Delicious dinners don’t have to cost the earth. On the British Leeks website there are a host of recipes – Six Easy Ways with British Leeks – to enjoy this versatile veg at the height of the British season. A recipe from their selection caught my eye as a nice change to our bangers and mash…

Sausage and Leek Casserole with Chive Mash
Serves 4
Cost £6.00 (for four)

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil
8 pork sausages
1 Spanish onion sliced
200g sliced leeks
4 cloves garlic sliced
2 sticks celery sliced
Small bunch of sage leaves, picked
200ml white wine
400ml passata
400ml chicken
2 bay leaves
Salt and cracked black pepper
Small bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped

For the mash…

800g potatoes peeled and cut into 4
100g butter
300ml full fat milk
Salt and cracked white pepper
1 bunch of chives finely chopped

Method

Preheat oven to 180ºC / 350ºF

Fry the sausages in a casserole dish until golden brown, remove with a slotted spoon. You may need to do this in two batches.

Add the onions, leeks, garlic, celery and sage and cook until the mix starts to brown slightly

Add the wine, stock, passata and bay leaves and then season with salt and pepper. I used home made tomato passata, so it wasn’t quite as red as the shop bought stuff.

Add the sausages back in. Put the lid on and cook in the oven for 20 minutes

Meanwhile, place your potatoes in a medium sized pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Simmer gently until cooked. About 20 minutes

Once cooked, drain and mash the potatoes and add the butter and milk. Stir over a low heat until the butter has melted and the mash is piping hot. Season and add the chives. Set aside

Remove the casserole from oven, stir in chopped parsley and serve with the mash.

A really lovely warming dinner, showcasing the wonderful British Leek.

We’ve been so lucky with the weather lately and last weekend was no exception, on a warm, sunny Sunday afternoon, we made our annual trip to see the Pumpkin man of Slindon. This year’s display was an underwater scene and I just wish the sun had been shining in the other direction to bring out all the brilliant colours.

My pumpkin booty consisted of a Crown Prince, a Flying Saucer (Patty Pan), two Little Gem squashes and a couple of ornamental gourds. We didn’t buy a carving pumpkin for Halloween as they were a hefty £5 each!

I picked up a pumpkin and squash recipe booklet at the Farmers market and found a recipe for Little Gem squash that is so easy and perfect as a warming lunch.

Baked Little Gem Squash

Ingredients

2 Little Gem Squashes
1/2 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tomato, finely chopped
1 tbspn butter or olive oil
Salt & pepper

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

Cut the tops off to form a lid, pull out the fibres and seeds. You can dry out the seeds and plant them in the Spring or you can roast them and eat them as a snack.

Insert half of the garlic and tomato into each squash, followed by the butter/oil and plenty of seasoning.

Replace the tops and stand in a baking dish in some water.

Bake until tender, about 30 minutes. Add more water if the squashes begin to dry out and cover with foil if they start to burn.

Serve as they are but let them cool down a little first!

This dish can be made in the microwave too, in less than 10 minutes, so you could take a couple of ready-prepared Little Gems to work and enjoy something completely different on your lunch break. Place the prepared squash into a microwave dish, add 2 tbspn water, cover with cling film and cook on high until tender – about 8 minutes (for 2 squashes)

As an alternative to the tomato and garlic filling, you could add a little cream and herbs, or cooked mince.