The Food Gatherer's Note: I'm not really into the "clean eating" thing, feels a bit faddy and unpleasurable to me, but some dishes do have a sense of 'clean' about them and for me this is one such recipe - a simple and satisfying watercress soup.  Note that the better the watercress you use, the deeper and more peppery the flavour. If you like your soup dirty, add  cream.  Enjoy,  Emma

The Food Gatherer's Note: The perfect mid-week simple supper. Using good free range eggs  and new season's spring greens, but kale will work with this, as will rocket. Serve with salad and some crusty bread.

The Food Gatherer's Note: Holtwhites' hot cross buns are supremely good, but it's fun to have a go at making your own sometimes!   - Kim Mansfield Davies x

The Food Gatherer's Note: This is a recipe by Maria Elias in the Modern Vegetarian. I have reduced the amount of feta slightly (so it's only necessary to use one packet) and the breadcrumbs too, but nonetheless this is a fantastic recipe, perfect to serve with mezze, eat hot in pitta with salad or keep in the fridge for an easy lunch or for a picnic and packed lunch. They're good for freezing too...  

The Food Gatherer's Note:  In  late spring/ early summer new potatoes rule the potato world.  With a generous mix of fresh herbs you can create a top notch simple potato salad. 

The Food Gatherer's Note:  Kim and I often enjoy a working lunch at my house while working on Food Gatherer projects, but the other day pretty much all I had in the fridge was the asparagus left from my Enfield Veg Co. veg bag and some ropey looking ends of cheese left over from a weekend's  cheeseboard, courtesy of Holtwhites Bakery and Deli.  It turned into a lunch of legendary proportions as it was the most delicious tasting asparagus we had both tasted  in years - there were lots of 'oohs' and 'aahs ' and, "That's what asparagus used to taste like!" .

The Food Gatherer's Note: Recipe and tips for flippin' good pancakes.  Flip them, roll them, fold them, stack them, sweet or savoury, drop scones, crepes, or traditional, there are so many things you can do with a pancake that it's no wonder they're such a popular dish, not just reserved for Shrove Tuesday. 

For me the classic pancake with sugar and lemon is called for on Shrove Tuesday, but at other times I like to experiment a bit and my girls favourites are an apple compote with cinnamon or sliced banana with chocolate sauce. This Tuesday though we will always go the whole way on this day of pancakes and have savoury pancakes for supper too. Tuna sweet corn or cheesy pancakes with ham and leeks goes down a treat! Kim x

The Food Gatherer's Note: There's 2 reasons to celebrate purple right now. 1) The beetroot are super tasty in the Forty Hall Farm shop right now and 2) It's one year ago this week that we lost the pop legend, Prince.   So in honour of both, here's a beautiful purple pasta dish from The Nordic Bakery

The Food Gatherer's Note: Easter in Germany begins the day before Good Friday, with Gründonnerstag, or Maundy Thursday as we know it.   The word Grün (green) derives from the Old German word “greinen” meaning to weep and has nothing to do with the colour green.  However, Germans traditionally eat green foods on that day.  Herby soups such as Seven-Herb Soup which is a popular choice using seasonalgreens — traditionally spinach, parsley, leek, chive, dandelion and sorrel.  

The Food Gatherer's Note:  I am a bit of a nut about Nigel Slater, I trust his recipes and like what he writes.  I don't like wasting food though, so when I had a surplus of Taleggio cheese leftover from a party The Food Gatherer catered for, I entered the Google search  terms "Taleggio + "Nigel Slater" and was rewarded with this recipe - enjoy it!  

The Food Gatherer's Note: This is a simple traditional Nigerian party snack, introduced to me by my Mother in Law,  Incredibly simple and delicious with coffee.  In true Nigerian style the original recipe I was given catered for thousands, so I have reworked the quantities for these purposes, but it should still be enough for a party! - Emma

The Food Gatherer's Note: Inspired  by my trip to The London Coffee Festival at the Truman Brewery my eyes have been opened to the subtleties and variations of coffee.  Here's a creative use of the bean as a spice blend for meat, well beef really.

The Food Gatherer's Note: This aromatic recipe from Sabrina Ghayour uses a really exotic mix of herbs, from rose petals to lime powder, all of which are available from Yasar Halim in Palmers Green or Haringay. 

The Food Gatherer's Note:  Well you know that summer is around the corner when the aroma of elder fills the air.  I will always make time for an annual steeping of elderflowers to make this cordial and then add it to a generous gin and tonic for the perfect cocktail with botanical benefits... This recipe is from The River Cottage but you can also try this one from the ladies at Handmade Apothecary who will be coming along to do a foraging walk at the Enfield Food Festival August Bank Holiday Monday. 

The Food Gatherer's Note: When you're busy it makes life a lot easier if you can prepare foods ahead in large batches or freeze.  A good tomato sauce is the perfect base for easy meals for all the family.  Dilute with stock for a soup, add to pasta or rice or combine with spices and meat or prawns for a curry.  You can blend in left over veg too and the reluctant veg eater will never know!

I've been cooking this recipe for years and it never fails. It was taught to me in Wales by a Welsh friend but I believe that the recipe originated with Delia!  My friend occasionally added some finely chopped walnuts to the pastry which gives it a wonderful nutty edge, if you fancy ringing the changes.