1、Beetroot fritters with soured cream & salmon tartare

2、Asparagus & courgette fritters with fresh tomato & ginger chutney

Try your hand at this version of vegetable tempura- sparkling water makes the batter super light and crisp. Serve with homemade dip

Ingredients

• vegetable oil, for frying
• 250g fine asparagus, cut into 3cm pieces
• 2 large courgettes, cut into matchsticks
• 140g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 large egg
• 100ml sparkling water
• 50ml white wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp golden caster sugar
• thumb-sized piece ginger, finely chopped
• 4 large ripe tomatoes, finely chopped

Method

1. Heat enough oil to come 2.5cm up the side of a large, deep frying pan. Put the asparagus and courgettes in a large bowl. Whisk the remaining ingredients together to make a batter. Pour it over the vegetables with some seasoning, then mix.
2. Use a large spoon to drop bhaji-sized spoonfuls of the mixture into the hot oil – you’ll have to do this in batches. Cook for 3 mins, until golden brown, then flip over and cook for another 2 mins. Drain on kitchen paper. Leave to cool before packing into containers.
3. To make the chutney, pour the vinegar and sugar into a saucepan and put over a medium heat to dissolve the sugar. Add the ginger and tomatoes, then turn up the heat and boil for 10 mins until thickened. Cool completely before storing in a tub.

3、Blueberry & pistachio cake with cardamom cream

Reader Janine Watkins shares her recipe for a light and nutty celebration sandwich sponge with floral notes and bursting berries

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 225g golden caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
• 175g butter, melted and cooled
• 200g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
• 85g pistachio, ground
• 50g blueberry
• 100g butter, softened
• 200g icing sugar
• seeds from 6 cardamom pod, ground
• 200ml double cream
• 85g pistachio, roughly chopped
• 200g blueberry

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Lightly grease and line the base of 2 x 20cm sandwich tins with baking parchment. Grease the tins again, dust with a little caster sugar and a little flour, then tap out any excess.
2. Put the eggs and sugar in a heatproof bowl and, using an electric whisk, mix briefly to combine. Place the bowl over a pan of steaming water and continue to whisk until the mixture is pale and thick – when the whisk is lifted, the mixture should leave a trail on the surface lasting about 5 secs. Remove the bowl from the pan and continue beating for 2 mins.
3. Continue to whisk the mixture while trickling the melted butter around the edge of the bowl. Sift in the flour and ground pistachios, very gently give the mixture 2-3 folds, then add the blueberries and fold again, being careful not to knock out all the air. Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for 25-30 mins, until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
4. To make the filling, beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the cardamom, then drizzle in the cream. Continue to beat until light and airy.
5. Cool cakes in their tins for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack. Remove lining paper when completely cooled. Sandwich the cakes together with the cardamom cream, top with some more, then decorate with pistachios and blueberries.

4、Gnocchi with pancetta, spinach & Parmesan cream

These versatile Italian dumplings take only minutes to cook- serve with a creamy cheese sauce, greens and bacon

Ingredients

• 500g pack gnocchi
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 100ml double cream
• freshly grated nutmeg
• 130g pack smoked pancetta cubes
• 100g spinach
• zest ½ lemon
• 25g Parmesan, grated, plus extra for serving
• 25g toasted pine nut

Method

1. Cook the gnocchi following pack instructions, then drain. Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp of the oil in a small pan and fry the garlic, then add the cream and a good grating of nutmeg. Put to one side.
2. Heat 2 tsp of the remaining oil in a frying pan and cook the pancetta until crisp. Add the gnocchi and fry until it starts to turn golden, adding a little more oil if it begins to stick. Stir in the spinach, lemon zest and seasoning.
3. Stir the Parmesan into the cream sauce. Spoon the gnocchi onto plates, drizzle over the sauce and scatter with pine nuts. Serve with extra Parmesan.