FLOWER POT KITCHEN: BIG GIRLS DIET SEA SALT AND ROSEMARY SEARED LAMB GREEN SALAD

30 May 2016

BIG GIRLS DIET SEA SALT AND ROSEMARY SEARED LAMB GREEN SALAD

Gorgeous warm mixed green salad bursting full of sunshine and flavour with roasted lamb noisette with a rosemary infused sea salt seared crispy skin, wonderfully pink and juicy served with a cool fresh mint and (not strictly paleo !) goats yogurt drizzle and the all important rested lamb juices.

Prep Time 5 minutes / Cooking Time 22 minutes / Resting Time 10 minutes

Rosemary infused sea salt

Ingredients

(serves 2 generously)

1 lamb noisette (rack off the bone)

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 generous sprigs rosemary

2 tbsp sea salt

2 large handfuls watercress

3 large handfuls spinach

1 large handful rocket

12 mint leaves torn

2 tbsp goats yogurt (optional)

1/2 tsp honey

First infuse the sea salt with half the rosemary in a jar a few hours ahead is great and even more time is better. Pre heat your oven to 200 degrees, rub the lamb with the coconut oil and then season with the infused sea salt generously, heat a non stick pan hot add the rest of the rosemary and then place the rack of lamb skin side down and sear until a lovely light brown, repeat and sear all sides of the rack, remove from the heat and place on a baking tray and place the rosemary on the lamb, pop in the oven for a strict 18 minutes, not a second more, as soon as your timer goes off take the rack of lamb out of the oven and leave on the side to rest for 5-10 minutes, I struggle to wait until 10 minutes !

Mix the salad leaves together and season, place on your plates. Mix the yogurt, mint leaves and honey together. Carve the lamb and place on your salad, drizzle over all the resting juices and the goats yogurt and mint dressing, enjoy.

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.