Perfect Porridge ............................................................................................................ Page 4Oatcakes .......................................................................................................................... Page 6Apple Chutney .............................................................................................................. Page 6Sliding Scale Wholemeal Pitta Bread .................................................................. Page 7Runner Bean Chutney ............................................................................................... Page 7Cream Of Leek And Potato Soup .......................................................................... Page 8Yellow Split Pea Soup ................................................................................................. Page 8Courgette And Tomato Soup .................................................................................. Page 9Borscht ............................................................................................................................. Page 9Croutons .......................................................................................................................... Page 9Raw Kohlrabi Salad ..................................................................................................... Page 10Florence Fennel ............................................................................................................ Page 10Celeriac ............................................................................................................................ Page 11Hot Lightning ................................................................................................................ Page 12Autumn Stir-fry ............................................................................................................ Page 12Mushrooms .................................................................................................................... Page 13Roasted Pumpkin And Barley Risotto ................................................................ Page 14Braised Lamb Shanks with Haricot Beans ....................................................... Page 16Autumnal Venison Casserole ................................................................................. Page 17Sweet And Sticky Mackerel ...................................................................................... Page 18Herb Omelette ............................................................................................................... Page 18Herbs ................................................................................................................................. Page 19Stuffed Wholewheat Pancakes .............................................................................. Page 20Sustainable Stovies ..................................................................................................... Page 21Plums & Pflaumenmus ............................................................................................. Page 22While You Have The Oven On ................................................................................ Page 23Pear And Bramble Upside Down Tart ................................................................. Page 24Apple & Plum Frushie ................................................................................................ Page 24Simple Apple Cake ....................................................................................................... Page 25Fridge Apples ................................................................................................................. Page 25Rosehip Jam .................................................................................................................. Page 26Bramble Cupcakes ....................................................................................................... Page 26

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Welcome to our Autumn recipes…it’s the season of harvest, fungi and setting-down for the winter. It’s the time where some of our best fruits (apples, pears, brambles and plums) come into their own. Expect heart-warming casseroles, filling soups, breads and chutneys.

These recipe booklets are meant to help you eat seasonally. So there are ideas for some of the veg that people say they have trouble knowing what to do with – things like kohlrabi, beetroot, fennel and celeriac. We have Apple and Plum Frushie ( frushie is a traditional Scots crumble) and tips for perfect porridge and oatcakes. But it’s not all traditional Scottish recipes with Dutch (Heete Blixem) and German (Pflaumenmus) ideas included too.

There are a few simple wild food dishes with berries, mushrooms or rosehips. We’ve included fast food (such as Herb Omelette), vegan options (such as Autumn Stir-fry and Kohlrabi Salad) and so-easy dishes (such as Sustainable Stovies) plus a few dishes for when you have more time or want to show off (Pumpkin and Barley Risotto or Pear and Bramble Tart). But most of the recipes are just for busy people living on a budget who want to eat sustainable and delicious food every day.

The Fife Diet is about sufficiency not self-sufficiency. It’s not about exclusively or purely sourcing from within Fife. But it is about eating seasonally and learning to live within the limits of what our place can provide. So most of these recipes will be from an ingredients list you can find in a veg box. We recommend people aim for 80% of their food sourced from the region they live in, leaving 20% for produce you couldn’t possibly grow here.

2

A liking or otherwise for porridge can sometimes simply be about getting the texture right for you. For a smoother finish, try rolled oats, or, if you prefer something chewier, go for pin head oatmeal which is much coarser and would certainly need soaked over night. This recipe uses a medium coarse oatmeal, which should bring you out somewhere in between.

Serves 2, or one enormous bowl.

½ cup medium oatmeal*

1½ cups cold water

sea salt to taste – you will only need a very little

* (You can soak the oatmeal overnight to make it quicker next morning.)

Put the oatmeal into the pan and add the water. Turn on the heat to medium and stir the oatmeal and water together. Keep stirring all the time until the mixture begins to thicken and bubble. Turn down the heat to low until the porridge is just bubbling – keep stirring a little. Some people like thick gooey porridge and others like it smooth and runnier.

If the porridge is too thick for you stir in more water until it is just right. Simmer for about 10 minutes – you need to keep stirring or it will stick or go into lumps. At the last moment add a little sea salt to taste – you will only need a pinch. Pour into a bowl and enjoy!

Traditionally porridge was served with a little dish of cold milk or cream at the side. Take a spoon of hot porridge and then dip into the cool milk to fill your spoon. That way the milk and porridge don’t mix – the porridge stays hot and the milk cool! Taste and try - it works!

5

½ cup medium oatmeal1½ cups watera small handful of any or all of the following:raisins, chopped dates, apricots, roasted hazelnuts½tsp ground cinnamon (less rather than more)½tsp powdered ginger if you like it2tsp dark brown sugar½tsp salt

Put all the ingredients into a pan on a medium heat and stir continuously for ten minutes.

Serve with a drizzle of Fife honey and milk

Add chopped apple and a pinch of cinnamon

A spoonful of yoghurt and some honey

A sprinkle of brown sugar and cream

Chopped fair trade banana and raisins

Fruit compote or Fridge Apples (page 25)

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4

Stir the yeast and sugar into the warm water until dissolved. Weigh the flours into a bowl roughly 2 - 3 litre size then add the salt. Add the liquid to the flour and mix to form a dough then mix in the olive oil. Knead enthusiastically for 10 minutes and leave for 1 hour to rise, covered and warm.Knock the air out of the dough then leave covered & warm for another 10 mins. Heat oven to high, about gas mark 8 or 9 240ºC/475ºF. Cut dough into about 12 pieces. Make each piece into a ball, flour it then roll to 6”/8” long, ¼” thick. Lay the shaped pittas on a baking sheet. If you have a baking stone then use it for baking these so they get a real good blast of heat to start off.

Cover and leave somewhere warm for 30 minutes.

Bake for about 6 minutes - spray some water into the oven after a couple of minutes. They don’t need to go brown. Once done, wrap in a clean towel.

Peel and dice the onions. Simmer in malt vinegar for 15 mins in heavy-bottomed pan. Then add sugar and cook for another two mins. Trim the beans removing hard pinky-white beans. Plunge the beans in boiling salted water for 5 mins and then strain. Mix the cornflour, white wine vinegar, turmeric and English mustard into a runny paste. Combine the onion mixture, the beans and now the turmeric paste. Allow to cook for 20 minutes adding more sugar if desired. Pour into sterile jars but do not cover until cold.

7g fast action/10g fresh/5g dried yeast

620g flour

for a coarser pitta use 3:1 wholemeal bread flour/strong white flour

for a lighter taste use 1:1 wholemeal bread flour/strong white flour

25g sugar

2tsp/12g salt

30g olive oil

400g warm water for 3:1 but a bit less if you use more white flour

Here’s an old recipe to turn any extra beans into chutney…

2lb/1kg runner beans

4 onions, 250g sugar, 250g malt vinegar

1tsp English mustard, 1 heaped tsp sea salt

25g cornflour, 250ml white wine vinegar

1tsp wholegrain mustard

7

makes about 12

Keep for 6 weeks before eating

Mix the melted butter through the medium and coarse oatmeal thoroughly.

Mix together the chilli powder with a tsp of vinegar to a paste. Gently heat the remaining vinegar and sugar in a pan, until the sugar has melted. Add the apples and spices. Cook with the lid off for approximately half an hour, stirring regularly. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly. Put into a sterile jar and store in the fridge. Serve as an accompaniment to cheese, on an oatcake or pitta bread or with a curry.

Makes 18 three inch rounds

425g medium oatmeal

25g coarse oatmeal

50g melted butter

6g salt

4g soft brown sugar (optional)

175ml boiling water

If using sugar, dissolve with the salt in the boiling water, then add to the oatmeal to make a soft but not sticky mixture. If the mixture is very sticky just wait a couple of minutes. Scoop out the mixture in tablespoonfuls onto an oiled baking tray and pat so that they are about 3 inch round and ¼ inch thick.

Bake at 150°C/300ºF/Gas2 for 40 minutes until the cakes no longer bend if you lift a corner. But don’t let the cakes turn brown as even slightly burnt oatmeal tastes horrible.

3 large cooking apples, peeled, cored and grated

150mls cider vinegar

200g sugar

1tsp chilli powder

1tsp cumin seeds

1tsp ground coriander

6

Makes enough for

Chop the courgette and lightly fry in the oil then add the stock and passata, simmer for 15 minutes then blend. Add cream or yogurt if you so desire.

Take some stale-ish bread (any kind or a mix) and cube. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a heavy frying pan and heat. When the oil is hot add the bread, toss and fry till golden. Once golden, allow to cool a little so they go crunchy before scattering on top of the soup. You can also add crushed garlic.

Boil beetroot for about 45 minutes then drain. Keep the liquid to the side. Cool the beetroot then skin them (they should slide off easily). Chop into chunky quarters. In a large, heavy pan fry the onion and garlic for five minutes. Add carrots and potatoes plus salt & pepper and a dash of Tabasco. Cook for another five minutes then add your beetroot chunks and continue stirring for another five before adding the beetrooty liquid. Simmer for 15 minutes. You may have to top up the liquid a bit. Don’t overcook. Let it cool, then blend. Add yoghurt, a twist of lemon or a shot of vodka. Don’t eat wearing a white dress.

2kg fresh raw beetroots,

scrubbed and top ‘n’ tailed

1.3 litres of veg stock

60ml veg oil

Tabasco Sauce

2 onions, sliced

6 potatoes, diced

3 carrots, chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

salt & pepper

Serves 41kg courgette

1tbsp oil500ml stock

350g passata

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Heat oil and butter in a pan and carefully sweat the onions and leeks with the lid on for about 10 minutes. Throw in the potatoes, pour on the stock and milk. Add a couple of bay leaves and some pepper. Simmer for another 20 minutes or until the pota-toes break up when you squash them against the side of the pan. Try not to let the milk foam up. Remove from heat and blend until smooth. Serve with chopped parsley, or croutons and grated cheese.

Fry onion in oil with a pinch of salt until softened, add spices. Add the split peas and stir together. Pour over 1½ pints (700ml) of boiling water. Simmer with lid on for about an hour until peas are well cooked. Do not eat undercooked! You can use a pressure cooker to save time. Blend if you wish and serve with yoghurt on top.

This is made with milk, not cream, but gives a really luxurious finish.

Serves 41tbsp oil

small knob of butter1 onion, sliced

4 leeks, washed and sliced2 potatoes, peeled and diced

450ml/1pt vegetable stock 240ml/½ pt milk

bay leavespepper to taste

An alternative to lentil soup, using the closer to home yellow split peas.

Serves 3-4.

3tbsp olive oil

pinch of salt

1 onion, finely chopped

1½tsp cumin seeds, dry fried and ground

½tsp chilli flakes, smoked paprika or

chilli powder

a cup of yellow split peas

8

Make friends with celeriac! It’s a staple of the Autumn & Winter veg boxes and adds a luxurious touch with its distinctive flavour.

Peel celeriac and cut into 1cm slices. (The odd bits at the ends come in handy for the next time you make soup.) Boil just covered with water until almost soft. Don’t throw the water out – use it for that soup, it’s almost like veggie bouillon! Let the slices cool a bit and turn in flour, then beaten egg, and then dry breadcrumbs. Shallow fry in oil or butter. You can add herbs or spices to the beaten egg, or use parmesan cheese instead of dry breadcrumbs.

Cut away all of the coarse skin and cube the celeriac. Scrub/peel roughly the same amount of potatoes and quarter (the celeriac takes longer to cook so make it smaller). Boil in slightly salted water until soft and mash together with butter and milk.

Grate raw celeriac into salads or use as the basis for a puréed soup.

Remove tough outer skin and cube.Some butter, salt and pepper

Microwave method: Put the celeriac in a microwave proof bowl and add about 1 cup (½ pt/240 ml) of water. Put in a few knobs of butter, salt and pepper. Cover with a lid – but not fully so some steam can escape and set the microwave for 5 minutes at a time. Cook until soft to a knife (about 10 minutes). Or, alternatively, steam on the hob until tender.

Reserve the cooking water. Put celeriac in a blender, add more butter and season again. Puree until smooth, adding the reserved cooking water as needed to get the right consistency.

Try adding ½ a celeriac to vegetable soups.

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Cut the kohlrabi into matchstick sized pieces, sprinkle with salt and leave to drain. Meanwhile, fry onion until crispy and drain on kitchen towel. Dry fry the nuts until beginning to roast. Sprinkle on the chilli and stir, coating the nuts. Crush using a pestle and mortar or pour into a bag and use a rolling pin. Rinse the kohlrabi and squeeze out the liquid. Put in a salad bowl with the onions and nuts, retaining some for a topping. Mix together the vinegar/lemon juice and honey and pour over the salad, toss together with the herbs. Top with the remaining nuts.

Raw Florence Fennel makes a lovely aniseed addition to salads. Finely slice and mix with any other salad ingredients. Use the fronds for a pretty garnish.

Roast Finely slice and roast with cherry tomatoes, diced courgette, herbs and garlic in a little olive oil.

Bake A Sunday Roast Accompaniment: Finely slice 4-6 potatoes and 1 bulb of fennel. Layer in a buttered oven dish with some crushed garlic, alternating fennel and potato, seasoning well between each layer. Mix an egg into 300ml of milk or single cream. Pour over the layers and season well. Cover and bake for one hour at 190ºC/375ºF/gas 5. Remove lid and bake for a further 30 minutes to brown the top.

Serves 6-8 as a side 2 small kohlrabi2tsp salt2 small onions, finely sliced4tbsp oil2tbsp vinegar or lemon juice1tsp Fife honeyHandful of peanuts or European nuts such as walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds.½ - 1tsp chilli powder/ flakesbunch of coriander/ parsley, chopped

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Fife mushrooms are sometimes available to buy in the shops, but are often vastly over-packaged. However mushrooms and wild fungi can be found throughout Fife. Good hunting grounds are

Although Autumn is the best time to find them, various mushrooms can be found throughout the year including the depths of Winter and the hungry gap in Spring. A good identification guide (or ideally more than one) is an absolute essential before starting to gather fungi to eat.

Two of available are ‘Mushrooms and Other Fungi of Great Britain and Europe’ by Roger Phillips and ‘Easy Edible Mushroom Guide’ by Professor David Pegler. It is also worth looking out for fungal forays advertised in the Autumn.

, twist mushrooms carefully at the base and cut bracket fungi from the tree with a knife. Be absolutely sure that what you have collected is edible before cooking as many can be harmful and a few deadly poisonous. Some of the best edible fungi are chanterelles, shaggy ink caps and giant puffballs although there are many more.

Mushrooms can be cooked in a number of - there is nothing better than fried mushrooms on toast for breakfast; also great in sauces, omelettes, soup or dried for later use in stocks and stews.

Fry bacon until crisp. Place in 10 buttered ramekin dishes. Add chanterelles. Sprinkle with herbs season lightly and place raw egg on top, (removed of course from its shell!) Bake in the oven until the eggs have just set.Edit to suit 10 is a lot!

This recipe comes from a well known Fife hotelier Peter Aretz and is simplicity itself but with such flavours who needs to do much! The eggs must be very good with rich yolks. Organic ones are the best.

Makes 10preheat oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6275g/10oz bacon, diced 150g/5oz chanterelles, finely chopped 10 eggstablespoon fresh chopped herbs such as parsley chervil or tarragon

: Mushrooms are excellent in risotto, and if dried you can use the rehydrating water for stock. : Try chanterelles in scrambled egg.

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Peel, slice thickly and parboil the potatoes. Chop the onion and fry until it is soft. Fry the chopped bacon until it is just crispy. Peel the apples then cut into chunks. Mix it all together with lots of coarse ground black pepper in a large ovenproof dish. Put knobs of butter on top and optional breadcrumbs. You can top with sliced smoked sausage. Bake it for 30 minutes or so at 180°C/350ºF/Gas 4

Prepare all your vegetables first before you start cooking. Heat the oil in a wok then add the onion and soften. Add the vegetables: carrots, kale & cabbage first and once they have begun to cook add the spinach and chard. Add a little sesame oil, soy sauce or dried chilli as you wish. You can also add the garlic now – adding later helps preserve some of its healing properties. Put a lid on the wok to steam lightly.In a separate pan, gently toast the nuts/seeds/oats. If using a mixture toast separately to avoid burning. Sprinkle over to serve.

Serves 4 – 61kg potatoes1kg cooking apples1 large onion500g chopped baconbutterblack pepperbreadcrumbs (optional)Smoked sausage, sliced - very optional

Serves 4 - 6

2tbsp olive oil

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

2 – 3 carrots, cut into sticks

curly kale, 6 leaves,

stalks removed and shredded

a mixture of red/green/white cabbage,

about ½ a head each, shredded

a large handful of spinach or chard,

roughly chopped

a little soy sauce and /or sesame oil

a handful of nuts, seeds or oats (try sun-

flower & poppy seeds, or toast some oats)

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Serve either on its own, with grated cheese, yoghurt, or with a side vegetable like cabbage.

For the

270g pot or pearl barley (about 45g per person)

1 large onion

2tbsp olive oil

½ small glass white wine (optional – Cairn o’Mohr Oakleaf works well!)

4 fresh sage leaves,

1.2l/2pt vegetable stock (add 1 heaped tsp of Marigold Bouillon to boiling water)

Roast twice the amount of pumpkin required and use half as the base for pumpkin soup.

Make the most of the flavour in larger pumpkins (which tend to contain a lot of water) by roasting with herbs & garlic in the oven then simply scoop out the flesh and simmer gently for ½ an hour. Season well, blend and serve with a little cream.

Using a heavy based pan with tight fitting lid, warm the olive oil. Add the finely chopped onions and allow to cook for about 5 min-utes until golden. Tear the sage leaves, and along with the barley allow to cook for another minute. Add wine if using. Add all the stock, stir and cover. Simmer for at least 1 hour if using pot barley. Pearl barley should cook in 45-50 minutes. Check and stir at regular intervals, adding more liquid so that it remains soupy.

When the barley is almost done, stir in the pumpkin mix and check seasoning. Allow to simmer away for another 20 minutes or until the texture is right.

If you have made enough for two days just add more hot stock on day two and gently reheat.

Pumpkin works well with smoky flavours like smoked chilli or paprika.

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Add the flavourings to the flesh:

Rub with garlic, peeled and squashed with a knife

Stick cloves of garlic into the crosses

Lay rosemary sprigs on top

Sprinkle on dried chilli flakes or herbs

Season well with sea salt & pepper

This recipe will work with big pumpkins or smaller, sweeter squashes. Be generous with the seasonings – especially if you’re using a big pumpkin.

Serves 6

For the Pumpkin:

1 good sized pumpkin (2 -2.5kg)

olive oil, garlic, rosemary,

dried chilli flakes

dried mixed herbs, marjoram or thyme

salt & pepper

Halve the pumpkin, then third each of the halves. Scoop out all the seeds. Deeply score the flesh in a criss-cross style. Rub some olive oil into the surface with your hands.

Use smaller pumpkins or squashes in a similar way. Halve and remove seeds. Stuff with garlic, sliced onions and season well. Drizzle with oil. Roast until soft. Scoop out the flesh and puree with cheese (optional). Use to fill homemade ravioli or form patties, coat in a light dusting of flour and fry.

Place on a baking tray and bake at 180°C/350ºF/Gas4 for about 45 minutes or until the flesh is soft. Once cooled, scoop out the flesh into a bowl and set aside.

For a Sweet Pumpkin Pie steam the pumpkin and add to uncooked apple with spices such as clove, cinnamon and ginger. Cover with crumble mixture (see page 24) and bake for 40 minutes.

14

Here is a lovely rich casserole which I made for a gathering of friends after being in the autumn woodlands.

Soak the dried fungi in water as directed (about 30 minutes) and add the water to the casserole with the fungi.Dust the diced venison in seasoned flour and brown quickly in small batches. Place browned meat in a large casserole. Brown the onions, carrots and celery. Add these to the cooking pot. Swill out the brownings in the pan with a little water.Stir in all the other ingredients, chopping the fungi. Bring to simmering point. Cook slowly, either on the stovetop if your pot is too big for the oven, or in a medium low oven, for 2-3 hours. Top up with water or extra wine if necessary. If cooking on the stovetop, stir from time to time, and top up with water, so that it doesn’t stick to the base of the pot. Add the final salt seasoning at the end.

Serves 6 – 8 people

1kg (2½ lb) chopped venison casserole

seasoned flour

30g (1-2 oz) dried fungi (shitake, ceps, etc)

4 smallish onions

4 carrots

3 stalks celery

350ml (½ bottle) red wine

100ml (4 fl oz) strong Lapsang Souchong tea (optional)

3tsp balsamic vinegar

3tsp rich soy sauce

7 crushed juniper berries

salt and pepper to taste

17

Rinse the beans in cold water and soak overnight. Drain, place in a pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain and put aside. Season the lamb shanks and smother in the olive oil, roast in high oven for 20 minutes until well coloured. Remove and place into a large pan.

Add the chopped vegetables and garlic to the roasting tin and stir to coat in the juices, return to the oven to colour, about 5 minutes. Add the drained haricot beans and the tomatoes to the pan with the shanks, and the roasted vegetables, rinse the roasting tin with a tomato can of water and add to the pan and stir well, adding more water if necessary to just about cover.

Bring to the boil and cook for about an hour and a half over a low heat or place in a medium oven 170°C/330ºF/Gas3.The lamb should be falling off the bone and the beans soft with a little bite to them.

4 lamb shanks

2tbsp olive oil

1 large chopped onion, carrot, and leek

3 cloves garlic crushed with salt

350g/12oz haricot beans

2 cans chopped tomatoes (12oz)

1tbsp tomato puree, bay leaf

16

Early Autumn is the time when all the annuals planted in spring are at their most abundant. These are the flavours which can add some fragrant, faraway sunshine to your everyday food. They start to die off as the colder weather comes in. Dry or freeze them to keep them with you for longer.

Coriander loves a sunny position in the garden and can also be grown in pots. Coriander is wonderfully aromatic and you can use both the leaves and fresh seeds in cooking. It is great added to curries, salsas, as a salad ingredient or for use as a garnish.

Given the right conditions in full sun, lemon balm can grow like a weed. A lemon flavoured tea can be made from the leaves. It is also a wonderful bee plant.

Fennel is a biennial and needs a sunny spot in the garden. You can eat the fronds in salads and in vegetable dishes. Collect the seeds as the seed heads begin to turn brown. You can use the seeds in curries and stews and soups. Toasted fennel seed and beetroot soup is fantastic.

Basil is best grown in pots or in the greenhouse and should survive well into the autumn. There are many different varieties and can be used abundantly particularly in Italian dishes. It is gorgeous used in combination with tomatoes and garlic. It also goes really well in cheese dishes.

Hang home-grown chillies on strings in a dry airy place until they snap when you bend them. Once dried store in a dry dark place in airtight jars.

Parsley can be quite hardy, remaining productive well into the winter. It is very rich in vitamins and is often used as a garnish for a wide variety of dishes. It can also be used as the starting point for a delicious pesto. As the leaves get harder chop it up small and add to sauces and stews. Make a delicious, fresh salad by combining parsley, mint, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

19

Fry the chilli, garlic & ginger in a little oil until softened. Gut the fish, cutting head & tail off. Stack in the pan, squeezing them in closely together. Mix together the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar & apple juice to taste. Pour the sauce over the fish so that they are completely covered. Bring to nearly boiling and then reduce temperature to a really low heat and leave on low for several hours (1.5 – 3). Everything will become soft, even the little bones so just pick out the big ones. Serve with whatever mix of seasonal greens you have, lightly steamed.

Heat a non-stick frying pan with a little oil. Beat 2 eggs in a bowl with a fork and add about 2 tablespoons of water. Season with salt and pepper. Once the pan is hot add the eggs and swirl to cover the base of the pan. Sprinkle over the chopped herbs and cheese. Once the eggs are almost set fold over half the omelette, allow to finish cooking for another minute and slide onto a plate.

Serves 6splash of oil

2 chillies fresh or dried is fine6 cloves garlic, finely chopped/crushed

10cm root ginger, peeled and finely chopped into sticks

6 – 8 mackerel100ml soy sauce50ml cider vinegar 250 – 350ml apple juice25g brown sugar or Fife honeyseasonal greens

Omelettes are one of the most versatile and simple dishes for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

oil

2 eggs per person

a little water

salt and pepper

finely chopped mixed garden herbs – anything but mint!

grated cheese, optional

18

To make the pancakes vegan: whisk up water, flour (55g white, 55g wholemeal) and a little oil until you have a smooth batter consistency. Put a little more oil into a hot pan, get it really hot and then add the batter.

You can of course make stovies with meat, but these veggie ones are a favourite.

Serves 4-6

1tbsp olive oil

knob butter

dried chilli flakes or ½ chilli, chopped

2 large onions, sliced

1 clove of garlic

2 carrots (cubed)

6 potatoes in chunky slices

6 baby turnips (whole if small or halved if larger)

550ml – 1.4l/1-1½pt vegetable stock

25g cheese, grated

handful of parsley, chopped Heat the oil and butter in a heavy bottomed pan. Fry the onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes and turnips for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper, and pour over enough vegetable stock to just cover ingredients. Cook on low heat for 30-40 minutes with lid on, stirring occasionally. Add cheese, chilli and parsley. Take lid off to cook down for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

The main tricks are whisking them hard so they have lots of air in the batter and making sure the pan is hot when the oil goes in.

21

Serves 4-6

For The 110g/4oz whole-wheat flour ½ tsp salt 1 egg 240ml/½pt water

Spread some filling on the uncooked side of each pancake and then roll up like a sausage dog. Place the rolled up pancakes side by side in a lasagne dish and pour over the white sauce. Bake in a moderate oven till the surface is golden (about 30 minutes). Grated cheese & a little nutmeg on the top is nice, as are breadcrumbs.

Serve with steamed veg in Autumn and salad in Summer.

Melt 40g/1½ oz butter in a pan. Add 40g /1½ oz plain flour and stir until you have a smooth paste. Gently cook the mixture for two minutes before gradually adding 450ml/ ¾ pint milk a little at a time stirring constantly. Add some grated cheese at the end to make a cheese sauce.

Beat the flour, salt, egg and water until smooth and leave to stand for ½ an hour if you can. Fry the pancakes on one side only in a little fat and pile up on a plate. Either keep them warm by wrapping in a tea towel, or prepare in advance and keep in fridge until required.

For the1tbsp olive oil1 large onion 1 - 2 cloves garlic 2 – 3 leeks finely sliced 2 carrots thinly stripped using a potato peeler

Any veg already cooked & left over from previous day can be added. Try turnip or lightly steamed greens such as broccoli, cabbage and kale. Heat the oil in a pan, then gently fry the onion & garlic. Add the leeks and carrots and allow to cook a little. Add leftover vegetables. Season with salt & pepper and any fresh or dried herbs.

20

And while you have the oven on…

Line a roasting tin then toss in chunks of cored apple, carrot, onion, leek, tomatoes, peppers, courgettes, green beans, broad beans - even cucumber is good.

Season with sea salt and ground black pepper, drizzle with a little light olive or sunflower oil and open roast in the oven (180°C/350ºF/Gas4) for about 30 minutes until tender and beginning to caramelise. A sprig of fresh thyme or bay leaves adds flavour as does some garlic! Also delicious cold: serve the chunks on cocktail sticks with dips or with cold meat and salad.

Now to use up the space in the oven make apple rings. You will need dowling the width of your oven, but once you have it, it can be used endlessly. Core any apples (big ones are best) peel if you like, then thread them on the dowling and hang them in the oven. Store in a glass jar until eaten.

Peel and core apples. Cook gently until soft. Add lemon juice and mix together. Place on a silicon sheet or baking parchment in a 20cm by 30cm tin and level out. Put in the oven at 60°C/140ºF/Gas1/8 for 8 to 10 hours, until the leather is dry and peels off the paper. Roll the leather in greaseproof paper and store in a glass jar for 5 months (if nobody finds it before).Variations without end; add brambles, red currants, blaeberries anything. Try plums with spices - you get the idea!

In a large baking tray place halved tomatoes and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with fresh or dried herbs, salt and pepper. Cook in a low oven for several hours. You could cook the plums for the Pflaumenhus at the same time (see page 22). Store in a sterilised lidded jar, topping up with olive oil to keep all the tomatoes covered.

600 g apples (any kind)

1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)

You could also add honey

23

This is an easy side dish – especially if you have the oven on anyway!

Breakfast – stew with syrup or soft brown sugar to kill the acid and enjoy with cereal, muesli or on porridge at breakfast.Fresh Plums and cheese make a great Autumn Ploughmans with hunks of fresh home-baked bread.Add plums to winter casseroles of pork or lamb to cut the oiliness and add a fresh tang.

This is one of my all time favourites. Not quite a jam, spread or a chutney, it’s just yummy. The recipe is extremely simple and can be added to very easily.Line a deep roasting tin with aluminium foil and then fill with halved stoned plums. Smother with rough granulated or preserving sugar and slosh all over with either balsamic or red wine vinegar. Insert a few cinnamon sticks into the mix and cover with foil.Cook on a very low heat for ages . Aim for about 160°C/ 325ºF/Gas 3 for at least 2 hours.Open the foil and stir well together with foil opened until you have a jammy sludge. The taste should be sweet tart, not a jam or a chutney but in between.Cook until the plums have broken down and then put into clean heated jars and seal while hot. Screw tops are best.Label with the name and date and keep in a cool place. Store in the fridge once opened.For a fiery variation try stirring in a tsp of chilli towards the end of baking

As a seasoning sauce/spread for chops and chicken breast or joints. Spread over the meat or chicken, wrap in foil and bake till tender.

As chutney accompaniment for hams, sausages and smoked meats and fish.

As a marinade for barbecues, stir in a little chilli or smoked paprika for an extra kick of spice.

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3 eggs

150g caster sugar

250g flour (plain or wholemeal)

1½tsp baking powder

150g butter

3 Bramley apple, cut into chunks

3tbsp granulated sugar and ¼tsp of cinnamon

Quartered pears gently browned in butter with a sprinkle of brown sugar are great with black pudding.Baked apples - core, fill hole with sultanas and brown sugar - healthy until you add the cream/ice cream.

Any apples: eating, cooking, a mixture, past their best etcOptional sugar & cinnamon

Peel, core and slice all the apples and put them in a large lidded pot. Add enough water to cover the base of the pan to a couple of centimetres once the apples are in. Add cinnamon if using and simmer until the apples collapse. Cool and put in an airtight container in the fridge.

Serve in pancakes, with porridge or with uncooked rolled oats and yoghurt for breakfast.

Heat oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4. Beat together the eggs and sugar. Fold in the flour and baking powder. Melt the butter in 240ml of water and stir this into the mixture. Pour the batter into a lined 23cm cake tin. Drop in the pieces of apple. Sprinkle with the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes. Cool in tin for 15 minutes. Slide a knife round the edge before turning out and then turn over so the browned and sugary apples are on top.

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Put the apples in a pan with two tablespoons water and a tablespoon of sugar and simmer for five minutes.Meanwhile, rub together the flour and butter until you have breadcrumbs. Stir through the sugar and the oats.Place the fruit in a buttered oven dish and cover with the crumble mix. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes at 180°C/350ºF/Gas 4, until browned. Serve hot with ice cream or cream.Variations: Add almond or vanilla essence, cloves, cinnamon or ground ginger to the fruit mix. Or try different sugars, add cinnamon/ nutmeg or ginger to the crumble mix.

Heat oven to 180°C/350 ºF/Gas 4 . Line a 24 cm cake tin with greaseproof paper. Sprinkle a spoonful of caster sugar into it. Half the pears and core out a small round of the core with a melon baller or a teaspoon. Place a bramble in each of the pears and lie face down onto the cake tin. Sprinkle some of the rest of the brambles around the bottom of the tin, keeping some back. Cream the butter and sugar together then beat the eggs in. You can add a shot of brandy at this stage. Stir in the milk and gently fold in remaining brambles. Spoon the mixture into the tin on top of the pears.Bake for 40 minutes until a knife comes out clean from the middle. Serve with vanilla ice cream or double cream.

140g/5oz butter

140g /5oz caster sugar

3 pears

250g /9oz brambles

3 eggs

200g/8oz self-raising flour

1tsp ground ginger

1tbsp milk

Serves 6

100g self raising flour

600g of apples and plums

100g butter

80g sugar

80g rolled oats

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The UK imports 90% of its fruit. We need to fall in love again with our native fruits. In Scotland this means brambles, pears, apples, elderberries, figs, pumpkin, blaeberries, damson, plums, raspberries, tomatoes, chestnuts, cranberries, quinces.

Our food waste is extraordinary. It’s estimated that we throw away a third of what we buy. If we stopped wasting food that we could have eaten, it would be the equivalent of taking one in five cars off the road.

According to the latest research the food we eat accounts for 30% of the UK’s carbon footprint. To change this we need to eat local, eat less intensively-reared meat, eat more organic, waste less, compost more and grow our own.

Pick sloes when ripe, usually in October or November, after first frosts. Measure half a litre of gin into a litre bottle. Prick the sloes with a pin. Place them into the bottle so that the liquid is near the top. Add 100 - 150g of sugar. Or you could put the sloes into jars and cover with gin. Gently shake the bottle or jars each day for a week and periodically after. Wait two months. Sloe gin made in October is ready for Christmas! Decant and enjoy with a soft mixer for a long cocktail, as an aperitif mixed with sparkling wine, or in frozen shot glasses for your Hogmanay toast!

Freeze sloes to enjoy throughout the year. Make sure you put them into the bottle straight from the freezer to keep them at their best.

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170g icing sugar85g butterone handful of brambles1-2tbsp sugar

1kg rosehips1kg pectin/jam sugar about 150ml of water

125g caster sugar125g butter125g self raising flour2 eggs, lightly beaten2-3tbsp milk

Wash the rosehips, then put into a large pot and gently boil.Strain through a muslin, mouli or sieve to remove the pips. Add the pectin/jam sugar and boil until set. Check if set by putting a spoonful of jam onto a plate into the fridge. If it comes out wrinkly, it will be set. Pour into clean, sterile jars, seal and label.Note: Rosehips are the red seedheads of our own native dog roses and ripen around September/October time. Be careful when you pick them, they are very thorny!

Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and fold in flour. Alternatively blend all ingredients in a processor with 1 tsp of baking powder. Add milk until mixture drops easily off a spoon. Spoon into muffin cases in a tray. Bake in preheated oven at 190°C/375ºF/Gas5 for 15 -20 minutes.

Heat the berries with sugar, a tablespoon of water and stir until the berries collapse. Blend or beat the icing sugar and butter until combined. Add the berries and mix. Swirl onto the cooled cupcakes.

Makes 12 muffin-sized cupcakes or 18 fairy cakes

There is so much to be done with Brambles! Try a pie, crumble, syrup, cordial, wine, jam, chutney or even pickled in whisky (!)

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Brussels sprouts, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, leeks, parsnips

Beetroot, autumn cabbages (red, crisp green/white), carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, chard, Florence fennel, homegrown peppers & chillies, onions, potatoes, pumpkins/squashes, salads, swede, apples, brambles (cultivated), pears, plums, damsons

Broccoli, cucumber, lettuce, spinach, courgette, French beans, kohlrabi, pak choi, peas, runner beans, tomatoes, radish, turnips, raspberries, plums

Carrots, garlic, onions, potatoes, pumpkins/squashes, apples

For an accurate and current guide on what fish to eat and what fish to avoid go to the Fish on Line website :

Fife Diet is supported by the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund

Basil, bay, chives, coriander, fennel, dill, lemon balm, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, sorrel, thyme

Brambles, elderberries, mushrooms, rosehips, sloes

Illustration & design by Xiao and a special thanks to Adam, Elly, Meg and Patrick.

www.fifediet.co.uk

© Fife Diet