Kohlrabi slaw with salmon & toasted oats, plus a Norfolk food guide

Why I take my vegetables on holiday; what I cooked on my Norfolk break; plus, discover all my secrets in this guide to North Norfolk food.

The holidaying harvest

I take my vegetables on holiday with me.

Not, you understand, if I’m flying. That would be silly. But if I’m driving somewhere in the UK or France to a self-catering property, then I usually have a couple of cold bags full of muddy harvests. Afterall, it would be a sacrilegious waste to leave crops unpicked only to return from a week away to find them bolted or run to seed. So last week, when we went to North Norfolk for a week, I took the gluts with me.

I’ve been going to this part of the Norfolk coast since I was a baby.

So I know the bounteous array of local produce like I know every inch of the sand dunes – Cromer crab, Brancaster mussels, Drove Orchard apples, asparagus in spring, potatoes about now. In fact, much of the pleasure of holidaying in Norfolk is working out what to cook next. And that's before we've even got to all the eating out options.

A snippet of my guide to North Norfolk food. More below…

So this week, a recipe featuring the vegetables that came on holiday and what I made with them and the glorious Norfolk produce. Plus, for paid subscribers, an Extra Helping of my personal guide to the best food in Norfolk including all the secret spots (spoiler, it’s not just Cromer Crab).

Kohlrabi slaw with salmon and toasted oats

Somewhere between remoulade and slaw, this is a peppery, sweet combination to cut through rich, fatty salmon. Don’t dismiss the oats as just a flourish, though they are that too, but they mainly bring salty nuttiness – crunch to counter the voluptuous fish.

Serves 2

• 1 kohlrabi

• 1 beetroot (candied if possible, unless you like purple slaw)

• 1 apple

• 2 celery sticks

• 100g smoked salmon, I use Staithe Smokehouse

• 2 slices pumpernickel or rye bread

For the dressing:

• ½ lemon, juiced

• 2 tbsp plain yogurt

• 1 tbsp readymade mayonnaise

• 1 tbsp chervil, chopped

• 1 tbsp parsley, chopped

• 6-7 cornichons, finely diced

For the oat topping:

• 1 tsp salted butter

• 1 tbsp jumbo oats

• 1 tbsp coarse oatmeal

• 1 tsp pumpkin seeds

• 1 tsp sunflower seeds

Start with the dressing. Simply mix everything together in a large bowl with a good pinch of salt.

Peel the kohlrabi and beetroot and slice into matchsticks using a julienne peeler, excellent knife skills, or steady hands and a mandoline. Core the apple, no need to peel, and do the same. Finely chop the celery. Add the pile of veg to the bowl of dressing and mix.

For the topping, melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat then add the oats, oatmeal, seeds and pinch of salt and fry until nutty brown. Meanwhile, toast the bread.

To assemble, pile the slaw on the toast, divide the salmon between the two, then sprinkle over the toasted oats. Or pack into pots and take it down to the beach for a messy, sand-filled picnic.

Now, for paid subscribers, here’s your usual PDF of the recipe, plus I’ll share all my secrets about where to get the best grub in Norfolk…