I have some new cooking ventures planned after my visit to Roots in York. Tommy Banks (which is a fantastic name I think, fit for a famous gang master or bank robber), the head chef of the famed Black Swan in Oldstead goes to the roots in his home town – mainly beet and carrot roots. Joke, but his is the seasonal, local and all the jazz that I believe in style of sourcing and cooking. So on my list of things to do there is now beetroot cooked in beef fat, whipped Lincolnshire Poacher and salt beef cooked for 14 hours. Watch this space.
Until then I'll offer what isn’t quite Tommy Banks but not too shabby either if I say so myself: beef fillet stuffed with porcini. Serve it with spiced pears or beans with Parmesan cream. My other Tommy-influenced suggestion is twice roasted beetroot with pomegranate. NB that gorgeous jewelled fruit is coming into season so sprinkle the ruby seeds all over salads and when they get really cheap you could make pomegranate jelly.
Fine dining and cheffy stuff aside, we need some easy cooking ideas for the week too. Salmon and potato bake is a great quick weeknight dish, perhaps with a remoulade served alongside. You might like to cook crispy rice with chorizo and mushrooms or just have a feta, grapes and walnuts salad one night.
Then at the end (or maybe the beginning, whenever you find time) of the week let’s think baking. Flapjack with orange and ginger flavour is super easy, and so are financiers, French almond cakes, though they look and taste French enough to impress. Don’t forget breakfasts: toast a batch of granola or prep the makings of overnight oats for the week. Nobody needs telling that it will be healthier than Frosties or Coco Pops. Happy cooking!