Gnocchi with Chestnut Mushrooms, Pesto & Toasted Pine Nuts

This is a really simple supper dish using readily available ingredients from quality supermarkets. You can buy fresh gnocchi and pesto and can finish the dish with vegetarian Parmesan for an extra flourish. Toasted pine nuts are excellent in pasta and salads.

800g fresh potato gnocchi

300g chestnut mushrooms, quartered

150ml good quality olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

A splash of dry white wine

A handful of fresh basil leaves

50g pine nuts

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Toast the pine nuts under a hot grill until light golden brown. Cool and store in an airtight container, this can be done in advance.

2. Heat a pan of lightly salted boiling water and drop in the gnocchi for two minutes then pour into a colander.

3. Pour the olive oil into a large frying and heat. Add the gnocchi and sauté, tossing occasionally to get a really good colour. Add the garlic and mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook them until golden brown. Add the splash of white wine and turn up the heat until the juices have reduced by two thirds. Turn down the heat and stir in the fresh pesto sauce. Cook for a further two to three minutes to heat through. Toss in the fresh basil and serve topped with toasted pine nuts.

Marmalade & Stem

Ginger Pudding

This is a delicious dessert made from store cupboard staples. Stem ginger is great in puddings or grated into stir fries.

175g self-raising flour

100g soft light brown sugar

100g soft butter

4 medium free-range eggs

50g stem ginger, finely diced

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp ground ginger

100g coarse orange marmalade Jersey cream to serve

1. Preheat your oven to 350F/180C/Gas Mark 4.

2. Butter eight individual pudding dishes and divide the marmalade between them.

3. Place the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, lemon juice and the ground ginger into a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Mix in the chopped ginger and lemon zest and spoon the mixture into the prepared dishes. Place on a baking tray and put into the preheated oven. Bake for twenty to twentyfive minutes until the top is golden brown and when inserted into the sponge a small sharp knife comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave for five minutes to cool slightly. Run a knife carefully around the sponges and tip into bowls.

4. Add a good glug of fresh Jersey double cream and serve.