I’ve been obsessed with hot honey, a spicy sweet condiment, for the past few years. It really elevates everything I use it with. A classic potato and leek soup is brought to another level with a drizzle of this. It is amazing over pizza, fried chicken, feta cheese or salad. It’s wonderful stuff and so easy to make your own.
I’ve been getting weekly vegetable deliveries for the past few months in an effort to cut down on dashes to the supermarket and on food packaging, as well as encouraging us to eat more vegetables, and as a way to support Irish farmers. The delivery is from a farm in Galway, Green Earth Organics, and at this time of year always includes some amazing Irish-grown root vegetables.
I admit I don’t usually rush to add turnips, beetroot and parsnips to my shopping trolley, but over the past few months we’ve eaten many as a result of these weekly deliveries. It has been great to cook so seasonably and have more vegetable-centred meals.
One of my favourite ways to make the most of the humble root vegetable is to roast them. The high heat brings out the sweetness, and paired with a spicy hot honey they really are delicious. As well as being tasty, these vegetables are wonderful sources of prebiotics. Prebiotics are the non-digestible carbohydrates that act as “food” for probiotics, helping them grow and remain in your digestive system.
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I’ve also added a creamy herb-flecked yoghurt for even more gut friendliness. This dish makes a real feast of seasonal root vegetables.
Recipe: Roasted roots with herb yoghurt and hot honey
Lilly’s kitchen tips
- Use parsnip, carrot and beetroot to make root veg crisps. Thinly slice, using a mandoline or food processor, then coat in a little oil and seasoning. Cook in an airfryer for 20 minutes until crisp.
- Roasting veg is a useful advance meal preparation. They can be cooked at the weekend and stored in the fridge for up to five days. Add them to salads with a punchy dressing, to rice dishes or couscous, or blend them up with stock and herbs to make soup.
- For hot honey in a hurry just warm honey and add a few dashes of your favourite hot sauce. I love Irish brands Rebel Chilli, Little Reds and Scarlet for Yer Ma.
