Let’s celebrate the arrival of sweet, tasty and crunchy new season carrots

These vibrant vegetables grow well in sandy soil and the land around Magilligan, reclaimed from the sea, has the perfect conditions. The carrots are sweet with a delicious crunch. I’ve heard many people bemoan the price of coleslaw recently and they’re right. Essentially grated carrots and cabbage mixed with mayonnaise should not cost a king’s ransom. If you make your own it might take a bit of effort but it will taste infinitely better. Recently I’ve been cutting down on sugar and was astonished to discover how much there is in ready made mayonnaise. You can make your own and I’ve added a recipe. In the coleslaw recipe here the dressing is sour cream whisked with mustard and oil. Coarsely grate carrots and coleslaw and toss in the dressing. More economical and so much fresher and tastier.

It’s Love Lamb Week and no better time to celebrate this super natural meat. A lot of people think they don’t like lamb but when they actually try it they usually like it. A burger is a good place to start. You can readily buy lamb mince now and it’s easy to whizz up burgers. Grill them and serve in buns with some homemade coleslaw.

Wendy and Alan Dempster breed sheep on their farm outside Ballymoney and in 2021 added value to their meat by taking it on the road in a converted horse box. We were all at Clonmany Show in Donegal earlier in the summer and the queues for their lamb dishes were very heartening. Sometimes you just need to cook great food and it speaks for itself. They’ll still be a few shows before the season ends and their lamb cocktail sausages would be worth making a long trip for….!

Lamb chops were very popular when I was growing up and always featured on restaurant menus. They’ve recently had a resurgence and to be honest there’s nothing better than a good juicy chop. In the recipe here the chops are coated in breadcrumbs and fried until crisp and golden. You could serve these with some mayonnaise with lots of chopped mint added for a lovely snack. Here I’ve added a recipe for carrot skordalia , a riff on the Greek potato dish. The carrots are roasted then blended with oil and lemon juice. Add a few spuds and butter for a very tasty seasonal dish.

Lamb and carrots are two things we do fantastically well here and they go beautifully together. Embrace them both…