Everyone loves potatoes and Jamie is no exception. He enthuses about these underground jewels and makes the perfect potato salad using freshly dug wonderful new potatoes at their best. Jamie excitedly investigates what lies beneath the soil with gardener Brian, and the purple potatoes they uncover are amazing.
Jamie extols the raw qualities of peas and broad beans, makes spiced broad bean fritters and uses peas as a finishing touch to a spaghetti and meatball dish.
Under-rated members of the allium family take centre-stage: that's onions, garlic and leeks. Jamie pulls up some of his first onions of the year and makes a crisp and fresh cheese and onion salad. Then he uses red onions in an onion and potato al forno with tender roast pork.
To get the freshest, most flavoursome strawberries there’s only one thing for it and that’s to grow your own. Jamie’s garden is bursting with strawberries from hanging baskets, a great way to grow them, and he picks them in situ to make a strawberry salad with speck and halloumi. Not only are they good fresh, Jamie shows us more inventive ways with the traditional strawberry – his take on a classic is grilled strawberries with pimms. Whilst there are a glut of strawberries in season Jamie shows us how to make the most of them by making a really simple, delicious strawberry jam which he serves hot with a creamy rice pudding. As strawberries are everywhere in Jamie’s garden at this time of year, even Brian gets to take a break and enjoy a strawberry bellini.
A large and varied family group the Brassicas and Jamie makes some fantastic and unusual recipes. Jamie walks us through some of the Brassica family that he has growing in the garden and gives us a run down on what can be done with what – the curly kale, the cauliflowers, broccoli’s, purple sprouting and kohl rabi. Brian crunches on raw stalks and surprises even Jamie that so much of the plants are edible raw. From the garden Jamie picks some incredible lime green and purple cauliflowers and uses them to make curried fritters with a brilliantly simple batter. Cauliflower and broccoli are used for a simple, hearty cannelloni and Jamie cooks ham and spring greens with mustard and celery leaves.
Purple, white and gold carrots, pink and white striped beetroots. The garden throws up a rainbow-coloured variety of beautiful carrots and beets that form the basis of Jamie's recipes in this programme. Jamie makes the juiciest pork chop with roasted carrots and beets, shows carrots at their raw best in an Indian carrot salad, and makes an exciting dish with foil-roasted smoked beetroots, beef and a cottage cheese dressing.
This week sees Jamie showing how to have the perfect barbecue. He also shows how to make a perfect marinade.
It’s summer and Jamie’s garden is producing row after row of gorgeous lettuce and salad leaves. Jamie starts with an explanation about the basic principles of dressings and makes a simple green salad. Herbs are a brilliant part of a salad or summer dish and Jamie makes a herb and tomato crostini. Brian and Jamie look at what can be grown in a small space – they’ve grown rocket in welly boots, mixed leaves in boxes and lettuce in old bathtubs. There’s no excuse for not growing some greenery - even if you only have a windowsill at your disposal, you’ll be inspired to have a go. Using a variety of leaves from the garden Jamie uses them to form the basis of a lovely roasted peach and bresaola salad with feta and a yoghurt dressing. The wood oven at Jamie’s Essex home looks like Tuscany on this beautiful summers day and the rustic Caesar salad Jamie makes in it is a perfect shared lunch.
Jamie shows how easy it is to grow vegetables and fruit in your own back garden.
Jamie's garden is bursting with tomatoes of every size, shape and colour. The freshness and vibrancy of the dishes Jamie makes leaves you in no doubt that growing your own tomatoes is a must in any garden, large or small. Jamie's tomato salad looks unbelievably sumptuous and the fusilli with salsa rossa cruda is knockout. Oven-baked sausage ragu is simple and rustic, and a beautiful pale pink tomato and vodka consommé top and tails the show, and is a treat for Brian the gardener.
In this programme Jamie explains the history of pickling and preserving. If you have grown your own produce you’ll want to save it and keep it for as long as you can or use the excess when you have a bumper crop. Jamie shows you how with a super-quick ‘mothership’ pickle recipe which can be used for pickling anything. He pickles courgettes with mint and chilli and aubergines with garlic and oregano. Jamie also makes a fiery chilli chutney with Welsh rarebit and steak and chips on the barbeque with Jamie’s homemade tomato ketchup.
This week Jamie prepares some meals using courgettes.
Jamie has a passion for pizza and he’s learnt interesting variations from his travels in Italy where many recipes are passed down through generations. Jamie forages in the garden to find interesting veg to top his pizza. This show really isn’t about cheese and tomato. After making basic dough the variations can be explored. Jamie makes a traditional pizza and a calzone and Jamie’s traditional wood oven is a great location for a magnificent quattro gusti pizza that is mouth-watering.
Of course Jamie's talking about pumpkins and squash, and his garden has a bumper crop of fascinating varieties, shapes, colours and textures. Jamie takes them to the kitchen and makes a mouth-watering warm winter salad of roast duck and pumpkin with an Asian-style dressing. Next up is a hearty winter pumpkin soup, followed by some delicate pumpkin fairy cakes.
Jamie makes a risotto, brushetta and stroganoff using wild mushrooms.
This week Jamie creates a pork goulash and a smoked salmon dish.
Jamie discusses the advantages of free-range game, and then uses some, big and small, to make rustic dishes you'll be proud to serve your family.
Jamie shows how vegetables aren't just the purview of summer as he uses his winter harvest to create a soup and salad.
Jamie demonstrates a simple pastry dough, and then plunders his garden for fillings both savory and sweet. Dishes: • Shortcut Pastry – Sweet and Savory Versions • Blackberry and Apple Pie – With Stem Ginger and Served over Custard • Steak & Guinness Cheese Pie • Italian Ham, Nettle & Spinach Tart
When he is invited out on a shoot Jamie takes a look at game birds used in cooking.
Jamie gives tips for growing and storing leeks, then grills and slow roasts his own to use with squid and pasta. Dishes: • Pappardelle with Slow-Braised Leeks • Concertina Squid with Grilled Leeks – Served with Warm Chorizo and Garlic Dressing
Jamie harvests his chickens in this episode that looks at the many uses for eggs – both sweet and savory. Dishes: • Eggy Crumpets – Served with Brown Sauce • Homemade Egg Tagliatelle – Served with Fonduta Sauce and Sprouting Broccoli • Meringue with Hot Pears and Chocolate Sauce • Omelette Salad with Bresaola
Jamie discusses lamb with a local sheep farmer, the proper herbs for the protein with his gardener, and prepares lamb dishes that will make you rethink how often you include it in your menu.
From Italian leaves to roots and hardy herbs, a quick trip round Jamie's veg patch produces an array of colourful ingredients to make inspired winter salads.
Rhubarb. No one knows what to do with it except rhubarb-and-strawberry pie or jam, but Jamie has the cure for this boring fare as he uses his garden's rhubarb to create an entrée, a dessert and even a cocktail. Dishes: • Speedy Rhubarb Fool – Served with Puff Pastry Biscuits • Rhubarb and Crispy Pork • Rhubarb & Custard Soufflé • Creamy Rhubarb and Vodka Cocktail
Not everyone's favorite vegetable, it's hard to be creative with asparagus, but Jamie has just the thing to make cooking with it easy as he shows its versatility in dishes for each meal of the day.
