Still life of Walnuts in French potting shed

Good Food 101 Easy baking recipes cover

Food styling: Lizzie Harris
Prop stying: Jo Harris

Roast guinea fowl, chicory and walnut salad

Winter’s boney fingers have felt their way through the garden. Mint’s on its last legs; the chives look set to follow suit in due course. Parsley that once spilled out of the herb beds onto the lawn looks austere, albeit with small flickers of new growth next to the wall. I’ll be damned if I won’t get one last hurrah out of these chaps, whether it’s a mixed herb pesto (see here), or this simple salad using the least-crestfallen of the remaining leaves.

1 Guinea fowl

Garlic cloves

4 Chicory heads (I used a mixture of red and green)

A handful of flat leaf parsley leaves

A bunch of chives, finely snipped

A handful of de-shelled walnuts

About 100ml sherry or port

A small handful of raisins

Olive oil

1 Large lemon

Salt and pepper

1 The night before, leave the raisins to soak and plump up in the sherry. Preheat the oven to 180c/fan160c/gas 4. Brush the guinea fowl with olive oil, then season. Use a knife to make a few holes in the breast and legs, then wedge in some garlic cloves. Cover with baking foil and roast for one hour (remove the foil 45 mins in to let the bird go golden). Allow to cool for a bit, then remove the meat with a pair of forks.

2 Pour 6tbsp olive oil into a jam jar, then squeeze in the juice of the lemon. Season well, pop the lid on and shake. Arrange the chicken and chicory on a large plate or platter. Scatter over parsley, chives and walnuts. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, then spoon over the swollen raisins.

ANOTHER WALNUT RECIPE TO TRY:

Wild walnut, stilton and honey foccacia

Wild walnut, Stilton and honey foccacia

500g Bread flour
1 ½ tsp Salt
½ tsp dried yeast
2 tbsp Olive oil
325ml Warm water
A handful of chopped walnuts
A chunk of Stilton, crumbled
2 tbsp Honey
Sea salt

Add the yeast to the water, leaving for a few minutes while you mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Stir the water and olive oil into the flour, using your hands to shape into a ball. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, pop back into the bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Leave in a warm spot for an hour or so, after which (hopefully) the dough will have doubled in size. Carefully stretch out the dough into an oiled baking tray; get the damp tea towel back on the scene and put back in the warmth for a further 30 minutes.

Use your fingertips to gently make some dents all over the surface of the dough, brush with olive oil and pop into a preheated oven (180C/160C fan/gas 4) for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the crumbled Stilton and walnuts over the foccacia, then give it another 5-10 minutes in the oven. Drizzle with honey and a light sprinkle of sea salt.