What's on our Plates
Tonight

What started as a tray of mixed lettuce seedlings turned into one of the biggest surprises we’ve had at the allotment. After weeks of debating whether our unusually bitter “lettuce” was really lettuce at all, it finally revealed itself as radicchio. To celebrate the discovery, I made this simple Venetian-inspired aperitivo from Polpo by Russell Norman, where radicchio is gently pickled in white wine, white wine vinegar and juniper berries before being served with grissini and

Discover how to make Sütlü Kadayıf, a delicious Turkish dessert combining crispy shredded pastry with rich hazelnuts and a light milk-infused syrup. This easy-to-follow recipe delivers a perfect balance of sweetness and texture, ideal for special occasions or everyday indulgence. Serve chilled for a refreshing treat that highlights traditional flavors with a modern twist.

There was a time when healthy eating seemed to mean making food as bland as possible. This Caramelised Fennel & Mushroom Pilaf is one of the few recipes from an old healthy-eating cookbook that has stayed with me for years. The original was simple but forgettable; over time I adapted it by properly caramelising the vegetables, adding more lemon and black pepper, and simplifying the ingredients. The result is a wholesome, flavourful one-pot meal that I still cook today.

When our onions started sending up flower stalks, I needed a way to use the steady harvest of onion scapes from the allotment. Inspired by spring onion fritters from Özlem Warren’s Sebze and herb and cheese fritters from Musa Dağdeviren’s The Turkish Cookbook, I created this allotment-friendly version. Packed with herbs, feta and eggs, these golden fritters are a delicious way to turn an often-discarded ingredient into something worth making again and again.

İzmir Köfte is one of my favourite Turkish comfort food dishes: oval lamb meatballs and crispy oven baked potatoes nestled into a rich tomato sauce and finished in the oven with sivri biber chillies. This one pan version skips frying the potatoes and instead roasts them until golden and crisp while the sauce and meatballs are prepared. A deeply comforting family meal that is perfect served with bread, rice or a simple salad.

A floral twist on revani, the classic Turkish semolina cake. Instead of the traditional lemon syrup, this version is soaked with homemade elderflower cordial diluted with water and lemon juice. The cake itself contains very little sugar, with most of the sweetness coming from the fragrant syrup poured over while warm. Inspired by my first time foraging elderflowers and discovering how beautifully they pair with citrus and semolina.