My passion goes a long way further than just food.

For years now, when I take time out of the kitchen there has always been something in the garage to turn my hand to.

A lot of chefs play golf, I play with most things oily, I just love old cars and bikes.

Over the years I have owned, air cooled beetles
Bay screen camper vans
Beach buggies
Mark 1, 2 and three golf gti's and a few other volkswagens

After some time thinking of what to buy to advertise the blog and future ventures it came to me, get something I always adored as a teenager.

This week I picked up something really special, a 1973 Vespa, what a delight.

Recipe: Wild nettle soup

Nettles can be found from spring to early summer, they are a great source of calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, cobalt, copper, potassium, trace minerals, chlorophyll, the B-complex vitamins, and more.

Not only do they benifit your health they are also good fun to harvest and cook with. Ensure you follow two simple rules when harvesting, only pick the tender tops of the nettles and more importantly ensure you wear gloves, the nettles will carry the sting until cooked, remember this when you go to chop them for the following recipe.

Ingredients
1 200g packet of smoked Pancetta
1 white onion diced
4 leaves wild garlic
4 handfuls nettles (remove all stems)
600ml vegetable stock
4 small potatoes diced
2 TBSP double cream

Method
In a little oil pan fry the Pancetta
Add the onion and fry until tender
Add the potato and garlic and cook slowly
Chop the nettles and add to the pan, add the stock also
Bring to the boil and simmer for 8 minutes
Blend with a stick blender, Sieve the soup
Add the cream and serve.

Recipe: Stocks

Chicken stock
Four chicken carcasses
Two carrots
One onion chopped
Two sticks celery chopped
200ml white wine
Four peppercorns
Two cloves garlic crushed
1 Bay leaf
Small bunch of Thyme
Five litres cold water
Vegetable oil

In a large pan, gently brown all the ingredients before adding the wine and water
bring to the boil before lowering the heat to a gentle rolling boil and allow to reduce by half, Skim every 15 minutes. Pass through a fine sieve, allow to cool and store for five days


Fish stock
White fish bones, do not use oily fish
Two sticks of celery
One chopped white onion
One leek chopped
One chopped fennel
One star anise
Three black peppercorns
500 ml white wine
Two litres cold water

Place all the ingredients except the wine into a large pan and bring to the boil
Turn down the heat once boiling and simmer for one hour
Pass through a fine sieve and pour into a clean pan
Add the wine and reduce by half
Allow to cool and store.

Vegetable stock
Two carrots chopped
Two sticks celery chopped
Two cloves garlic crushed
Two onions chopped
Two leeks chopped
100g parsley
30g Thyme
30g Rosemary
400ml white wine
Oil for Sauteing
Two litres cold water

Heat a puddle of oil in a pan and saute all of the ingredients except the wine until they are nicely coloured
Then add the wine, bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes before adding the water
Bring to the boil and reduce by half, pass through a fine sieve and store.


Note:- All stocks can be frozen until they are required, the best way to freeze them is in ice cube trays.
These trays provide excellent portion control and dont take up to much room in the freezer. Remember to rotate stocks as they only have a one month life before they will need to be used or removed.