As you know, I’ve found out that I’m allergic to stone fruit and some other foods. Since then, I’ve lost eight and half kilos in 7 weeks. It’s nothing more than eating properly. It’s amazing – it’s back to basics – leaner and eating less processed food, all at the correct times. Drinking loads of water and eating lots of fruit. It’s not a fad diet – just tacking a realistic approach to eating. And I’ve gone from 16 to five cups of coffee a day.
In terms of cooking, spring is gone but some of the real summer things don’t kick in for a few weeks. Cherries are a brilliant ingredient because they work in both sweet and savoury dishes. The make great drinks, jams and coulis – they are wonderful. They are just a bit of a pain in the backside to prep.
Here’s an idea for using cherries and runner beans in a duck salad. Smoked duck, cherry, shaved runner beans and a rocket salad with a broad bean and orange dressing.
For the dressing, you have to skin the broad beans. Orange and broad bean go really well. Add a spoonful of wholegrain mustard, a touch of fresh orange juice, a little vinegar of some, a touch of honey then some good rich rapeseed oil for that yellowy colour then maybe a touch of parsley. Throw in your broad beans, then you have a whole load of flavours going.
Throw in some macadamia or pecan nuts and you would have the perfect summer opener. It would work as a starter or a salad
For a dessert, why don’t we go a for frozen cherry yoghurt lollies? You get yourself some nice full fat Greek style yoghurt then blend some of the cherries up to a coarse puree then chop some bits to put through. Then probably a bit of heather honey then mix them together then set in ice cream trays with little skewers, you can melt some chocolate and put them in that – then you have a frozen cherry yoghurt. Because it’s barbecue season and good for kids, too – pretty much healthy. That recipe for the yoghurt would work with any of the soft fruit.
