The Broad Palate – Apr ’25

Two seasonal recipes – one nature-led, one celebration-led. Happy Easter!

Wild Garlic Pesto

There is such an abundance of wild garlic in the hedgerows around here at this time of year. Use it in stir-fries, salads, risottos – or make this bright green pesto and add to pasta, dressings, bolognese sauces, mayonnaise – it’s brilliant!

You will need a food processor or blender, and an ice cube tray or two. (The pretty white flowers are also edible and are great for decorating salads).

125g wild garlic leaves, washed;
250ml good olive oil;
60g parmesan, grated;
65g pine nuts (or walnuts or hazelnuts);
1 tsp (or to taste) sea salt;
1 tsp sugar;
a good squeeze of lemon juice.

Method:

Gently pat the leaves dry and whizz in the processor for around 20 seconds. Scrape down the sides and briefly whizz again.
Add in half the olive oil and the remaining ingredients, and whizz until well blended.
Scrape down again and add the remaining oil until you have a fairly sloppy consistency. If too stiff, add a dash of cooled, boiled water and mix again.
Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. Spoon into the ice cube trays.
Once frozen, they can be transferred to freezer food bags. Alternatively, place in a sterilised jar, then cover with a layer of olive oil and shut tightly.
This will keep in the fridge for around a month.

Hot Cross Bun & Butter Pudding – serves 6

A handy Easter dessert. Versatile too – add blueberries, nuggets of marzipan, chopped chocolate, chopped walnuts, a little liqueur of choice etc.! Serve with cream or ice cream.

6 hot cross buns;
3 eggs;
75g caster sugar;
250ml milk (not skimmed);
150ml double cream;
75g softened butter;
zest of 1 orange;
1 tsp vanilla extract;
75g dried apricots, roughly chopped;
4 tablespoons marmalade or apricot jam

Method:

Lightly butter a shallow-ish ovenproof dish approx. 20cm x 13cm. Sprinkle with a little of the caster sugar for extra crunch.
Whisk together the eggs, vanilla, orange zest and sugar in a large bowl.
Combine the milk and cream in a pan and heat until warm but not hot. Gradually add this to the egg mixture, whisking to combine, and set aside.
Split the buns horizontally and spread the bottom halves with butter on both sides, and with the jam or marmalade just on the upper side.
At this point either leave them as they are or cut diagonally (to better cover the bottom of the dish) and arrange in the dish.
Pour half of the milk mixture evenly over the slices. Scatter the chopped apricots as evenly as possible.
Butter the top halves (again halve these or leave whole) and arrange over the top.
Gently pour over the remaining milk mixture and place the dish in the fridge for around an hour for the buns to absorb some of the liquid.
Preheat oven to 170°C/Fan 150°C/Gas 3. Dot the tops of the buns with butter and bake in the bottom half of the oven for 30-40 minutes until nicely browned and fragrant. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.