Organic September: Recipes from Abel & Cole, Daylesford and Riverford

Best of British suppliers share two savoury recipes and one sweet dish to kick off a month that could extend into years of organic

A meal unto itself for the vegetarian but Daylesford’s butternut squash, black kale and cheese dish is crying for roast pork to play with

Butternut squash, Adlestrop cheese and ‘cavolo nero’ crumble, from Daylesford

Bold enough to be served as a standalone lunch or supper dish, this recipe is also a great accompaniment to roast chicken, pork or lamb. Although we use butternut in this recipe, it will work beautifully with any variety of sweet autumn squash or pumpkin.

Serves 4-6

For the crumble

1 butternut squash (about 1kg), peeled and de-seeded
55g oats
15g pumpkin seeds, roughly chopped
25g hazelnuts, roughly chopped
1 tbsp honey
Salt and pepper
120g ‘cavalo nero’ (black kale) leaves
50g Adlestrop cheese, crumbled

For the sauce

25g butter
1 onion, finely sliced
​1 clove garlic, crushed
2 sprigs thyme, leaves only
1 bay leaf
100ml white wine
250ml vegetable stock
250ml double cream
Squeeze of lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Halve the squash lengthways and cut into slices about half an inch thick. Toss in a little oil, salt and pepper and roast on a tray for 20-25 minutes until just tender.

Next, start to make your sauce. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the sliced onion. Cook gently for 2 minutes before adding the crushed garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Sweat gently for a further 10 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent. Pour in the wine and reduce by until syrupy. Pour in the stock and reduce by half and then finally pour in the double cream. Simmer for 2-3 minutes to thicken the sauce, stirring to stop the sauce sticking or burning. Season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice and set aside.

To make the crumble topping, simply combine the oats, chopped nuts and seeds in a bowl. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper, add the honey and mix together well with your hands. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and blanch the cavalo nero (black kale). Drain well, squeeze out any excess water, and roughly chop.

Once the squash is tender, tip it into an ovenproof dish or skillet, along with the chopped cavalo nero, distributing evenly in the dish. Spoon the onion sauce over the squash, stirring a little to cover everything evenly. Scatter over the crumbled Adlestrop cheese, followed by the crumble topping. Bake in the oven at 190C for 20 minutes until piping hot and lightly golden brown on top.

For this result whisk egg whites till you can tip the bowl upside down

Frying-pan spinach soufflé from Riverford

The word soufflé seems to strike fear into the hearts of even competent cooks, but this version is simple and accommodating. All you’re looking for is to get the eggs to rise slightly, then crisp a little on top, like a puffy omelette. You need a smallish frying pan which can go in the oven – 21cm-23cm in diameter. The two things to get right with any form of soufflé are to whisk your egg whites until you can tip the bowl over your head without them falling out (no, really) and to fold them in gently to keep as much air in the mixture as possible.

300g spinach, washed, leaves stripped from their stalks
4 eggs
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
75g grated cheddar
Sunflower or light olive oil, for frying
Salt and pepper

Heat your oven to 210C. Cook the spinach in a pan of boiling water for 1-2 minutes, until wilted. Drain and refresh in a bowl of cold water, then drain again. Wring it out with your hands to remove excess water, then roughly chop the leaves.

Separate the egg whites and yolks into 2 bowls. Whisk the egg whites until they form firm but soft peaks – an electric whisk makes life easier. Lightly beat the egg yolks together. Add the spinach to the yolks, then add the nutmeg, mustard and three quarters of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Take a spoonful of the egg white and stir it into the egg yolk mixture, then very gently fold in the rest. Pour 1 tablespoon of oil into a 21cm-23-cm frying pan. Wipe the base and sides with kitchen paper to coat it. Heat the oil gently, then tip in the egg mix and tip the pan from side to side to cover it. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese.

Transfer the pan to the oven for 10 minutes, until the mixture has risen and is fluffy and slightly golden from the melted cheese on top. Cut in half or wedges to serve.

Plum, basil and lime ice cream from Sam Richards, Abel & Cole

Summer plums make unlikely chums with fragrant basil and tangy lime for this refreshing pink ice cream. Perfect served with stewed summer fruits, in a cone or simply scooped out of a bowl on its own.

Prep: 20 mins plus freezing

Cooking: 10 mins

Serves: 4-8

400g plums
50ml water
175g caster sugar
A handful of basil, leaves only
1 lime, zest only
300ml double cream
100g natural yoghurt

Tumble the plums into a pan and pour the cold water. Set over a moderate heat and bring to the boil, then cover the pan and reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, or till the flesh of the plums is very soft. While the plums are cooking, tip the caster sugar into a food processor and add the basil leaves. Grate in the lime zest and blend till everything is finely chopped together and you are left with a vibrant green sugar.

When the plums are cooked, pour the contents of the pan into a sieve held over a large bowl. Use a wooden spoon to push the plums through the sieve until only the stones are left. Tip the basil sugar into the sieved plum flesh and stir well till dissolved. Pour the double cream into a separate bowl and whisk till firm.

Stir the yoghurt through the plums till fully incorporated, then add the double cream. Whisk everything together till well mixed and thick. Pour the mixture into your ice-cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to churn. No ice cream mixer? Pour into a freezer-proof tub and freeze till solid, stirring with a fork every 2 hours to break up any ice crystals till the ice cream is smooth. Store in a freezer-proof tub in the freezer for up to three months.