I have been working in hospitality for 30 years as a chef in hotels, restaurants, cafes, Private Hospitals and in the Contract catering sector.
My current role is one that I love and really enjoy as it is a little different to previous roles and allows me to focus on the wellness of our teams and investing time in creating a culture that is positive, energetic, mindful, and inclusive for everyone which now more than ever is so important as hospitality goes through a stage of rebuilding.
Food plays a big part in this role and by creating healthy, nutritious, seasonal and fun food experiences for our teams and clients we create a positive Wellness culture and a happy workplace.
Ingredients
Pea Puree
350g frozen peas – 50g are for the salad
60g Black Tahini
½ clove garlic – Peeled and finely sliced
33g walnuts
16 mint leaves – Picked from the stalk
Fig Leaf Extra Virgin Olive Oil
A touch of water
Salt & pepper if you want
Tomatoes
20 Cherry Tomatoes – Small pierce into the stalk end – 6 are for the pea puree
50ml Orange blossom honey
Salad
100g broad beans – Cooked weight
50g Peas – Saved from earlier
50g Courgette – Washed and finely sliced
50g Gordal olives – Pitted and cut into 4
Handful of mint leaves – Small ones Kept in cold water, large leaves finely sliced
1 lemon – zest only
1 small orange – juice & zest
30g walnuts
2 apricots – Washed, stone removed & quartered
Method
Use the boiling water that you did the tomatoes in, bring back to a boil.
Pull the top of the broad bean stalk away from you this will then pull a stingy piece down to the base allowing you to remove the beans. Once you have done this, add the beans to the boiling water, cook for 1 minute before straining and placing into a bowl of iced cold water, remove after about 30 seconds.
Now pinch each bean creating a tear and remove out the green bean from the middle, repeat this with all the beans then discard the outer skins.
Place the peas, broad beans, courgettes, Gordal olives & mint into a small bowl, add a little lemon zest, give this a quick mix
Squeeze the orange juice and the zest over the apricots (you can do this the night before for a sweeter flavour.
For The Dressing
Combine a spoonful of olive oil, soft honey and mix well
To Plate
Spoon the pea & black and black tahini on to the base of the plate ensuring to evenly spread out the mix.
Add the pea, broad bean & courgette mix followed by the apricot harissa tomatoes, the apricots, and mint leaves.
Sprinkle over the walnuts then finish the plate with the apricot harissa dressing a few extra mint leaves and orange zest
