Get the most from your home-grown produce and cook up your vegetables. There’s little so satisfying as eating food you’ve cultivated yourself. Take inspiration from our recipe blog posts and see what our friends and contributors have created from their own gardens and allotments.


Spiced pumpkin soup with bacon

by | October 11th, 2022 | Gardening Posts, Recipes

 

Pumpkin and bacon soup in open pumpkin

Spiced pumpkin soup with bacon

Avatar photoRebecca Tute
If you're growing your own pumpkins this year and want to use them for more than just a spooky Halloween decoration, this delicious soup is perfect!
Rebecca from the T&M team says: "This is a really warming soup, perfect for a chilly day. We often add a tablespoon of grated fresh ginger for an added kick. For vegetarians, simply leave out the bacon and use vegetable stock. And for something a bit special, why not use the pumpkins themselves as the bowls? Just remove the tops and scoop out the flesh."
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Main Course, Soup
Servings 4

Equipment

  • A pestle and mortar
  • Food processor or blender

Ingredients
  

  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 large garlic cloves
  • 50 g butter
  • 900 g pumpkin
  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 small dried chillies (to taste)
  • 1 L stock (either vegetable or chicken)
  • 4 rashers smoked bacon (optional)
  • 100 ml single cream or Quark

Instructions
 

  • Start by peeling and roughly chopping the onion and slicing the garlic. Gently cook in the melted butter until soft.
  • Peel and chop the pumpkin, but keep the seeds to toast later as a healthy snack.
  • Add the pumpkin flesh to the onion and garlic. Cook until the pumpkin browns at the edges.
  • In a separate frying pan, toast the coriander and cumin seeds over a very low heat for about two minutes.
  • Grind the aromatic spices with a pestle and mortar. Keep the pan for later.
  • Add the spices and chopped chillies to the onion, garlic and pumpkin mix. Cook together for a minute and then add the stock.
  • Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the pumpkin is soft.
  • In the meantime, fry the bacon in the spice pan until it’s really crispy, then chop into small pieces and set aside.
  • Pour the soup into a food processor or use a hand blender to blitz until smooth.
  • Return the soup to a pan to warm through, stir through the cream, and add salt and pepper.
  • Ladle into large bowls (or the pre-prepared pumpkins), sprinkle over the crispy bacon, and serve with lightly toasted sourdough bread.

Notes

Find out how to grow your own pumpkins from seed through to harvest at our pumpkin and squash hub page.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Superb soup recipes

by | October 7th, 2022 | Gardening Posts, Recipes

Hand ladling out soup from a pot into a bowl

Try out these delicious plot-to-bowl recipes
Image: Chainupong Hiporn

Homemade soup isn’t just good for the soul – it’s a healthy, wholesome and cost-effective meal that makes excellent use of homegrown veg. 

If you’re taking part in this week’s Big Soup Share, or you’re looking for new ideas to fill your family’s soup bowls and lunch flasks, check out some of our favourite bloggers’ recipes for inspiration…

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Courgette and parmesan soup

by | August 17th, 2022 | Courgette recipes, Gardening Posts, Recipes

 

Courgette and Parmesan Soup

Aimee Clark
This creamy soup is perfect for using up a glut of courgettes and a great way to make use of those extra-large courgettes! You can add extra parmesan to the soup when you serve, some fresh chilli and even a swirl of cream depending on your taste.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Main Course, Soup
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • Olive oil
  • 1 tbsp garlic - chopped
  • Handful mixed herbs - fresh basil works really well, as does oregano, chives and parsley
  • salt and pepper - to taste
  • 1 kg courgettes - chopped into small chunks
  • 1 fresh chilli - optional
  • 750 ml stock
  • 50 g freshly grated parmesan  - plus extra to serve
  • Swirl of single cream - to serve

Instructions
 

  • Gently cook the chopped courgettes, garlic and herbs in a heavy based saucepan until the courgette has begun to soften.
  • Season generously with salt and black pepper. You can also some chopped fresh chilli at this stage if you wish!
  • Add the stock and simmer until the courgette is completely softened - about 10 minutes.
  • Blend the soup until smooth - if you wish you can keep back some of the cooked courgette and add into the rest of the blended soup to give some texture.
  • Now add in your parmesan cheese and stir until it has melted into the soup. You can now add more salt and pepper to taste and then add in the cream at this point if you wish, although I find that when using a large courgette it is already quite creamy!
  • Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan on top and some extra black pepper, if you wish!
  • Enjoy!

Notes

Find out how to grow courgettes and other squashes from seed by visiting our hub page.
Keyword courgette, seasonal vegetables, soup, vegetables
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Plot to plate recipes for National Vegetarian Week

by | May 2nd, 2021 | Gardening Posts, Recipes

assorted raw vegetables on a wooden board

Celebrate National Vegetarian Week with delicious recipes from gardening bloggers around the UK
Image: monticello

At Thompson & Morgan, we’re passionate about growing our own food. But sowing, growing and nurturing delicious produce is only half of the story. Harvesting, preparing and eating these vitamin-packed wonder foods is just as important, right?

This year, 15 – 21st May is National Vegetarian Week. To celebrate, we asked our favourite green fingered bloggers to share their best vegetarian plot-to-plate recipes. Here are some of their ideas and delicious serving suggestions to help you make the most of your fresh fruit and veg.

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Strawberry Cupcakes

by | January 25th, 2021 | Strawberry recipes

Strawberry cupcake

Strawberry cupcakes

Avatar photoThompson & Morgan
Beautiful vanilla cupakes topped with vibrant pink icing and fresh strawberries picked from your allotment.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 12 cupcakes
Calories 387 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 120 g butter melted
  • 2 eggs
  • 180 g self-raising flour
  • 100 g Greek yoghurt
  • 100 g strawberries finely chopped
  • 115 g caster sugar
  • 150 g butter softened
  • pink food colouring
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 300 g icing sugar
  • 6 strawberries halved
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Pre-heat the oven to 180C/160C fan. Line a muffin tin/s with cupcake cases. Combine the flour and sugar together in a bowl and mix. Whisk together the eggs, yogurt and butter in a jug. Gradually add the jug mixture to the flower mixture, while mixing, to create a smooth batter. Carefully fold in the chopped strawberries.
  • Divide the batter between the cupcake cases so they are about 3/4 full. Bake for 25-30 mins, or until golden. Use a knife or skewer to poke through to the middle of the cake to make sure it is cooked through. If the knife/skewer comes out slighty wet, put the cakes back in the oven for a minute or two and then check the middle again. Once cooked, put to the side and leave to cool.
  • While the cakes cool, mix the sugar and butter together until smooth. Now add the milk, vanilla and food colouring and beat until the icing takes on a pale pink colouration. Transfer the icing into a star nozzled piping bag, then evenly pipe swirls onto the cooled cupcakes. Finish off the cupcakes by adding a a strawberry half or small strawberry to the top. Eat and enjoy or store in an airtight container to enjoy later on.

Nutrition

Calories: 387kcal
Keyword cupcake, strawberries, strawberry, vanilla
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Gluten-free tomato pizza

by | January 25th, 2021 | Tomato recipes

Gluten-free pizza

Gluten-free pizza

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 740 kcal

Ingredients
  

Pizza base ingredients

  • 2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
  • 2 tsp (heaped) golden caster sugar
  • 400 g gluten-free bread flower
  • 5 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp (heaped) xanthan gum

Sauce & topping ingredients

  • shredded basil leaves
  • 2 x 125 g balls buffalo mozzarella roughly torn
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small onion finely chopped
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • 1 x 400 g can chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée

Instructions
 

  • Pre-heat your oven to 220C/200C fan
  • Heat the oil in a saucepan and cook the onion on a low heat with some salt for around 10 mins until softened. Add in the tomatoes, tomato purée and caster sugar and bring to a simmer. Cook uncovered, for 30 mins until reduced and thick, making sure to stir regularly. Transfer to a blender or blitz the sauce with a hand blender until smooth. Taste and season as required and stir in the basil. Set aside to cool.
  • Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and xanthan gum in a mixing bowl. Pour in 250ml warm water and the olive oil into a well in the centre of the mixture. Quickly combine the ingredients to create a thick, paste-like dough. Add a small amount of warm water if the dough feels dry. Put the dough in a bowl, cover with cling film and put in the fridge for no more than 24 hours before using. Lightly flour two baking/pizza trays. Cut the dough into two pieces and flatten into thin rounds, roughly the size of a dinner plate. Add to the baking/pizza trays.
  • Top the pizza bases with the sauce and mozzarella. Place the baking/pizza trays in the pre heated oven and cook for 8 -10 mins until crisp around the edges.
  • Remove from the oven and serve

Nutrition

Calories: 740kcal
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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