Vegetable toad-in-the-hole

First toad-in-the-hole for me and if you don't mind the name of the dish (why on earth does it have this unapetizing name???) it tastes really good.


Serves 4

Batter:
100g plain flour
2 eggs, beaten
200ml milk
2 TBSP wholegrain mustard
2 TBSP vegetable oil (NOT olive oil)

Filling:
25g butter
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 parsnip, cut into strips
3 carrots, cut into strips
1 small broccoli, cut into small florets
100g mangetouts
50g canned sweetcorn
2 tomatoes, deseeded and cut into chunks
1 TBSP wholegrain mustard
1 TBSP mixed herbs

1. To make the batter, sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Beat in the eggs and milk. Stir in the muster and leave to stand.

2. Pour the oil into a shallow ovenproof dish and heat in a 200C preheated oven for 10 min. Do not leave the oven/room unsupervised as the oil may catch fire (as it almost happened to us).

3. To make the filling, boil the parsnip, carrot and broccoli for 10 min.

4. Melt the butter in a deep frying pan and fry the garlic for 1 min. Add the mangetouts, sweetcorn, mustard and herbs. Season well and add the parsnip, carrots and broccoli. Mix well.

5. Remove the heated dish from the oven and pour in the batter. Spoon the vegetables into the centre and return to the oven for 30 minutes until the bater has risen and set. Serve immediately.

Creamy bake

Based on my previous cabbage gratin/bake, I have made this creamy vegetable bake which was delicious.


Serves 4:

1 hispy cabbage, shredded
1 courgette, sliced
400g potatoes, sliced
1 green pepper, diced
4 tomatoes, sliced
herbs of your choice
black pepper

For the sauce:
100g cheddar, grated
40g butter
40g flour
1 tsp salt
1 TBSP mustard
600ml milk
1 tsp Italian herbs
black pepper

+ dried breadcrumbs to sprinkle on top.


1. Parboil together the cabbage and potatoes for 5-10 minutes.

2. Place half of the cabbage/potatoes at the bottom of a big ovenproof dish. Add the courgette slices, green pepper, then the tomatoes, herbs and black pepper. Add the remainder of the cabbage/potatoes.

3. To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and whisk until well combined. Cook for 1 minute. Gradually add the milk whilst stirring. Bring to the boil until it thickens (you may need to add some flour to speed up the process). Once thickened, add the mustard, black pepper, herbs and half of the cheese. Mix well.

4. Pour the sauce over the vegetables. Sprinkle with the remaining cheddar and then with breadcrumbs.

5. Place in a 180C pre-heated oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with a slice of wholemeal bread.