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Ingredients:-

• 500g puff pastry
• 1 medium egg, beaten
• 200g full-fat soft cheese
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 4 tbsp parmesan, freshly grated
• 60g frozen petits pois
• 2 courgettes, trimmed and peeled into ribbons
• 6 spring onions, roughly sliced at an angle
• Mozzarella cheese, grated or finely chopped
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method:-

• Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6.
• Roll out the pastry into a large rectangle ½cm thick. Cut to a 30cm x 21cm rectangle and use a knife to mark out a border about 2½cm from the edge.
• Using a sharp knife, mark a lattice pattern on the borders, then brush with the egg. Place on a baking tray in the fridge.
• Meanwhile, lightly mix together the soft cheese, lemon juice and 2 tbsp parmesan in a bowl.
• Season with plenty of freshly ground black pepper, then spread over the pastry.
• Press the peas into the tart and pile on the courgette ribbons.
• Scatter the spring onions and the grated mozzarella over the top.
• Brush with the oil, then bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and risen. Serve warm or cold.

Ingredients:-

• 450g/1lb courgettes
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• 200ml/7 floz olive oil
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

Method:-

• Use a mandolin to finely slice the courgettes lengthwise into long ribbons and place them in a bowl with the 3 tbsp of olive oil.
• Swish them around in the oil to coat them and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat a griddle pan and toast the courgette ribbons for approximately 2 minutes each side.
• Have the lemon juice ready in a bowl and toss the cooked courgette ribbons in the juice.
• Set them aside to cool.
• Finely slice the garlic and layer this in a sterilised jar along with the courgettes ribbons and the thyme leaves.
• Top up the jar with olive oil.
• Using a skewer prod around the jar to release any air bubbles and tap it on the table top too.
• Make sure the courgettes are completely covered in the oil and pop on a lid.
• Use within one month and store in the fridge.

New potatoes, wild garlic and cream

If garlic leaves prove evasive, I use 6 cloves of new, wet garlic instead, crushed flat and left in the hot cream for 15 minutes to infuse, then removed. I add pepper, but not salt, which I already added to the potato cooking water.

Serves 3-4 as side dish

Ingredients:-

• new potatoes 450g
• butter 20g
• garlic leaves 85g
• double cream 250ml
• lemon zest 1 tsp
• lemon juice 1 tsp

Method:-

• Scrub the new potatoes, but do not peel them. Either steam them in a colander over boiling water covered with a lid, or boil them in lightly salted water. They will need 8-15 minutes depending on their size.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the washed garlic leaves and let them cook for a minute or two, turning them in the butter as they soften. Once they have wilted, pour in the cream, then bring it to the boil. As the cream starts to boil, remove it quickly from the heat, season it lightly with pepper, the lemon juice and zest then cover with a lid or plate and set aside for 10 minutes for the cream and garlic to infuse.
• Drain the potatoes and put them on a large serving plate. Using the back of a spoon or a potato masher, press firmly down on the potatoes to lightly crush them. Ideally the skins should be broken and the flesh open enough to take up the dressing, but not so heavily crushed that they fall to pieces.
• Spoon the cream and softened garlic leaves over the potatoes, leave for a few minutes for the cream to soak in, then eat while still hot.