LAST week I won a beautiful box of organic veg.


I was filled with feelings of delight as I carried the box home but also it made me mourn my Riverford vegetable box, and as I unpacked it I felt overwhelmed by brassicas.
 

This week my main food focus has been to cook and eat our way through the entire box. Before I got going on this I used up the last of the vegetables in our garden before the frosts kick in.
 

My first recipe was an autumn vegetable soup, I had some chicken stock that needed using up and some sick kids that needed fixing up, that and a load of organic root veg was perfect nourishment for a healthy recovery. 


Next up was a stew, I thought I would make a beef bourginon but that required a load of extra ingredients.


So instead I used up the green peppers and tomatoes and half a bottle of Chardonnay and made a delicious stew to serve with my chard and spinach.


Apart from some more greens all that was left in the box was potatoes and carrots. I used these to make a cottage pie for my food bank recipe.

Cottage pie recipe.

1 tin of mince and onions

1 tin of tomatoes

3 carrots

6 small potatoes or smash

Chop the carrots and fry lightly in a saucepan in oil, add your tinned ingredients and bring to a gentle simmer to reduce the liquid. Meanwhile peel and half the potatoes and boil until tender. Mash these with whatever you can find, I had some creme fraiche and added a tablespoon of whole grain mustard, you could use butter or milk. Put the mince in an ovenproof dish cover with the mash and bake until golden brown on top. Serve with greens.