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Barbecued Cauliflower is not normally thought of, but give it a try as it is absolutely delicious. Brining it ensures it is seasoned all the way through.
The spice mix does not have too much heat in it, so up the chilli flakes if
you prefer. Using the cauliflower leaves in the slaw also minimises waste.

Serves 4

For the cauliflower brine
7g table salt
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 large cauliflower, leaves removed
and reserved for the slaw

For the spice mix
25g non-dairy butter
1 tablespoon soft brown sugar
½ teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
½ teaspoon chilli flakes
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika

For the tzatziki
½ cucumber, grated
½ teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
125g coconut yogurt
¼ bunch of mint, leaves chopped
¼ bunch of tarragon, leaves chopped
sea salt and freshly milled black pepper

For the summer slaw
¼ red cabbage, finely sliced
1 nectarine, halved, stoned and julienned
100g sugar snap peas, finely sliced
100g rocket, finely chopped
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
¼ bunch of coriander, leaves finely chopped
50ml Sesame Vinaigrette (see page 186)

First make the cauliflower brine. Bring 100ml of water to the boil with the
salt, bay leaves and coriander seeds. When the salt has dissolved, add
900ml of cold water and submerge the cauliflower in it for 2 hours.

Preheat a barbecue or griddle pan until hot. Combine all the spice mix
ingredients, then remove the cauliflower from the brine, pat dry, and brush
all over with half the spiced butter.

Place on the hot barbecue or griddle pan. Cook all over until a deep golden, then brush with the remaining spiced butter and wrap in foil and put back on the barbecue or pan. Cook in the foil for 20–25 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre meets no resistance. Remove the cauliflower from the foil and place back on the barbecue, drizzling the cooking juices from the foil over the top.

For the tzatziki, mix all the ingredients together and season to taste.
for the summer slaw, mix all the ingredients together, including the sliced
cauliflower leaves, then season well and dress with the vinaigrette.
Slice the spiced cauliflower and serve drizzled with the tzatziki and the slaw
on the side.

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Recipes taken from Planted by Chantelle Nicholson. Published by Kyle Books. Photography by Nassima Rothacker

A real crowd pleaser, this chargrilled whole fish is just beautiful in its simplicity. Stuffed with soft herbs and slices of lemon and garlic, the fish is cooked until the skin turns crisp, with striking grill lines. It comes with a slightly sharp herby sauce, which adds a burst of greenness as well as lots of flavour.

Serves 4–6

1 × 2kg wild sea bass, gutted and scaled
olive oil, for coating
2 handfuls of flat-leaf parsley leaves
leaves from a handful of lemon thyme sprigs
1 large lemon, sliced
1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced
5 bay leaves
½ onion
extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
lemon wedges and crusty bread, to serve

FOR THE VERDE SAUCE
7 anchovy fillets in vinegar, or 4 if using salted
10g wild garlic leaves or 1 garlic clove, peeled 2 tbsp capers
20g basil leaves
15g flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 heaped tbsp lemon thyme leaves
juice of ½ lemon
125ml extra-virgin olive oil sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper

To make the verde sauce, rinse the anchovies if using salted, then put them and the remaining ingredients, apart from the olive oil, into a mini food processor and blitz until finely chopped. Gradually pour in the olive oil and blend to a fairly smooth sauce, then season with salt and pepper. (Alternatively, if you prefer a chunkier sauce, finely chop the anchovies, garlic, capers and herbs, or use

a pestle and mortar, then add the lemon juice. Gradually stir in the oil.) Spoon the sauce into a bowl and set aside.

Light the fire pit (or you could use a wood-fired grill or a barbecue) about 30 minutes before cooking, following the instructions on page 76. You want a medium-high heat on one half of the fire-pit grill (check out the method for two-zone cooking on page 78). The rack should be about 20cm above the heat source.

Rinse the sea bass in cold running water, then pat dry inside and out with kitchen paper. You could cut a slash behind the head to enable heat to reach the collar, but I don’t tend to slash the sides – the skill is in creating bass crackling.

Rub the fish all over with a good coating of olive oil. Stuff the parsley, thyme, lemon slices and garlic into the fish cavity, then top with the bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper.

Rub the grill rack with the cut side of the onion to stop the fish sticking to it, then put the sea bass directly on the hot side of the fire-pit grill. Grill the sea bass for 4 minutes on each side, carefully turning/rolling it over using two fish slices. Move the fish over to the cooler side of the grill and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until the skin is crisp and the flesh starts to flake away from the bone, especially around the base of the head.

Serve the sea bass with a splash of olive oil and the lemon wedges, verde sauce and chunky slices of crusty bread.

The Hidden Hut by Simon Stallard (HarperCollins) £20, is out now

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Wild garlic is abundant in local woodlands. They are small ground- covering plants with broad leaves and a little cluster of white flowers during the spring, and they are often found alongside bluebells. If you come across any wild garlic when you are out and about, this recipe is a lovely way to make the best of it. This is an enriching dish full of the flavours of spring.

Homemade stock really is better made with the whole bird, so buy a whole chicken and joint it. Use the carcass and legs for this recipe and freeze the breasts (or use them in the Charred Chicken and Squash Salad on page 104). To make the soup more substantial, cook 200g dried rice noodles and put them in the bowl before adding the soup, if you like.

Serves 4–6

3 tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra for roasting
1 large chicken, jointed (you can ask your butcher to do this) and breasts reserved for another recipe
3 celery sticks, roughly diced
1 onion, roughly diced
1  leek,  roughly  chopped
1  large  garlic  bulb, cloves peeled
100g wild garlic leaves, roughly sliced (keep the flowers if you have them)
4 spring onions, finely sliced on the diagonal
a small handful of mint leaves, ripped
a small handful of coriander leaves, ripped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan oven) gas mark 7. Heat the sunflower oil in a large saucepan over a high heat and add the chicken legs, skin side down, along with the wings and the carcass (you may need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your pan). Fry over a very high heat, to brown all over. Transfer to a roasting tin and coat in a little more oil and a pinch of salt. Roast for 15–18 minutes until a deep golden brown.

Add the vegetables to the same pan (there should still be some oil in there) and put it back over a medium heat. Sweat the veg for 2 minutes or until starting to soften but not colour.

Once roasted, return the chicken to the pan and pour over 2 litres cold water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1½ hours. Strain the soup and return the broth to the pan. Take the chicken from the sieve, remove the skin and shred the meat from the bones, discarding the bones and skin. Leave the meat to one side.

Divide the wild garlic among serving bowls and top with the spring onions. Divide the shredded chicken between the bowls and add the herbs.

Taste the broth and check for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed. Ladle it over the chicken and greens in the bowl, and sprinkle over the garlic flowers, if you have them.

The Hidden Hut by Simon Stallard (HarperCollins) £20, is out now

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Buy the book 
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£20, HarperCollins