This time around everyone who entered really upped their game with some fantastic recipes. Being a leek lover myself I can definitely say there were many outstanding entries, but unfortunately only 4 prizes to give out. Here are the results of the competition:

The winner

Hari Covert – Pressed Leek Terrine with Cobnut Oil Dressing

Runners Up

The Fat Carrot – Welsh Eggs
Allotment2Kitchen – Caerphilly Cheese, Leek and Potato Pie
Reluctant Housedad – Leeks with scallops, black pudding and bacon butter

Entries

Linda Elisha’s Blog – Leek, Chicken and Gruyere Gratin
Sweet Peas, Tulsi and Tea – Spring Leek & Mint Pie
Homemade by Hannah – Smoked Fish and Leek Quiche
The Blue Sky Cook – Leekie Welsh Rarebit
Familycook – Leek and Caerphilly Filo Pie
Checky’s Kitchen – Chicken with Morels and Sherry
Mummy I Can Cook – Leek and Butter Bean Soup with Caramelised Shallots and Bacon
Pebble Soup – Leek and Caerphilly/ Cheshire Cheese Crumble
Chef Mel’s Kitchen – Chicken and Leek Pie
Miss Mamo’s World – Leek & Leftover Pie
Comfort Bites – Pan Fried Salmon and Creamy Leeks
She Cooks, She Eats – Leek and Mango Sausage Bites
Portsmouth Food Lovers – Sea Bass with Charred Leek, Clams, Blood Orange, and a Leek Puree
Anne Walsh – Quorn, Leek and Mushroom Pie
London Unattached – Leek Caponata
Eating Covent Garden – Pork steaks with leek, apple and mushroom sauce

Congratulations to all the winners, and many thanks to everyone who participated!

Many fantastic recipes were entered, and it’d be a shame to keep them all to ourselves so I present you all with the list of entries and winners of the last vegetable garden competition of 2011!

Winner

Wanton Flavours – Carrot Halva

Runners Up

Chef Mel’s Kitchen – Carrot, Maple & Bacon Soup

Super Lucky – Carrot Meringues

Foodiecat – Carrot Pakoras with Tamarind Dipping Sauce

Entries

Misk Cooks – Carrot Salad Totally Unlike My Mother’s

Feeling Food – Thai Festive Peanut Slaw

The Austerity Cook – Love, Money and the Packed Lunch

Chez Foti – My Great-Granny’s Christmas Pudding

Working London Mummy – Turkey Noodle Soup with Carrot, Pepper, Chilli and Lemongrass

Pebble Soup – Carrot Pineapple Snowballs

Mark’s Veg Plot – Carrots, Cardamoms and Crackers

Fabulicious Food – Carrot and Parmesan Risotto

Two Become Four – Butternut Squash, Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

Food Genie – Carrot and Potato Pie

Day in the life of a Busy Gal… – Carrot Mousse with Carrot Crisp Garnish

Yummy Choo Eats – Carrot & Oatmeal Cookies with Sugar Icing

Look Who’s Cooking Too – Curried Carrot and Lentil Soup

London Unattached – Christmas Pudding Carrot Cakes

Allotment2Kitchen – Chantenay Carrot and Thyme Flan

Portsmouth Food Lovers – Carrot Crush

Mummy I Can Cook – Carrot, Cardamom and Coconut Soup

Fiona Holt – Carrot Tarte Tatin

Jane’s Rambling Blog – Carrot, Sweet Potato and Coriander Soup

Congratulations to the winners, and thanks so much to everyone who entered!

I’ve recently launched the next competition in the Vegetable Garden Competition series. It’s the final one before the end of 2011 and fittingly  for the time of year it’s Christmas themed.The last competition, Taste for Tomatoes, was the best one since we started. Loads of people got involved and I really enjoyed chatting with everyone involved and seeing all the delicious recipes. Hopefully this one will be even better! Here are the details from the press release for anyone who wants to participate:

The online garden experts from Love the Garden are delighted to announce the fourth and final vegetable garden competition of 2011 to make sure vegetables won’t be forgotten this December: the Christmas Carrot Competition! The independent guest judge, Niamh Shields from Eat Like a Girl, will be looking for culinary creativity with carrots. The author of the best recipe will receive a £200 restaurant voucher to a UK restaurant of their choice. Three runners up will receive a copy of Niamh Shields’ cookbook Comfort & Spice.
Entering the competition is easy.

All bloggers need to do is:

•     Share a carrot recipe on their own blog;
•     Mention the competition in the post;
•     Tell LovetheGarden by emailing the URL of their entry to entries@lovethegarden.com before 21st December 2011.

The orange root vegetable is a prominent part of traditional Christmas meals, but recipes don’t have to be Christmas themed. Recipes for soups, salads, stir-fries and even cakes with this versatile vegetable are welcomed too.

LovetheGarden launched their first competition to find the best recipes for garden vegetables in February 2011, which encouraged bloggers to be creative with cabbage. The winner was Karolina with her Cabbage & Mushroom Pasties. In August, David Hall won the Potty for Potatoes competition with his Hot potato, bacon and nasturtium salad and the winner of the Taste for Tomatoes competition was Nic from Cherrapeno with her Summer Tomato Tart with Chilli Cheese Pastry. The carrot competition will be the last one for 2011, but in 2012, Lovethegarden will continue to encourage everyone in the UK to eat their five-a-day.

The deadline is 11.59pm (UK time) on 21th December 2011. For more information, please visit the vegetable garden competition page.

It’s a gorgeous, light green vegetable that grows in a natural fractal pattern. It was so lovely to look at that I almost didn’t want to eat it, but I wouldn’t dare let it go to waste. I had absolutely no idea what to do with the thing, even chopping it up felt like deciphering a puzzle. Luckily the lad came with a recipe. I’m going to be really lazy and just copy and paste it from the Abel & Cole website, but you can find the original here.

Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon and Paprika

• 1 medium-large romanesco (or any cauli, about 750-800g), trimmed
• 2 lemons
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp hot smoky paprika
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 220°C/Gas 7. Cut the cauliflower into medium florets and rinse, leaving some of the water clinging to the florets.
2. Put them in a large roasting tray, squeeze over the juice from one of the lemons, trickle over the olive oil, add the paprika and some salt and pepper and toss the whole lot together.
3. Cut the remaining lemon into 6 segments and scatter these in the tray. Roast for 25-30 mins, turning once, until the florets are slightly caramelised at the edges.
4. Squeeze the juice from the roasted lemon segments over the roasted cauliflower and serve at once, scattered with a little flaky sea salt.

I really enjoyed the taste of the cauliflower (which reminded me a lot of my favourite veg, broccoli), but I can’t say I was a big fan of the lemon/paprika mixture. Some bites were nice, but others had me making the lemon face. I’m not conscious of ever having had paprika before so I couldn’t distinguish whether it was that or the lemon that was way too intense, but either way it wasn’t pleasant. That’s just my opinion though, and one to be taken with a grain of salt. My palate ranges from chocolate to bland. My friend really liked the dish, so I’m sure other people will too.

The same night I also made…. GRASSHOPPER PIE!

It’s taken me a week to eat the whole thing. I was hoping my mates would help me tackle the monster, but they only managed 3 slices between them. Hmm… that could be saying something. Anyway, in lieu of the actual recipe, here is an artsy fartsy photo of my delicious pie ;-)

Last Wednesday when I came into work I spied a familiar looking box with my name on it sat in reception. I grabbed the box and hurried upstairs to get a peak at what was inside. My 8 year old self would be horrified to hear how excited I was about a box a vegetables. It was almost like Christmas… the not knowing what you’re getting, the smile on my face as I walked proudly down the hall to my desk, everyone around me looking over my shoulders to see what was inside as I “unboxed” the veg… Or not really… But still I did enjoy the surprise.

My box contained broccoli, fennel, potatoes, flat beans, leeks, and purple carrots. Which is a pretty good turn out. Considering how fussy I am, I’ll eat everything in the box with the exception of fennel, which I didn’t find out till I tried it. I’d never had fennel before so my manager made me fennel and orange salad. I’m not a fan of anything that tastes like aniseed/black liquorice, but for anyone who is this is definitely a recipe to try. So here you go…

Fennel and Orange Salad

Thinly slice up some fennel. Thinly slice up some orange. Add some olive oil. Add some salt & pepper.

Fanny’s your aunt.

As in the other competitions, the best overall recipe would receive a £200 voucher to any UK restaurant of their choice. However, this time we also had signed copies of James’ new book Small Adventures in Cooking to give away to three runners up.

The quality and caliber of the entries in this competition were excellent. James’ comments for the winners is a testament to the creativity of the recipes entered (see the Love the Garden blog). I got some really positive feedback from everyone involved and I can honestly say that I had such a great time running this competition. I met so many lovely people and have now got a massive collection of delicious recipes to try out, which is why I’ve decided to share them all here. Below you’ll find all the recipes which were entered into the competition. Enjoy!

Winner

Cherrapeno – Summer Tomato Tart with Chilli Cheese Pastry

Runners Up

Belleau Kitchens – Roasted Tomato, Chili and Coconut Soup

London Unattached – Hake with smoked garlic, chili and fresh tomato sauce

Me, My Food and I – Roasted Tomato Caprese Bruschetta

Entries

Pebble Soup – Green Tomato Chutney with Ginger

David Hall – Tomato and Sweet Onion Tarte Tatin

Super Lucky – Gazpacho

Comfort Bites – Vine Tomatoes with British Buffalo Mozzarella and Lemon & Basil Dressing

Utterly Scrummy – Quick and Easy Tomato Relish

Marks Veg Plot – Green Tomato sauce with Pesto

Competition Grapevine – Pizza my way

Northern Eco – Hot salsa

Jane’s Rambling Blog – Gardener’s Delight

Love Food – Simple Tomato Chicken and Herb Casserole

Mummy Musings – Tomato & Chilli Chutney

Eating Covent Garden – Tomato curry

Chef Mel’s Kitchen – Feta Filled Cherry Tomatoes

Senses in the Kitchen – The Perfect Meal

Slovenly Jimmy – Easy Tomato and Cheese Souffle

Garden, Tea, Cakes and Me – Vegetable Cobbler

Piper and Daisy – Tuscan Bruschetta

Freddie’s Fingers – The Bloodiest Mary

Look Who’s Cooking Too – ‘Go To’ Tomato Sauce and Chicken Tikka Pizza

Cooking Etc. – Home-grown tomatoes and tuna salad

Yummy Choo Eats – Sweet Tomato Tarte Tatin

The first one we came upon was selling lots of traditional middle eastern foods and treats in these lovely wooden bowls (bottom middle and right photos). I really wanted to buy some of their hummus, which looked very yummy, but didn’t think I’d finish at home it before it went off so I settled for a chicken shwarama. I wouldn’t recommend it though. Admittedly, my tastes are very bland, but even this was too bland for me. Plus the chicken was very fatty as well.

One stall was selling these incredible looking baked goods (top left photo). I couldn’t resist buying a red velvet whoopie pie and a white chocolate and raspberry brownie. The whoopie pie last about 30 secs. The brownie was so rich it took a couple of days of sporadic munching before it was finished. Despite the photo, I didn’t get a macaroon. Although thinking about it, I probably should have. I’ve never actually tried one, but they looked so pretty sitting there all vibrant and lined up that I thought it’d make a great picture. I’ll have to go back soon and get one to try.

I also ended up buying a nice wholegrain loaf and some strawberry extra jam from two other stalls. Everything was delicious (when I got it home and ate it of course). There were a few more stalls which I didn’t purchase from, but would definitely be worth checking out. As far as I can remember, you can find cheese, beer, oils, curds, burgers, and a few more other things that are escaping my memory at the moment. It’s definitely worth going down there for a visit. The atmosphere was great and there was quite a bit of choice for a relatively small market. I’ll have to take a trip down there when I next have some free time and get some more bread, yummmm :)

The recipe I used was from the Hummingbird Bakery book, and it is beyond delicious. I wish I could take credit for it’s awesomeness, but really all I did was follow instructions. The book says you can either place the cake tin in a water bath or grease the tin to stop the cake from cracking. I tried the water bath method previously and it was a lot of hassle, so for the first cake I made I just greased the tin hoping it would work. This was a BIG mistake. The cheesecake cracked massively. It looked like the Grand Canyon. Luckily, it had the cream topping or it would have looked really awful.

For the second cheesecake, I sucked it up and went for the water bath again. The cake was really moist. I’m not sure if it was meant to be like that, but the first one I ever made was too and it still tasted amazing. I did have a slight issue with the cream topping though. I over-whipped the double cream and it made the topping look slightly grainy instead of smooth. It’s purely an aesthetic problem, but I’m a perfectionist so I’m a little annoyed.

Anyway, here’s a photo of the finished product (mind the poor lighting!)

Can’t wait to eat it later today!

Apologies for not posting the recipe, but I’m not exactly sure if I’m allowed to. I’m going to look into it and if I’m not breaking any copyright laws then I will.

• Shredded thinly in a salad
• Sliced thinly in a stir-fry
• Cooked in chicken noodle soup

A carrot prepared any other way will make me gag.

I’m also fussy with tomatoes. I’ll eat them sliced with other foods that have strong flavours (to mask the taste), and I’ll eat tomato sauce on pizza and pasta, but I won’t eat tomato chunks. I’ll sit there and separate out every chunk of tomato from my pasta sauce before I get around to eating my meal. Saying that though, I have actually gotten LOADS better in terms of my pickyness. Not too long ago I wouldn’t eat carrots, tomatoes, or pasta sauce in any form. On Monday night I went to Pizza Express and had the Crostini Al Pomodoro, which has those little tomatoes cut in half and I ate them! Stupid as this sounds, it’s a pretty big achievement for me.

Anyway, the point of all this is that I want to share a very simple recipe that I’ve been rinsing for lunchtime meals the past few weeks. It’s healthy and delicious and passes my picky eater test so here goes:

Brittany’s Picky Greek Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 Tomatoes
• 1 Red Pepper
• 1/2 Red Onion
• 70g Feta Cheese
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil

This is so simple it really doesn’t need explaining, but basically chop up the tomatoes, pepper, red onion, and feta (into cubes). Chuck everything into a container along with the olive oil. Give it a good shake (Warning: the photo was taken pre-shake so it will come out looking a lot messier than that). Throw it on a plate and eat!

I usually have half of the salad with a piece of toasted pita bread, and save the rest for lunch the next day. It’s so yummy, though, that it’s difficult to actually wait till the next day to eat it. As I type, I’m staring at my empty plate from lunch earlier and trying to convince myself to hold off on eating the rest. I may have to resort to something chocolately to cleanse my palate. Mmm…

The online gardening experts from LoveTheGarden.com are delighted to announce the second of their popular vegetable garden competitions, after a fantastic response to the launch a few months ago.

In February, LoveTheGarden ran an online competition to find the best cabbage recipes to celebrate this often ignored and much maligned vegetable. The prize was a £200 meal for two at a restaurant of the winner’s choice, anywhere in the UK. The response was amazing, with some innovative and delicious recipes for everything from a modern twist on cabbage soup through to the winning entry: melt in the mouth cabbage and mushroom pasties. The winning entry was by Karolina, posted on the Senses in the Kitchen blog at http://www.sensesinthekitchen-Karolina.blogspot.com.

A chip off the old spud…

This month’s competition features a vegetable most people take for granted – the potato. This stable of the western diet is bashed, mashed, chipped and roasted almost every day in kitchens across the UK, so the LoveTheGarden team is sure there are some secret family recipes for potato dishes out there that people want to share with the world. To pay homage to this family favourite, LoveTheGarden.com is offering another prize of a meal for two worth £200 to the winning entry of this month’s competition.

Growing potatoes is easy and, as the price of spuds spirals up in the shops, growing vegetables like potatoes at home makes good economic sense. Picked fresh from the garden, these delicious vegetables also pack a punch in vitamin C and other essential nutrients. Rather than just deep frying them, roasting them in the oven or mashing them with butter, the LoveTheGarden team wants to know what other people do with their potatoes to give them that extra something special.

Rewarding culinary creativity

“The potato is so familiar to everyone that we tend to take it for granted,” says George Hope from the LovetheGarden team. “So we want to celebrate the spud in all its forms, from sweet baby new potatoes right up to main crop Maris Pipers. If you’ve got a recipe for potatoes, we want to see it, and we’ll reward your creativity and culinary expertise with a celebratory meal for two in your favourite restaurant.” Of course, potatoes will be on the menu!”

“The closing date for entries is August 16th 2011,” George Hope adds, “so if you’ve got a special potato recipe, whether it’s an old family favourite or a brand new culinary creation, post it up on your blog and let LovetheGarden know.” Every few months, there is a new featured vegetable and a chance to win that £200 meal for two, so get blogging!

For more details and terms and conditions of entry, visit the vegetable garden competition page at LovetheGarden.com

Deadline is fast approaching, so hurry up and get your recipe in!