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Grow Cook Eat

Recipes built around UK home-grown produce. Preserves, soups, sauces, baking and staples that turn an allotment harvest into proper kitchen food.

Every recipe here is built around something you can grow in a UK garden or allotment, written by Lawrie Ashfield and tested in a Staffordshire kitchen. Each recipe lists what to grow for it, links back to the relevant Garden UK growing guide, and includes UK-specific notes on substitutions and seasonal timings.

British asparagus tart on a wooden board with golden puff pastry green asparagus spears Parmesan and ricotta filling, fresh asparagus bunch nearby

mains · Spring, Summer

British Asparagus Tart: 35-Minute UK Recipe

British asparagus tart with puff pastry, ricotta and Parmesan. Ready in 35 minutes from May to June asparagus season. Serves 4 as a light lunch.

35 minutes · serves 4 as a light lunch

Homemade UK mint sauce in a small glass jar with chopped fresh mint leaves suspended in vinegar and sugar, fresh mint sprigs nearby on a wooden kitchen worktop

sauces · Spring, Summer, Autumn

Homemade Mint Sauce: 5-Minute UK Recipe

Homemade UK mint sauce with fresh garden mint, vinegar and sugar. Ready in 5 minutes, keeps 4 weeks. The traditional British Sunday roast lamb pairing.

5 minutes · serves 8 (1 small jar, 200ml)

UK pea and mint soup in a rustic ceramic bowl with vibrant bright green colour swirl of cream and fresh mint leaves garnish, podded peas and mint sprigs on a wooden table

soups · Spring, Summer

Pea and Mint Soup: 20-Minute UK Recipe

Bright green pea and mint soup with fresh garden peas. Ready in 20 minutes, serves 4 as a starter or light lunch. Peak May to July in UK gardens.

20 minutes · serves 4 as a starter or light lunch

Homemade UK rhubarb gin steeping in a tall glass demijohn jar with pink rhubarb stalks visible inside the rosy liquid, fresh rhubarb stalks and lemon nearby on a kitchen worktop

drinks · Spring, Summer

Rhubarb Gin: 6-Week UK Spring Recipe

Homemade UK rhubarb gin with fresh forced or garden rhubarb. Steeps for 6 weeks, makes 700ml of pink gin perfect for summer Pimm's and tonic.

6 weeks 2 days · serves 23 (700ml gin, 30ml per measure)

Jar of homemade UK wild garlic pesto with vibrant green colour, foraged wild garlic leaves and white star flowers nearby on a wooden kitchen worktop

sauces · Spring

Wild Garlic Pesto: UK Spring Foraging Recipe

Wild garlic pesto recipe with foraged Allium ursinum leaves. Makes 250g in 10 minutes, freezes 6 months, captures the UK May woodland in a jar.

10 minutes · serves 250g pesto (8 servings stirred through pasta)

Beetroot chutney in glass Kilner jars with fresh garden beetroot apples and warming spices on a UK kitchen worktop

preserves · Autumn

Beetroot Chutney Recipe: UK Allotment Classic

Beetroot chutney recipe with garden beetroot, apples, onions and warming spices. Makes 6 jars, sets in 4 weeks, perfect with cheese and cold cuts.

2 hours plus 4 weeks maturing · serves 6 x 250ml jars

Bowl of UK courgette glut soup with garden basil and Parmesan on a wooden table next to a bowl of fresh summer courgettes

soups · Summer

Courgette Glut Soup: Use Up the August Mountain

Courgette glut soup recipe for UK gardens. Uses 1.5kg of summer courgettes in 35 minutes, freezes 4 months, the answer to August veg overload.

35 minutes · serves 6

Apple chutney in glass Kilner jars next to fresh garden Bramley apples and warming spices in a UK autumn kitchen

preserves · Autumn

Apple Chutney Recipe: UK Autumn Windfall Cure

Apple chutney recipe for UK autumn windfalls. Uses 1.5kg apples in 90 minutes, makes 6 jars, the classic British preserve for cheese and cold cuts.

2 hours plus 4 weeks maturing · serves 6 x 250ml jars

Bottle of homemade UK elderflower cordial next to fresh foraged elderflower heads and lemons on a wooden kitchen worktop

drinks · Summer

Elderflower Cordial: UK June Foraging Recipe

Elderflower cordial recipe with foraged or garden elderflowers. Makes 1.5 litres in 24 hours, freezes 6 months, captures the UK June scent in a bottle.

24 hours 30 minutes · serves 1.5 litres concentrate (45 servings diluted)

Homemade garden herb pesto in glass jars with fresh basil parsley and rocket on a wooden chopping board UK kitchen

sauces · Spring, Summer

Garden Herb Pesto: 4 UK Variations Tested

Garden herb pesto with home-grown basil, parsley, rocket or wild garlic. Four UK variations in 10 minutes, freezes 3 months, the summer staple.

10 minutes · serves 250ml (dresses 500g pasta)

Green tomato chutney in glass Kilner jars next to fresh unripe garden tomatoes onions and apples in a UK autumn kitchen

preserves · Autumn

Green Tomato Chutney: UK Autumn Glut Cure

Green tomato chutney recipe for UK autumn. Uses 1.5kg unripe tomatoes from the October vine, 6 jars, matures 6 weeks for the classic British chutney.

2 hours plus 6 weeks maturing · serves 6 x 250ml jars

Homemade bolognese ragu sauce simmering in cast iron casserole with garden tomatoes carrots and herbs UK kitchen

sauces · Year-round

Homemade Bolognese Sauce: Real UK Garden Ragu

Homemade bolognese sauce made with garden tomatoes, carrots, onion and herbs. Slow-cooked 3-hour ragu, freezer-friendly, the proper Italian method.

3 hours 30 minutes · serves 8

Homemade UK cottage cheese fresh curds in muslin lined sieve with garden chives and lemon on a wooden kitchen worktop

staples · Year-round

Homemade Cottage Cheese: Easy Curd Cheese UK

Make homemade cottage cheese (curd cheese) with two ingredients in 90 minutes. Garden herb variations, storage and the lemon-acid method that works.

1 hour 30 minutes · serves 4 (250g cheese)

Pickled onions in glass Kilner jars next to fresh garden shallots and warming spices on a UK kitchen worktop in autumn

preserves · Autumn

Pickled Onions for Christmas: UK Classic Recipe

Pickled onions recipe for UK Christmas. 1kg shallots in spiced malt vinegar, makes 4 jars, matures 6 weeks in time for the festive ploughman's lunch.

1 hour 5 minutes plus 24 hours brining and 6 weeks maturing · serves 4 x 500ml jars

Bowl of UK homemade potato soup with garden chives and crusty bread on a wooden kitchen worktop in autumn

soups · Autumn, Winter

Potato Soup: The Best UK Garden Comfort Bowl

Potato soup recipe with garden potatoes, leeks, and chives. UK comfort classic in 35 minutes, 4 portions, freezer-friendly with seasonal variations.

35 minutes · serves 4

Rhubarb crumble in a ceramic baking dish with golden oat topping next to garden rhubarb stalks and custard jug UK kitchen

baking · Spring, Summer

Rhubarb Crumble: The Best UK Spring Pudding

Rhubarb crumble recipe with garden rhubarb, oat-and-butter topping. The classic UK spring pudding in 50 minutes, serves 6, freezes for 3 months.

50 minutes · serves 6

Victoria plum jam in glass Kilner jars next to fresh garden Victoria plums and lemons on a UK kitchen worktop in late summer

preserves · Summer, Autumn

Victoria Plum Jam: Easy UK Garden Preserve

Victoria plum jam recipe with garden plums and lemon juice. Six jars in 90 minutes, sets without commercial pectin, the classic UK summer preserve.

1 hour 15 minutes · serves 6 x 250ml jars