FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER
Fifteen (15!) seasonal recipes to try, a podcast interview, a forced rhubarb update (spoiler: update is I'm eating it with everything) and a FLASH SALE
I have SO much to tell you about this month. Mainly recipes. Mostly veggie. All super seasonal. And lots of them free to read, I’m happy to say. In fact (I’ve just counted) there are fifteen recipes in this newsletter. I hope you’re hungry.
Before we tuck in, a request (which makes me cringe slightly, but I’m going to ask you anyway): I bloomin’ love doing this Substack. It takes a lot of time. Joyful time. But time nonetheless. I try to keep some content free, but paid subscribers go a long way to help covering the costs involved.
This direct relationship with readers is huge because it means we’re not at the mercy of the algorithms. So I don’t spend my days making butter board recipes (or whatever fickle nonsense is trending on TikTok) in order to get my work seen whilst also paying my bills. And, more importantly, you have something better than avocado toast recipes to inspire your cooking.
If you felt like supporting my work in this direct way, and saving us all from the algorithm, it would mean so much to me. By way of a gentle nudge, here’s a flash sale - 20% off annual subscriptions (making it 61p a week - that’s the price of an organic apple a week) if you upgrade before Sunday night.
(On the other hand, times are tight, I know, so if you’re struggling to find the cash for your subscription, I’m always happy to offer them for free for a while. Just message me and we can chat.)
Thank you. Ok. To the food.
(TECHNICAL NOTE: There are a LOT of recipes here and they might not all fit in your email. If so, just hit VIEW ENTIRE MESSAGE at the end of the email, or head to the app or online version.)
A Feast of Forced Rhubarb
I, like most in February, am gorging myself on forced rhubarb whilst I can. The season is so fleeting, and the growing of it such a faff, that I buy great armfuls of it each week to enjoy with virtually every meal.
If you’re the same (and I’m sure you are), you might like my latest mini-series in which I share a three-course feast dedicated to celebrating forced rhubarb. On the menu:
A trio of rhubarb crispbreads (this week’s instalment)
Braised duck leg with pickled rhubarb, squash and lentils (next week and it will be free to read)
Rhubarb, panettone and ginger trifle (last week’s post)
If you’re proper giddy about the forced rhubarb season, here are some other ways with rhubarb:
Rhubarb and Seville Orange Ceviche
Rhubarb and Pistachio Macaroons
Celeriac Soup with Pickled Rhubarb
Mackerel Pâté with Rhubarb and Apple
Eat the Season
My latest recipes for OcadoLife magazine came out the other week - all about enjoying the season’s finest harvests:
Rainbow Slaw with Satay-style Dressing
Kohlrabi Steaks with Butterbean Mash and Pesto
Beetroot Hummus, Broccoli and Feta Flatbreads
Poached Rhubarb with Blood Orange, Yogurt and Pistachio Granola
(Also - waves and applause to
for her glorious styling of these shots. More loveliness over on her Substack.)Fortnum and Mason’s Hero Harvests
Elsewhere in internet-land, I’ve been creating more seasonal recipes for Fortnum’s in my role as their official Veg Expert 2024. Get the recipe (a sprout salad that’s part Waldorf, part Caesar - pictured above) and read about my tips for cooking with radicchio and pears here.
Come Into my Kitchen (with Simple Things)
It’s unusually busy with recipe features this month (which is nice! If I eat my greens, could every month be like this please?)
I’m showcasing celeriac, rhubarb (of course), savoy cabbage and radicchio in the February edition of my regular feature for The Simple Things. Also staring darling, departed Hadleigh - it’s always a little wobble-inducing when I open the latest edition and see him in the photos. Grab your copy here.
Podcast Interview - The Next Chapter
You know when you meet a person and you just click? When you chat away like you’ve been friends for yonks? When someone just gets it. Well, that’s what
and I had the other week when I was a guest on her podcast.We talked about leaving the ratrace, depression, finding solace in the veg patch, and had a lot of giggles along the way. You can hear the episode here.
A Final Thought
Next week, the sun will set at 6pm here in the UK. It will not set before 6pm again until October.
We make it!
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Loved styling your recipes Kathy! x