Goats cheese, fig & walnut bites

Ingredients Goat's cheese, fig, walnuts

Preparation: 5 minutes

The combination of figs, goats cheese and walnuts is no stranger to this blog. from a simple salad to linguine with fig and walnut pesto and crumbled goats cheese, it's a holy trinity of vegetarian perfection. In honour of the glorious British Summer, I give you this picnic treat.

1) Slice the figs and halve each slice.

2) If your goats cheese has a rind, peel this away, then poke a hollow into the goats cheese with your thumb, press the fig into it and roll the goats cheese around it in the palm of your hand.

3) Finely chop the walnuts (or pulse in the blender if your knife skills are not so strong) then roll the goats cheese balls in the walnuts until they are coated in the crispness. Serve!

Courgette & goats cheese linguine

Ingredients 1 courgette, 30g basil, 30g goats cheese, 1 tbsp butter, linguine.

Serves: 2 Preparation: 15 minutes

I adore courgettes. They're so versatile and are at once a juicy addition to a dish, and a perfect vehicle to soak up other flavours.

1) Bring the pasta to the boil in a pan of salted water and simmer for 8-10 minutes.

2) Cut the courgette into centimetre thick slices, then quarter. Add to a pan with the butter and freshly chopped basil and sautee for 10 minutes, stirring regularly.

3) Strain the linguine in a colander and pour in with the courgette. Stir in the goats cheese until it has coated the pasta and courgette, then serve.

Cupcake Burgers: Roast pepper & goats cheese

Ingredients Burger: 400g beef mince, 1/2 white onion, 2 portobello mushrooms, butter Frosting: 150g goats cheese, 1 bell pepper

Serves: 6 Preparation: 30 minutes

This is possibly one of the weirdest of my creations, but I'm actually really proud of the way it has worked out! Cupcakes persist in being ridiculously hot in popular culture and ever more elaborate flavour combinations and decorations come flooding in. But what about people who don't like cake, or can't have sugar? Why should they suffer? Enter... the Cupcake Burger.
I have done a series of different "frostings" - this roast pepper and goats cheese being the richest. Just be warned, the heat of the burger will begin to melt the "frosting" if you don't let it stand just a little before serving. If you'd rather try a different burger, including one of my vegetarian or vegan options... check out these ideas.

1) Finely dice the onion and mushroom and fry off in a very little butter until the juice from the mushrooms has evaporated. 

2) Add the mixture to a blender along with the beef mince. Pulse to combine and then separate into rough patties.

3) Press firmly into the cupcake tins, remembering the burgers will shrink a little when cooked, so be generous and pack it in tight.

4) Slice the top from a bell pepper and remove the core and seeds. Slice into slivers and roast on a foil tray at the top shelf of the oven, with the burgers on the middle shelf at 200 degrees for 15 minutes.

5) Take out the peppers and leave to cool for 2 minutes, turning off the oven to keep the burgers warm, but not allowing them to overcook.

6) Add the peppers and goats cheese to the blender and pulse until a mousse is formed. Spoon into a piping bag and top the burgers with a swirl of "frosting" just like a cupcake!

Roast pepper & goats cheese timbale

Ingredients 4 red bell peppers, 3 eggs, 150g goats cheese, basil

Serves: 4 Preparation: 45 minutes

Roast pepper and goats cheese is a combination that I will never get tired of, and these adorable little timbales make such a lovely supper.

1) Slice the tops from the bell pepper and remove the core and seeds. Slice between the membranes and then cut half the peppers into slivers, and leave the remaining two peppers as they are.

2) Roast the peppers for 15 minutes at 220 degrees until the skins just begin to blacken, then remove from the oven and allow to cool.

3) Lightly butter the 4 moulds and line the sides and bottom with the larger pieces of pepper.

4) Whisk the goats cheese roughly with the eggs and add a little chopped basil. Stir in the remaining slivers of pepper and then pour the egg, cheese and pepper mix into the moulds.

5) Bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 200 degrees and serve.

Roast peppers with lavender goats cheese

Ingredients 1 Bell pepper, lavender goats cheese, lavender vinaigrette, spinach, rocket, watercress

Serves: 2 preparation: 30 minutes

This recipe uses two of my recent lavender recipes - lavender goats cheese and lavender vinaigrette. It might sound like a whole lot of lavender... but you can never have too much. This is absolutely delicious, and such a lovely twist of the classic roast pepper and goats cheese combination.

1) Slice the tops from your bell peppers, remove the core and seeds, then slice between the membranes to leave 3 or 4 slices of pepper flesh. Discard the core, seeds and membranes. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes at 180 degrees.

2) Top a slice of bread with the roast pepper, and add the lavender goats cheese balls. Roast in the oven for a further 5 minutes, then dress with the salad and eat hot.

Goats cheese bites

Ingredients Goats cheese, old bread, sesame seeds, poppyseed, 1 egg

Preparation: 5 minutes

Sometimes in this life, one needs a treat. A little bit of something indulgent that can be prepared quickly and be repented for later. This is one such recipe.
And it is entirely toothsome - a molten mouthful of rich, tangy goats cheese surrounded by a crisp, crunchy shell. It can be eaten alone or dunked into a sweet chilli dip or salsa. I also happen to think these make excellent croutons for soup or salad. The best goats cheese to use, is a relatively slim tube within a rind, as it keeps its shape better when cooked - though rolling a ball of soft goats cheese also works well.

1) Pulse the old bread into crumbs into a blender, and stir in the poppyseeds and sesame seeds.

2) Slice the goats cheese, or roll into balls if using rindless and dip into a dish of beaten egg.

3) Dip the goats cheese into the breadcrumb mixture and ensure that it is evenly covered.

4) Fry for 2-3 minutes in a pan of hot oil, or deep fat fryer until the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Serve immediately.

Roast pepper & goats cheese polenta croutons

Ingredients  60g polenta, 1 egg, 1 bell pepper, goats cheese, olive oil (Optional: Rachel's Organic Greek Yoghurt)

Makes: 6 croutons preparation: 10 minutes

I have been making a lot of polenta fritters recently as part of a series of recipes using ingredients for people with various intolerancies. This recipe is a fantastic alternative to croutons in salad or soup - at once crispy and melting and so quick and simple. Roast pepper and goats cheese is one of my favourite flavour combinations - give it a try.

1) Slice the top from a bell pepper and remove the core and seeds. Slice between the membranes and cut into small slivers. Grill for 5 minutes until the skin begins to crisp and blacken.

2) Whisk an egg and stir in the polenta.

3) Cut the goats cheese into chunks and stir along with the peppers into the polenta. If the texture is a little dry I like to add in a little Greek yoghurt.

4) Form a patty and drop onto a lightly oiled pan. Sizzle for 2-3 minutes on each side then cut into small squares (or circles in my case) before tossing with salad leaves or floating on soup.

Apricot stuffed with basil & goats cheese

Ingredients Dried apricot, goats cheese, basil, salt

Preparation: 5 minutes

I love goats cheese - whether combined with sweet or savoury ingredients it rarely disappoints. I love making little hors d'oeuvres like pastry shells filled with herby goats cheese, crusted with crushed nuts or seeds but have recently been considering alternatives for those with allergies such as flour or nuts. I adore dried apricots and filling the luscious, sticky fruit like this is nothing short of heavenly - try them served on pieces of sourdough.

1) Blitz the goats cheese in a blender with fresh basil leaves and a pinch of salt.

2) Dried apricots are already pitted so simply spoon or pipe the goats cheese puree into the pockets. These are equally lovely eaten at room temperature or firmed up in the fridge.

Baked apple with apricot & goats cheese

Ingredients Bramley apple, goats cheese, dried apricots

Serves: 2 preparation: 30 minutes

I can remember clearly my very first cookery lesson at school. We made a baked apple.
It was stuffed with sultanas and butter and it looked like a bizarre sort of baked potato.
I hated the texture, hated the taste, hated the smell and the ugly yellowish brown of the skin. I can honestly say I have never had a baked apple since - until today when I had a craving for apple and thought I would experiment with this old nemesis... the sticky sweetness of the apricot goes perfectly with the creamy, soft goats cheese. This is absolutely lovely but it's not going to win any beauty awards.

1) Slice the top from the apple and remove the majority of the core, leaving a little base to retain the filling. Hollow the apple out further until about 1/3 of the apple flesh has been removed.

2) Stuff the apple with layers of apricot and goats cheese and sit the top of the apple back onto the top. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 200 degrees.

Roast pepper & goats cheese burrito

Ingredients   Tortilla, 1 bell pepper, cucumber, goats cheese cheese, Hummus:   Chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, sesame seeds

Serves: 1 preparation: 15 minutes


I love the combination of roast pepper and goats cheese - in soup, in dip, even on a baked potato! it's a wonderful pairing of flavours, rich and sweet and this makes the most meltingly perfect lunch.


1) To make your own hummus, see previous recipe.


2) Slice the top from the pepper and scoop out the seeds. Slice the pepper between the membranes and discard these. Drizzle the pepper with olive oil and grill on each side for 5 minutes, allowing the skin to just blacken.


3) Spread the hummus onto the centre of the tortilla and dot with goats cheese and cubed cucumber before adding the roasted pepper. To fold the burrito, take the left and right side and lift to ensure the contents are dead centre, then first fold the bottom over the contents, then the left and right sides and tuck in the top.

Duck egg & avocado burrito

Ingredients 1 avocado, 1 duck egg, goats cheese, tortilla

Serves: 1 preparation: 10 minutes


There is very little in this world nicer than a just hard boiled duck's egg, still hot when combined with avocado. The creamy taste and soft texture goes perfectly with a mild chevre and a sprinkling of black pepper. A perfect lunch.


1) Boil the egg for 8 minutes in hot water, then carefully remove it and press it against a firm surface to crack the shell and make it easier to peel.


2) Whilst the egg is hot, cut the avocado in half and remove the stone. Scoop the flesh from the shell and cut into chunks.


3) Add to the tortilla with some pepper and room temperature goats cheese and wrap it up - to fold the burrito, take the left and right side and lift to ensure the contents are dead centre, then first fold the bottom over the contents, then the left and right sides and tuck in the top.

Pancakes - Balsamic spinach, strawberry & goats cheese

Ingredients 120g plain flour, 2 eggs, 210ml milk, 90ml water, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, butter, strawberries, 400g spinach, 150g goats cheese.

Makes: 6 pancakes Preparation: 40 minutes


Words cannot express just how incredible a pancake filling this is. The combination of strawberries and balsamic vinegar is no stranger to this blog, but in combination with the sharp tang of goats cheese and the melting soft spinach this really is exquisite. 


1) Mix the flour with a pinch of salt in a large bowl, make a well in the centre and crack in the eggs.


2) Measure 90ml water in a pyrex jug, then top it up to 300ml with milk.
Beat the eggs into the flour with a wooden spoon and gradually beat in the milk and water mixture until smooth.


3) Stir in the vegetable oil and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes but preferably an hour.


5) Melt a good knob of butter in a pan and stir in the spinach. As the leaves begin to wilt, add a good glug of olive oil and stir in the strawberries, sliced. Turn off the heat.


4) Heat a non-stick frying pan until very hot, then add a small knob of butter. Pour in one ladle of batter, quickly turning the pan off the heat to coat the base evenly with the batter. Return to the hob and cook for about one minute, until the base is lightly browned. I like to use a spatula or palette knife to just loosen the edges of the pancake - once the air gets under it you will find it does not stick to the pan but slide about which helps it to flip!


5) Flip over the pancake (if you have a clumsy wrist, slide the pancake onto a plate, then tip the pan over the plate and turn it upside down. No one will ever know!


6) Once the pancake has cooked on both sides, serve filled with the strawberry, spinach and goats cheese.

Emerald salad

Ingredients2 tsp grainy mustard, 4 eggs, lemon juice, salt, pepper, 1 pint rapeseed oil, 1 tablespoon pumpkin oil, green beans, exquisa potatoes, 2 avocados, goats cheese.

Serves: 2 Preparation: 30 minutes

I can scarely believe that it's been less than a week since I discovered Pumpkin Oil but in these last few days it has been a major source of foodspiration for me! I knew the stunning nutty flavour would make the most unbelievably rich mayonnaise but I was worried it would be too light to "take". A combination of Yorkshire rapeseed oil and pumpkin oil later, I had a dish of vibrant green mayonnaise and couldn't wait to smother it on waxy, exquisa potates, silky avocado, tangy goats cheese and the fresh green crunch of fine beans. With a little mustard for added piquancy this really is a stunning salad.

1) To make your own mayonnaise - separate 4 egg yolks from the whites (discard the whites) and put in a large clean bowl to whisk (or use the whisk attachment on your blender if you have one). Add the lemon juice/vinegar, salt and pepper and whisk thoroughly, adding the rapeseed oil ONE DROP at a time until the mayonnaise is thick and glossy. When the mayonnaise has started to thicken, begin adding the pumpkin oil. You can always alternate if you wish but do remember you don't have to use all the oil - I like it quite thick but if it's too thick you can always add a little warm water to thin it back down again. Don't be afraid to stop whisking and keep checking. Once it coats the spoon without dripping it's mayonnaise, you won't get it wrong!

2) Prick the potatoes and put them on to boil for 20 minutes. Put the fine beans in with the potatoes for the last 2 minutes, then strain and run under cold water to bring them down to just above room temperature.

3) Stir the mustard in with the mayonnaise and spoon over the potatoes and green beans, stirring until they are evenly coated.

4) Slice the avocados in half, scoop the fruit from the shell (discarding the stone) and cut into chunks. Add to the salad with crumbled goats cheese and serve!

Roast pepper & goats cheese pittas

Ingredients     Pitta bread, 1 bell pepper, 20g goats cheese

Serves: 1 Preparation: 15 minutes


Roast pepper and soft cheese is such a great combination - rich and creamy all at the same time this quick snack is totally moreish.


1) Slice the tops from the peppers and remove the core and seeds. Cut into slivers and roast under the grill until the skin just begins to blacken.


2) Slice the pitta in half and stuff with the goats cheese and peppers, then toast under the grill.

Olive & goats cheese linguine

Ingredients Fine beans, goats cheese, kamalata olives, honey, linguine

Serves: 2 Preparation: 20 minutes


I know that my cooking seems to be absurdly diverse, but you may notice that there is a distinct pattern to my posts. Almost every flavour combination that I discover winds up being tossed with pasta when I have leftovers - I should change the name of this blog to Everything Goes With Pasta! When I made the  goats cheese and olive bruschetta earlier this week, I knew exactly how the remaining tapenade-like mixture would meet its fate and truly, combined with the freshness of fine beans this really was a superb dish.


1) Put the linguine on to boil. A smooth linguine will take 8 - 10 minutes in salted water, if the linguine is dusted with polenta it will more likely take 11-12 minutes to become soft and pliable.


2) Trim the ends from the fine beans and put them on to boil for 6 minutes, then strain and plunge them into ice water.


3) Once the pasta has been cooked (either taste a strand, or chuck it at the wall - if it sticks, it's done!), strain and toss in a pan with the beans and a few spoons of the remaining olive and goats cheese sauce. Warm through in the pan, stirring continually until the pasta has become coated.


I like to serve this with a little extra goats cheese crumbled on top but this is purely gluttony, the dish doesn't require any extra cheese - it's gorgeous with a little balsamic glaze drizzled over it too.

Olive & goats cheese bruschetta

Ingredients Ciabatta, 50g kamalata olives, 100g goats cheese, honey, cucumber.

Preparation: 15 minutes

I love olives - they're so mouthwateringly rich and seductive and can add a fantastic umami quality to your cooking. This bruschetta is a sinfully scrumptious quick snack made stunning with the fresh crunch of cucumber. Got leftovers? Try tossing it with fine beans and linguine.

1) Pit your olives (I never recommend buying pre-pitted olives. They are either rubberized with brine or the flavour and texture has been compromised with oxidisation. Eat them off the stones and they will melt in your mouth) and discard the stones - if you don't have a pitter, you can slice them with a knife and squeeze until the pit pops out.

2) Put the olives and 3/4 of the goats cheese in a blender and pulse through. Taste and then add honey to taste. The salty savoury flavour of the olives and cheese should be prevalent but the creamy delicacy of the cheese is lost without a little sweetness to bring out the citrus notes.

3) Slice the ciabatta and toast on one side (I like to brush with a very little basil oil and then press onto a hot, dry frying pan rather than grill as the bread will retain enough moisture to withstand the grilling that follows)

4) Spread the olive and cheese mixture onto the untoasted side of the bread, crumble the extre goats cheese onto the top and grill for 2-3 minutes. Serve with diced cucumber to cut through the richness.

Lemon thyme & goats cheese mousse

Ingredients    1/2 cup whipping cream, 2 tbsp milk,   125g soft goats cheese, 1 tbsp lemon thyme

Serves: 4 Preparation: 10 minutes

I admit it, I am a total goats cheese addict. I used a fairly mild goats cheese with lemon notes to compliment the herbs, which made this mousse so delicate and light that it could almost go with anything!

1) Whip the cream until it has stiffened into soft peaks and set aside

2) Whisk together the milk and goats cheese until a paste has formed, season with salt and black pepper and freshly chopped lemon thyme.

3) Fold in the whipped cream until the goats cheese has been fully incorporated and serve.

Beetroot & goats cheese salad

Ingredients  Beetroot, goats cheese, balsamic glaze, pine nuts, Spinach leaves, salad leaves, basil oil.

Serves: 1 Preparation: 5


I love salad. After the indulgence of Christmas this is just what I need to feel a little bit virtuous.


1) Wash the beetroot and slice off the stalks and leaves. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Carefully peel the beetroot with the nick of a knife, then once it's cool slice into matchsticks.


2) Toss the salad leaves in basil oil and add the beetroot.


3) Crumble the goats cheese into the salad and add the pine nuts. It's entirely up to you whether you prefer them toasted or not. Personally in this salad I prefer them not to be toasted.

Fennel & goats cheese risotto

Ingredients   Fennel, risotto rice, goats cheese,  cream, leek, vegetable stock, vermouth

Serves: 4 Preparation: 30 minutes


I adore fennel - the liquorice taste which is so prevalent when it's raw, adds a fresh dimension to a rich dish so I think this is perfect to balance the goats cheese in this risotto. All risottos (no matter what the ingredients) can be made in 3 simple stages. The first is called tostatura - coating the rice in fat, the second involves cooking off some alcohol and the third involves releasing the starch from the rice one ladle of stock at a time.

1) Finely dice the leek and sautee in a little butter until soft. Add the risotto rice and stir until the rice becomes transparent, revealing a white dot in the centre and pour in a glug of vermouth.


2) Once the alcohol cooks off, add the first ladle of stock and stir through.

3) Continue adding the stock, one ladle at a time, adding the sliced fennel with the second to last ladle of stock. Crumble through the goats cheese and stir through.
4) Finish with a little cream and freshly grated black pepper and serve.

Maple glazed carrot, goats cheese & pancetta soup

Ingredients 6 carrots, 1 pint vegetable stock, 200g pancetta, maple syrup, olive oil, 100g goats cheese, 1 onion.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour

I love soup. I find all the chopping, stirring and pureeing very soothing, the warm smells that fill the house and I love ladling out steamy bowls of soup for people to dunk hot crispy bread into, dressing it with ever more creative croutons or swirls of cream and yoghurt. This winter I have created 10 new soups to warm you through on a cold day. This soup is sweet and tangy with a gloriously smooth texture.

1) Peel and finely dice the onion then allow to soften in a pan with a tablespoon of olive oil.

2) Peel and slice the carrots into fine chunks, discarding the tops and tails. Add into a roasting dish with a slosh of maple syrup, olive oil and a sprinkling of salt, ensuring that the carrots are all covered evenly.

3) Roast for 20 minutes at 200 degrees, stirring after 10 and then add to the onions along with the vegetable stock.

4) Allow to simmer for 10 minutes before straining the carrots and onions (do not discard the stock) and pureeing in a blender until completely smooth. Pass the vegetables through a seive and stir back into the stock.

5) Allow to simmer on the hob for a further 10 minutes, adding the pancetta and goats cheese for the last 5, seasoning to taste with freshly ground black pepper and salt.

I like to add half of the goats cheese (discarding the rind) and stir through the soup, then dress the soup with a good chunk of goats cheese before serving.