Pea and Ricotta Salad with Quinoa

4 spring onions, chopped

a large bunch of mint leaves

300g of quinoa

550 mls of stock

2 large handfuls of peas, removed from the pod

a handful of rocket

150g of ricotta cheese, crumbled

Place the yogurt, oil, garlic, three of the spring onions and most of the mint leaves into a liquidiser and blend until smooth or blitz with a soup gun. Taste and season.

Cover the quinoa with the stock. I use a chicken stock that I make myself for this and it really adds to the flavour. Allow to come to the boil then bubble away at a low heat until cooked. You may need to top up with a little water during cooking.

Steam the peas above the quinoa as it is cooking until they are soft but still have bite.

Toss the peas, rocket and the remaining sliced spring onions through the quinoa. Coat them all in the dressing. Taste again to see if you need more seasoning. Stir the ricotta and the remaining mint leaves through.

Ensemble at the Table Vegetable Wraps

Serves 4

300g of sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 red onion, sliced

4 cloves of garlic, quartered

1 small red pepper, de seeded and chopped

1 red chilli, finely chopped

a dash of olive oil

2 tsp of honey

1 tin of cherry tomatoes

a bunch of coriander, roughly chopped

a handful of baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped

8 tortilla wraps

4 tbsp of natural yogurt

zest of two lemons

Toss the sweet potato, red onion, garlic, red pepper and chilli in the oil and place into an oven heated to 180 degrees for 15 minutes.

Stir in the tin of tomatoes, honey and seasoning through the sweet potatoes and place back in the oven until they are soft. Taste and season a bit more if necessary.

Mix the lemon zest, cracked pepper and salt through the yogurt.

Heat the wraps on a pan or under the grill.

Lay the wraps, vegetables, yogurt and coriander on the table and allow people to help themselves and make their own combinations as they like them.

Grilled Chicken with Citrus Carrot Salad

Serves 4

4 chicken breasts

1/2 tbsp of honey

1 tsp of cayenne pepper

juice of a lemon, and zest

a dash of olive oil

a small handful of sesame seeds, toasted and crushed with a pestle and mortar

4 small carrots, grated

2 oranges, peeled and sliced, juice and zest of one

a bunch of coriander, chopped

4 tsp of poppy seeds

Season the chicken breasts and fry in a large pan, that is oven safe, until brown all over.

While you are browning the chicken mix the honey, 1 tbs of oil and the cayenne pepper. Drizzle the chicken with the honey mixture and place under a medium grill until they are cooked through, turning once. It should take about 25 minutes.

To make the dressing mix the lemon juice with twice as much olive oil, the sesame seeds and the zest of the lemon and orange. Taste and season.

Toss the carrot, orange slices, coriander, and poppy seeds together. Dress the salad and add orange juice to taste.

Serve the chicken breasts with the salad alongside.

Grilled Pollock with Thai Dressing and Coconut Milk

Serves 4

1 tin of coconut milk

basmati rice for four

1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped

1 red chilli, roughly chopped

1 stick of lemongrass, white part roughly chopped, green part discarded

a thumb size piece of ginger, roughly chopped

juice of 1 lime

1 tbsp of sesame oil

1/2 tbsp of fish sauce

1 tsp of honey

1 tbsp of light soya sauce

4 fillets of pollock, about 600g in total

1 tbsp of sesame seeds, toasted

Put the rice and coconut milk into a saucepan. Fill the coconut milk tin with water and pour that into the saucepan as well. Season and bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer and allow to bubble away until the rice is cooked.

Blitz the garlic, chilli, lemongrass, ginger, lime juice, sesame oil, fish sauce, honey and soya sauce in a blender until smooth. Taste and add a little more of any of the ingredients to balance it if you wish.

Rub a little of the paste into each piece of fish. And heat some sesame oil in a griddle pan over a medium heat. Pan fry the fish skin side down until cooked through. Remove the fish gently from the pan and heat the remaining paste.

Stir the toasted sesame seeds into the rice, lay the fish on top and then spoon the sauce over.

Meatloaf with Mushrooms

Serves 4

200g of mushrooms, sliced

a large knob of butter

1 red onion, finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, finely sliced

2 carrots, grated

120 g of breadcrumbs

a handful of sage leaves, finely chopped

1 tsp of wholegrain mustard

1 egg, lightly beaten

600g of minced beef

2 sausages, skin removed

1 tsp of nutmeg

1 tbsp of tomato puree

2 tbsp of chutney

Sauté the mushrooms in melted butter for a minute then scoop them out of the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, using the remaining butter from the mushrooms, sauté the onion with a lid on over a low heat until it is translucent. Add the garlic and carrots and continue stir frying for another minute.

Place the breadcrumbs into a large bowl and add the sage, mustard, egg, beef, sausage meat, nutmeg and tomato puree. Combine them well and then add in the onion and carrot mix. Stir that in well too.

Scoop half of the mixture into an oiled loaf tin. Lay the mushrooms on top then scoop the rest of the mixture into the tin. Bake for an hour at 170 degrees or until cooked through.

Serve sliced with the chutney. You can serve it with some green salad too if you wish.