk to ensure everything is well incorporated. Divide between the two tins and bake for 45 minutes. Once baked, a skewer will come out cleanly. Cool the cakes in their tins.

Chocolate marzipan:
     85g golden caster sugar
     100g icing sugar, plus extra to decorate
     200g ground almonds
     50g cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting
     1 egg, plus 1 yolk, beaten

Whilst the cakes are cooling, mix the sugars, ground almonds and cocoa in a bowl. Make a well and pour in the egg and egg yolk. Stir with a cutlery knife before kneading with your hands to a smooth ball. Wrap in cling film and set aside.

(The marzipan will keep in the fridge for up to a week).

Chocolate buttercream:
     300g unsalted butter, softened
     500g icing sugar, sifted
     100g dark chocolate

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, ensuring that the bowl does not touch the water. Once fully melted, set aside to cool. In a mixer, beat together the butter and icing sugar until fluffy. Add the slightly cooled chocolate and continue to mix until well combined.

To assemble:
Split each of the cakes in two using a serrated knife. Sandwich the marzipan between two big sheets of marzipan and roll out to approximately 3mm. Using a cake tin for a guide, cut the marzipan into four circles. Sandwich each layer together with a circle of marzipan and buttercream. To finish, spread the remaining frosting round the outside of the cake. Decorate with mini eggs and dust with cocoa.

Seasons Eatings

by Sian Henley

The March equinox has been and gone, a day where all of the world has an equal length of day and night (roughly!), and finally the days are beginning to get longer. Spring is officially here. It really is, I promise, although you would be hard pressed to tell by looking out of the window! But even when the weather inevitably fails us, we can ring in the changes in our cooking. The constant transformation throughout the year is something I have really come to appreciate since moving back to England from 10 years in the endless tropical heat of Singapore. The beginning of each new season is something I look forward to in the markets and in the kitchen. Seeing new ingredients, waiting for some in particular to arrive with anticipation, the excitement of new ideas, new recipes, change. I take particular pleasure in the development of spring from winter and by now, it's tiresome endless sea of muted brown tones, of root vegetables, stews and casseroles. I absolutely can not wait for the riot of colour and freshness that spring brings.

In honour of this new season here are 3 recipes each using a key spring ingredient that celebrates this time of year. Get excited people!

Passion Fruit

Nothing shouts 'sunshine' like the heady, tropical scent of these little beauties and you should find these fruits abundant in the UK at this time of year. A little tip when purchasing, these fruits are ready to eat when dark and dimpled (in the style of a golf ball, if you happen to be familiar with one) and feel heavy for their size. Only use once they have reached this stage or the tartness that is complimentary in a ripe fruit will be extremely sharp in an under ripe one.

Ceviche is a dish popular all over South America and is basically fish, cut in to bite size pieces and cured in an acidic juice so that it has a cooked texture and opaque appearance but retains the 'raw' taste. It is light and refreshing and perfect served with some corn chips or tostadas (crispy fried corn tortillas) to scoop it up. Ideally eaten whilst on a beach with a beer, but hey, we can dream!

Prawn & Passionfruit Ceviche

Serves 2

200g prawns(could use sea bass or scallops instead)- Make sure any fish you use for this dish is extremely fresh and good quality

1/2 red onion, finely sliced into half moons

3 limes, juiced

2 passionfruit, pulp of

1/2 a large red chilli, thinly sliced (use however much you want depending on your spice tolerance but a bit of a kick is essential to the dish)

1/2 avocado, small dice

1/2 mango, small dice

1 small bunch coriander, leaves picked and roughly chopped, reserve a few whole leaves

Although the lime juice will 'cook' the fish it does not kill bacteria so, when using shellfish in particular, it is advisable to blanch your prawns in boiling salted water for 1 to 2 minutes, until pink, then refresh in ice water before using unless you are absolutely sure they have been caught that day. This is the method I followed here. Once the prawns have been blanched and refreshed remove the vein (a little black line running the length of it's body) by running a sharp knife down the back of the prawn and

gently scraping out. You can slice the prawns in half down the length at this point if you wish to produce a more elegant dish and make it stretch a little further. Then place them in a glass bowl adding the onion, lime juice, passionfruit pulp, chilli and a pinch of salt. Mix gently but throughly and leave to marinade in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Take out of the fridge and add the mango, avocado and coriander to the bowl, gently toss and pile up on a plate, scatter with a little more fresh coriander and serve chilled. A delicate looking dish with fresh, punchy flavours.

Other uses for passion fruit - Always wonderful on a pavlova to cut through the rich cream and sugary meringue, also try paired with chocolate ganache in a tart or in a lemon curd roulade.

Pomegranate

Pomegranates are a stunning looking fruit, a vibrant reddish pink colour with beautiful plump, crunchy seeds, they never fail to impress visually. They add a juicy pop of sweet yet tart flavour, livening up anything they are sprinkled over. Not only that but they are thought to have many health benefits as they are extremely high in antioxidants, so whats stopping you.

Always something I associate with the food of the Middle East and North Africa (their origins are in Iran), I have decided to show them off in this spicy, crunchy, colourful dish

inspired by the flavours of these regions.

Spiced Lamb wraps

Serves 2-4 as starter or light lunch

1 red onion (thinly sliced)

1 lemon/lime (juiced)

200g left over cooked and cooled lamb shoulder, shredded/torn into bite size pieces

1/2 tsp sumac (plus extra for serving)

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp hot chilli powder (use more or less depending on heat tolerance)

1 iceberg lettuce ( bottom third sliced off and leaves separated into 'cups')

1/2 pomegranate (seeds only *tip* - get these out by holding a pomegranate half over a bowl with one hand over cut side and bashing rounded side hard with back of a wooden spoon)

Small bunch parsley, leaves picked

Small bunch of mint, leaves picked

Pomegranate Jelly (available in middle eastern delis or online. You could also make your own or use cranberry or crab apple jelly as a substitute)

Begin by placing the red onion and lemon/lime juice in a non metallic bowl with a good pinch of salt and setting to one side for 30 minutes. When 20 minutes have passed you can begin with the rest. Heat a generous splash of olive oil in a frying pan and add your shredded lamb followed by your spices and a pinch of salt. Stir to make sure each piece of lamb is nicely covered in the spices and leave to fry and crisp up, tossing occasionally. Transfer your onion (which by now should be soft, yielding and a shocking pink colour) into a clean bowl and put all your other ingredients in separate bowls or on a platter for people to assemble the wraps themselves. Once the lamb is piping hot and crispy transfer

to a bowl and take to the table.

To eat, grab a lettuce leaf cup and generously smear with the pomegranate jelly. Place some of the hot, crispy lamb on top and sprinkle with a little more sumac, then some onions, herbs and a good sprinkling of pomegranate seeds. Wrap up and dig in. Fresh, zingy, spicy, delicious. Why not also try using pomegranate as a tart and crunchy topping on salads, particularly grain based ones such as cous cous, it also works wonderfully with creamy goats cheese or how about as a sorbet.

Rhubarb

I actually prefer the forced rhubarb that is available at this time of year, grown in dark houses deep in yorkshire, in a mysterious place known as "the rhubarb triangle", its colour is much more vivid than the naturally grown stuff. As a child I hated rhubarb, one of my mums regular desserts that filled me with dread, rhubarb crumble, was much too tart for my young, incredibly sweet tooth. It is a grown up, sophisticated flavour, and one that I have really come to enjoy as I've gotten older. 

As I considered recipes for the fruit it occurred to me what better way to show it off than to make than a very grown up take on a childhood favourite, jelly and ice cream. The recipe below is inspired by a recipe of Nigella Lawson's, Rhubarb and Muscat Jelly.

Rhubarb and Orange Blossom Jelly

Serves 6

900g rhubarb (trimmed and cut into 4 inch pieces)

250g vanilla sugar

50g runny honey

1 orange, zest & juice (plus extra if necessary)

2 cups of water

8 Gelatine leaves

150ml muscat wine

2 tsp orange blossom water

Note: Needs a minimum of 6 hours to set or preferably overnight. You will need 6 individual 1 cup measure glasses/bowls - or whatever receptacle you fancy putting it in.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Put the rhubarb in an oven proof dish that will fit it roughly in one layer and sprinkle over the orange zest & juice, sugar, honey and water. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour or until rhubarb is tender when pierced with a knife but still holding it's shape, then leave to cool. Once cool, strain liquid carefully into a measuring jug, this should provide you with about 600ml of liquid. Put the rhubarb pieces to one side to use another time (I like mine on yogurt for breakfast or in a fool). Add the muscat and orange blossom water to your rhubarb liquid and at this point test and adjust with more muscat/orange blossom/sugar/orange juice to your taste. I added the juice of one more orange for added tartness. Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for a few minutes until soft and squidgy. Meanwhile, heat 2 ladlefuls of the rhubarb liquid in a small pan and bring to the boil. Grab your gelatine leaves, squeeze out the excess water and add to saucepan containing the hot liquid. Whisk until dissolved, this only takes a matter of moments, and once dissolved pour the contents of the saucepan back into the measuring jug containing the rest of the rhubarb mixture and stir well to combine. Carefully pour into serving cups and place in the fridge overnight.

I served mine with a stem ginger ice cream that I made using a recipe by Jason Atherton which worked beautifully but vanilla would work as well.

What else is good… rhubarb and custard sweets were another childhood treat, why not try the combination as a rhubarb and custard tart, or what about pairing the sour fruit with a fatty meat or fish such as pork belly or mackerel.

Other seasonal spring goodies you might want to look out for include asparagus, jersey royals, radishes, spring onions, kiwi fruit, elderflowers, crab and mussels.

Hopefully this has inspired you to embrace the changing of the seasons and get cooking too.