Easy recipes for busy farming families at harvest time

Summertime can mean food on the hoof for farming families – but just because it’s eaten in a rush or scoffed while combining doesn’t mean it can’t be delicious.

Philippa Vine shares some inspiration for easy-to-prepare, easy-to-share food for when you’re on the go at harvest.

See also: Pork belly strips with barbecue sauce

Green bean and tomato salad with salsa verde dressing

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 250g French beans
• 125g cherry tomatoes

For the dressing:

• 1/2 shallot
• 40ml cider vinegar
• 50ml olive oil
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1/2 lemon
• Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• Ground black pepper

© Peter Goldsmith

Method

1. Top and tail the green beans. Cook for about 3 minutes then refresh them in cold water. Drain well and put in a bowl.
2. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add to the beans.
3. To make the dressing, peel and finely chop the shallot, place in a large bowl and whisk in the vinegar and oil. Rinse, drain and finely chop the capers. Finely grate the zest from the lemon and squeeze the juice, then add to the other ingredients. Stir well and season with pepper and a little salt if needed.
4. Add the vegetables to the dressing bowl and toss to make sure everything is well coated. Taste and add more seasoning and olive oil if required.

Baked new potato parcels

Serves 6

Ingredients

• About 24 new potatoes, washed
• Olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 small sprigs of fresh lovage or parsley
• Parchment paper and string

© Peter Goldsmith

Method

1. Place the washed potatoes in a bowl, add olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss well together.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C.
3. Prepare 6 large sheets of parchment paper, approximately 30cm square. Place 4 potatoes into the centre of each, then add a sprig of fresh herbs. Gather the edges up and tie with a piece of string in a simple bow. Trim the tops of the papers if they are too tall. Place the packages into an ovenproof dish and bake for an hour or until the potatoes are tender.

Chicken with ginger, chilli, honey & soy

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts, skin removed
• 6 spring onions, sliced
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

For the marinade:

• 4 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil (optional)
• Juice of a lemon
• Root ginger, size of a walnut, grated
• 2 red chillies, finely chopped
• Bunch of coriander leaves, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon honey

© Peter Goldsmith

Method

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Slice the chicken breasts into strips. Place in the marinade and mix. Leave to marinate for about 1 hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 200C (400F, Gas 6).
4. Heat a ridged frying pan on top of the stove until hot, and then quickly sear the chicken strips so they are coloured well.
5. Transfer the chicken to a roasting tin and cook in the oven for a further 5 minutes.  Remove from the oven and season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6. Sprinkle with the spring onions and toasted sesame seeds.

No-bake raspberry cheesecakes

Serves 8 (you will need 8 jars with lids)

Ingredients

• 200g Hobnob biscuits
• 200g cream cheese
• 300ml double cream
• 5 tablespoons icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 500g fresh raspberries

© Peter Goldsmith

Method

1. Crush the biscuits in a food processor or with the end of a rolling pin.
2. Divide the biscuits between the jars.
3. In a large bowl, whisk all the ingredients apart from the raspberries together until softly whipped.
4. Reserve a few whole raspberries for decorating the top of each cheesecake, but add the rest to the mixture and whisk in until the raspberries are crushed. Divide between the jars.
5. Top each cheesecake with remaining raspberries. Secure the lids and chill until ready to pack for your picnic.