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You are here: Home / Recipes / Gluten-free / Caldo verde soup

Caldo verde soup

by Jeanne Horak on March 6, 2015 38 Comments in Gluten-free, Soup

CaldoVerdeTitle

 

Authenticity (n) – truthfulness of origins, attributes, commitments, sincerity, devotion, and intentions

Thus spake Wikipedia. And it’s a word that you increasingly hear being bandied about as a buzzword. If anybody under the age of 75 or so gets on a plane these days to go somewhere else, they no longer want to identify themselves as tourists. “Oh no,” they say disdainfully, “I am a traveller, not a tourist.  I travel to have authentic experiences abroad.”  Hmmm. If you were to take that to its logical conclusion, in a country like Brazil or South Africa, this might mean living in a corrugated iron shack without running water, having to beg or steal for money for food, and having either the police or the local criminal gangs shoot a few rounds over your head as you attempt to go about your daily business. Sound like fun? Probably not.  But these are the authentic daily lives of millions of people in these countries. Being driven around a favela or a township in a minibus and deposited at the door of a friendly local householder who is paid by the tourist board, to dine with his poor-but-happy family in his humble-but-scrubbed-clean home before being whisked back to your hotel?  Authentic? Not so much.

Of course, you will immediately cry out “yes, but for other people in those very same countries, that scenario in no way represents their authentic daily lives!” – and therein lies the rub.  Because although the current fashion is to hail authenticity in all things as some sort of ultimate objective yardstick by which every experience needs to be measured, authenticity is a totally subjective concept. What you define as authentic is totally governed by your library of personal experiences.  And so it is with food.  More column inches and more apoplectic rage has been wasted on the Big Foodie Authenticity Debate that I care to think about.  “How can they call this pho??” splutters the City trader who once spent two weeks in Vietnam. “I simply refuse to eat anything calling itself pizza that is not made with San Marzano tomatoes grown on the volcanic plains south of Mount Vesivius and mozzarella di bufala Campania made with the milk of semi-wild water buffalo raised in the marshlands of  Campania and Lazio” professes the girl whose one grandmother happened to marry an Italian chap loftily.  People tend to think the foods they remember from childhood (their Dutch grandma’s “authentic” Dutch pea soup and the like) represent the gold standard of authenticity.  But this loses sight of the dynamic nature of food and recipes – ingredients, techniques, recipes, traditions and even your palate all change over time.

Don’t get me wrong – a little piece of my soul dies when I read about hybrids like burrito spring rolls, spaghetti curry or sushi burgers.  Beware the dish where the whole is a lot less than the sum of its parts! But because I am in inveterate tinkerer with recipes, and because I often have to tweak a recipe to use up what is in my fridge, I seldom even attempt to assert the authenticity of my recipes. And  when people snootily call my recipe inauthentic because of the type of tomato that you used; or whether you added or omitted a particular spice; or snootily point out that you have used (heaven forbid!) the wrong brassica,  I roll my eyes, pour a glass of wine, and have another bowl of my deliciously inauthentic food.

 

Cabbage

 

Caldo verde has been called the national dish of Portugal.  Like many heritage dishes, it has its roots in peasant cooking – the kind of dishes scraped together  from whatever was left in the larder by people who did not have the luxury of supermarkets and exotic ingredients.  So naturally, it is made with things that are easy to grow and that most Portuguese kitchens will contain: cabbage, potatoes, water and chorizo.  At its most basic it is these vegetables boiled together in water to make a broth and a few slices of meat for flavour.  My first sin in the eyes of the authenticity police was apparently to start with the wrong type of brassica.  You see, the allotment that we have inherited from our friends Carel and Ryan yielded an unexpectedly large crop of dark purply-green cabbages last month: more than we could eat and certainly more than we could fit in the fridge. So we needed a recipe that used up a lot of cabbage fast – and what presented itself was caldo verde.  No sooner had I tweeted this before it was pointed out to me that in fact I needed kale to make AUTHENTIC caldo verde, not plain old cabbage.  Sadly for them, though, Wikipedia has got it wrong this time and traditionally caldo verde is made with a kind open-leaf tree cabbage that grows easily in gardens all over northern Portugal, rather than trendy kale.  And in any event, the leaves have to be rolled up tightly to slice thinly which is almost impossible with irrepressibly curly kale.  So enough about any ridiculous proclamations about authenticity – let’s move on to the taste!  I think the key to this soup is good stock and good chorizo, both of which will provide the dominant flavours while the cabbage and potatoes provide some satisfying body.  I used Marigold bouillon powder and Unearthed chorizo in mine and the finished dish was sublime – simple, nourishing and delicious – and even better when chilled overnight and reheated the next day. Bom proveito!

 

CaldoVerdeFinal

 

 If you are looking for more creative ways to use up cabbage, why not try…

  • My braised red cabbage with apples
  • Michelle’s Dublin parsnip colcannon
  • Meeta’s Asian chicken, red cabbage and peach salad salad
  • Nazima’s crab, cabbage and coconut curry
  • Jac’s Scottish rumbled thumps (potato & cabbage pie)
  • Bintu’s roasted red cabbage hummus
  • Margot’s Polish golabki (stuffed cabbage rolls)
  • Monica’s Indian cabbage salad
  • Helen’s five greens pasta

The gorgeous little Art Deco spoon was one of a few items sent to my by the lovely Jennifer at Jennifer’s Cutlery, an online store selling gorgeous vintage cutlery and tableware – everything from cake forks to vintage cruet sets and napkin rings.  It’s a treasure trove for food bloggers and for collectors of beautiful items!

 

5.0 from 6 reviews
Caldo verde soup
 
Print
Prep time
15 mins
Cook time
30 mins
Total time
45 mins
 
Caldo verde has sometimes been called the national dish of Portugal. A rustic, homely soup of cabbage, potato, chorizo and stock gently simmered together, this makes a satisfying one-pot meal.
Author: Jeanne Horak-Druiff
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: Portuguese
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 65ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • 120g chorizo, sliced into ½ cm rounds
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, sliced;
  • 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 6 cups vegetable stock
  • about 500g cabbage
  • 2 bay leaves
  • smoked paprika and extra virgin olive oil to serve
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, then add the chorizo and cook until it releases its flavoursome red oil and is beginning to brown (3-5 minutes). Use a slotted spoon to remove chorizo from the pot and set aside for later
  2. Add the onions to the pot with the oil and sauté until they are soft but not browned. Add the garlic when the onions are nearly done and cook for 2 minutes.
  3. Add the potatoes, bay leaves and stock and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to a simmer and cook gently till the potato cubes can be crushed with a fork (about 20 minutes).
  4. In the meantime, prepare your cabbage, Separate and rinse the leaves.  Remove any particularly thick ribs.  Roll each leaf up as tightly as you can and then slice into strips as thinly as possibly with a very sharp knive.  If your cabbage is a little... vintage and tough, blanch the sliced leaves in boiling water for a minute or two and drain.
  5. When the potato cubes are cooked, remove the pot from the heat, remove the bay leaves and puree the soup - I tend to use a potato masher rather than a stick blender as I want the soup to retain some texture, but the choice is up to you.
  6. Return the soup to the heat, add the chorizo and the cabbage and bring everything back to the boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste (although my stock made mine plenty salty enough - so don't just add blindly!).
  7. Ladle the hot soup into bowls. To garnish you can either add a couple more slices of chorizo, or do as we did and make a paste out of paprika and olive oil and add a dollop to the soup for dinner guests to stir in at their leisure.  Serve immediately.
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  1. Monica Shaw says

    March 6, 2015 at 2:37 pm

    I LOVE cabbage soup and this reminds me very much of a Polish soup my mom used to make. Mine is of course most INauthentic because I don’t use meat. 🙂 Thanks for the shoutout to my cabbage salad! Which I’m pretty sure is “authentically” South Indian, but what does this Polish girl know?

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:16 pm

      Inauthentic Polish cabbage soup – how very DARE you?? ;o) I am a sucker for cabbage in any form and your salad is on the list to make at Cooksister HQ 🙂

      Reply
  2. Camilla says

    March 6, 2015 at 5:57 pm

    Wow, Jeanne I just want to dive right into those pictures and eat this soup it looks so delicious and nourishing – thanks for sharing:-)

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:17 pm

      Thanks Camilla 🙂 It truly is one of the least inspiring-sounding dishes on paper, but as soon as you taste a spoonful, it’s love at first bite!

      Reply
  3. Kavey says

    March 6, 2015 at 6:00 pm

    DITTO DITTO DITTO!
    I always find it amusing when people get too snooty about authenticity for recipes from, for example, the Indian subcontinent. Not only do recipes vary hugely across regions, they vary even from one village to the next, heck even my mum and her two sisters each make a given recipe differently and they are siblings! Not to mention how much variation comes from the availability of different ingredients according to the season – when tomatoes are in season fresh, they’ll be added, if not, they are omitted, simple!
    Even after explaining the origins of Indian biryani, the main types out of many many different variations, and how my mum’s recipe was an adaptation rather than exact representation of a particular style, I still got a snotty comment about it not being what I’d said it was.
    Bugger off and let me (and the many many people who’ve since made the recipe and loved it) enjoy our tasty food in piece. None of his give a flying toss whether it’s like your authentic idea of the dish or not.
    PHEW!
    YAY!

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:19 pm

      Phew Kavey – glad you got that off your chest ;o) I agree 100% – recipes like language are living, evolving things and (as you point out) dependent on what is seasonal and available. Getting snooty about authenticity and correctness benefits nobody!

      Reply
  4. Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry says

    March 6, 2015 at 6:05 pm

    I am a fan of hybrid ‘inauthentic’ recipes as great things come from fusion. And right now a bowl of this would be fab as I am simply gazing at my fridge component wondering what to try and make.

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:20 pm

      Great things have come from tweaking recipes – and I am sure that you would love this nourishing soup 🙂

      Reply
  5. Robin O says

    March 6, 2015 at 6:12 pm

    Food, made with intention. Full of flavors, care, and taste based on memory or inspiration. We all evolve, we all use what we have. Our success is how well the results taste and the good company in which it is enjoyed. Cheers Jeanne for another brilliant post and recipe!

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:21 pm

      Aww, thanks Robin 🙂 And I do so agree – memory, inspiration, company and taste are all far more important than what “they” say about supposed authenticity!

      Reply
  6. Krista says

    March 7, 2015 at 10:11 am

    I couldn’t agree more. It boggles my mind that anyone thinks a certain kind of dish was made exactly the same by every cook in the entire country/region/village where it originated. That makes no sense whatsoever. Especially with dishes like this one, people would use what they had. No doubt it changed with the seasons, weather, availability of veggies. Well done making it work for YOU with what you had to hand. 🙂

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:23 pm

      Exactly! As I was told on my Tel Aviv trip last week, ask anybody who makes the best hummus in town and they will all say “my mother” – and each recipe will be subtly different (but no less “authentic” for all that!). Having an allotment makes you realise you have to adapt to what you are harvesting – no point in going out to buy broccoli when you have a fridge full of zucchini (or cabbage!) that needs eating 😉

      Reply
  7. Sally -my custard pie says

    March 7, 2015 at 11:01 am

    Reading this after just leaving a session at the Emirates Literature Festival where one author said that no copy of the book is ever the same as 50 per cent is from him as the writer and 50 per cent what each reader brings to it. Could this be the same with food and authenticity?

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:24 pm

      Oh, I LOVE that idea, Sally! And it is so true – probably for art and movies too. What you take away from a piece of art or a film or a book is so heavily influenced by where you are in your own life when you experience it, and I am sure this is true for meals too.

      Reply
  8. Lynne says

    March 7, 2015 at 4:08 pm

    This is something I will definitely try. Love cabbage !

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:24 pm

      Then you will love this soup 🙂 Let us know how it turns out!

      Reply
  9. Anne's Kitchen says

    March 7, 2015 at 6:20 pm

    I think the majority of our meals at home are somewhere on the fusion theme, I’m English but also a bit Polish and exploring that cuisine, my boyfriends South African and my best friend, and neighbour is Filipino so we tend to borrow a bit from each other – and we make some great meals too!

    Life is all about discovery and I really don’t care for people who moan things are not authentic, surely its near impossible as what grows well somewhere is never going to taste the same grown elsewhere anyway?

    The soup looks great anyway! It reminds me I saw a version of this in a slow cooker book a long time ago and wanted to make but had clearly forgotten! I an imagine its homely tasting, great comfort food to eat on a cold day 🙂

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:31 pm

      Wow – you have a real league of nations going on there (and I hope your Saffer boyfriend is teaching you the finer points of SA cuisine ;)) So true what you say about things tasting different depending on where they are grown – anybody who has ever travelled from the UK to Italy and eaten a tomato will vouch for that! Hope you get to make the soup – it’s bliss in a bowl!

      Reply
  10. Margot C&V (@coffeenvanilla) says

    March 7, 2015 at 7:51 pm

    Lovely recipe Jeanne, caldo vverde sounds one of those dishes I would really enjoy (minus the chorizo). I’m a big fan of cabbage in all forms.

    Just like you I make use of what ever I have at home and try to buy seasonal ingredients rather than look for specific type of vegetable just to make dish more authentic. I make Caribbean dishes with Polish ingredients, and Polish dishes with ingredients bought at Aldi but I do use a lot of fusion in my kitchen… English Cheddar Pierogi or Polish soup with Caribbean dumplings 😉

    Thank you for mentioning my Polish cabbage rolls recipe.

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:32 pm

      Cabbage is great, raw or cooked, isn’t it? And re. chorizo – I’m sure I saw Emily saying she had a vegetarian chorizo? Might be worht a try as it realyl does add something to the flavour 🙂 English Cheddar pierogi sound like my idea of heaven!

      Reply
  11. Jen says

    March 8, 2015 at 4:28 pm

    I think very little of what I cook would be considered ‘authentic’ by anyone but I just don’t care because if it tastes good I’m happy. Compromises on ingredients are frequently made in my kitchen and I certainly wouldn’t get in a flap if I had the wrong type of cabbage in the fridge!

    It’s a delicious looking soup and I can see why it’s considered a national dish, simple yet hearty and filling.

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:34 pm

      I know, right? When yo usay it out loud in shocked tones, “The Wrong Type of Cabbage” sounds more like a Wallace & Grommit movie than a serious statement ;o) Simple, hearty and filling really sums up this soup (and don’t forget TASTY!)

      Reply
  12. Zirkie says

    March 9, 2015 at 12:49 pm

    I don’t like winter much but I cannot wait for the weather to turn cooler so that I can make this soup! It sounds delicious.

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:34 pm

      I so agree with you – I am always so sad to see the summer fruit and vegetables go, but soup is a good reason to look forward to winter!

      Reply
  13. Emily Leary says

    March 10, 2015 at 12:24 pm

    Looks really tasty. Like Monica, my own meals are rarely entirely authentic because I don’t eat meat, but that *are* always tasty, to me at least 🙂

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:35 pm

      I’m sure they are tasty to anybody at your table, because they are made with thought and love. Neither authenticity (nor meat!) is a prerequisite for deliciousness 🙂

      Reply
  14. Pebble Soup says

    March 11, 2015 at 11:32 am

    Always such a pleasure to drop by your blog.

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:35 pm

      Aww, thanks Solange 🙂

      Reply
  15. Amber Harding says

    March 11, 2015 at 2:00 pm

    Great idea for an early spring delight. I’m in love with vegetable soups and that’s a great idea to add to my cooking almanach!

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:36 pm

      I can vouch for the fact that this is REALLY one worth adding to the regular menu rotation 🙂

      Reply
  16. Dorian Swift says

    March 14, 2015 at 4:53 am

    And who said cabbage was only best eaten in a salad. These looks lovely and breathtaking. this is something i would definitely try. yay cabbage:)

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:37 pm

      I know! I think cooked cabbage gets a bad rap because everyone pictures soggy, limp over-boiled leaves, but treated with respect it is a sheer joy 🙂

      Reply
  17. Rosa says

    March 16, 2015 at 4:51 pm

    A beautiful and flavourful soup! Portugal in a bowl.

    Authenticity is difficult to trace and it is a term that should be used loosely. Besides, I don’t like snotty people who use this word in order to appear superior to others…

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:37 pm

      You nailed it, Rosa – snotty people who bandy about “authenticity” to make other people feel inferior. Enough! Thanks for visiting 🙂

      Reply
  18. [email protected] says

    March 17, 2015 at 6:03 pm

    I must be going crazy because I could have sworn I commented (and blathered on about working in Portugal) but obviously I didn’t, or I pushed the wrong button or something! Anyway, this looks fantastic. I am glad you ignored the “authentic police”. Why don’t people just appreciate when someone likes their country’s food enough to honour it with a iteration of their own?

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 17, 2015 at 6:38 pm

      Oh – I didn’t know you worked in Portugal! Whereabouts? I am a huge fan of Portugal, its people, its landscapes and its food… The funniest thing was that the auithenticity officer in this case was not even FROM Portugal. Hilarious!

      Reply
  19. Libby with Lemony Thyme says

    March 18, 2015 at 1:46 pm

    My leftover cabbage just found a great new home. This soup looks so delicious and hearty.

    Reply
  20. Maureen says

    April 1, 2015 at 8:00 am

    I will surely try this. I love cabbage and the soup seems very nourishing and it looks very delicious!

    Reply
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*NEW RECIPE* Barbecued salmon with blood oranges, *NEW RECIPE* Barbecued salmon with blood oranges, capers and dill. Pretty in pink 💕

[AD] Blood oranges are a small obsession of mine - from blood orange posset to blood orange and halloumi salad to blood orange & Cointreau upside down cake, I am always looking for new ways to make the most of their short season. Barbecuing them with salmon, capers and dill is a perfect match in terms of flavour as well as colour (or you can oven bake the salmon if it's not barbecue weather where you are!)

When @grahambeckuk asked me to suggest some recipes to match their wonderful Graham Beck Brut Rosé NV sparkling wine from South Africa, this was a pairing made in heaven, and wonderfully colour co-ordinated with their silver-pink bubbly. Get the full recipe and find out more about Graham Beck's sparkling wines, made using the same methods as Champagne, on my blog - link in my bio above. 

What do you like to do with blood oranges? I'd love to hear in the comments!
💘"Love yourself first and everything falls into 💘"Love yourself first and everything falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world." - Lucille Ball

Whether you are celebrating with a partner, with friends, or by yourself today, I hope most of all that you love yourself, love your body, love your strengths, love your weaknesses, and love who you are (or are becoming). Because... you're worth it!

Are you doing anything celebratory today? Let me know in the comments 💘💘💘

(The beautiful street art is London Hearts by @akajimmyc)
📸: @girl_travelsworld
Would you believe me if I told you this is NOT a p Would you believe me if I told you this is NOT a picture of a Moorish palace, a castle or a cathedral? And that you can get to it from central London in under an hour?

This is Crossness Pumping Station @crossnesset , a Grade I listed heritage site and one of London's last remaining magnificent Victorian sewage (!) pumping stations in Abbey Wood near Rainham. 

Did you know that...

💩 You can visit the building on monthly open days - the next one is Sun 20 Feb. Book at www.crossness.org.uk

💩  It was only in 1856, after 3 major cholera outbreaks in 30 years and the Big Stink when the stench of London's sewage finally reached Parliament, that construction of an intercepting sewer system for the city was approved.  The system (parts of which are still in use today) was designed by Sir Joseph Bazalgette, Chief Engineer of London's Board of Metropolitan Works at the time.

💩  At Crossness, all London's sewage from south of the river was was raised by 9-12 metres to large reservoirs so that gravity would cause it to flow further east and into the Thames estuary. (Yes, until the 1880s, raw sewage was simply pumped into the Thames!)

💩 The incoming liquid was raised by the four enormous steam driven pumps, built to Joseph Bazalgette's design. The pumps were named Victoria, Prince Consort, Albert Edward, and Alexandra. They are thought to be the largest remaining rotative beam engines in the world, with 52-ton flywheels and 47-ton beams. 

💩 The pumping station was decommissioned and abandoned in the 1950s but declared a listed building in 1970.  Although all 4 beam engines remain in place, they were so damaged that today (thanks to the efforts of the Crossness Engines Trust) only Prince Consort has been restored to working condition and can be seen in action on open days.

💩 The exuberant and colourful wrought ironwork inside is the amazing work of architect Charles Henry Driver. My favourite detail is the fact that the pillars in the central atrium are topped with stylised figs and senna pods... two of nature's greatest natural laxatives 🤣
*NEW RECIPE* Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta ch *NEW RECIPE* Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta cheese, pomegranate and pine nuts

Ever noticed how you are affected by colours? 🌈

Maybe some colours make you agitated and some make you relaxed. Or maybe you find yourself inexplicably attracted to a particular colour (oh, hi teal and aqua!💙). On the basis that all colours have a wavelength, and that those outside the visible spectrum can affect us, it makes sense that the colours we see can affect our mood or even our physiology. Did you know for instance that exposure to red light can increase your blood pressure and heart rate? Are there any colours that you find yourself particularly attracted to or affected by?

The pretty colours of these roasted Brussels sprouts with feta cheese, pomegranate and pine nuts will be the first things that attract you to this dish - but it is the delicious combination of flavours and textures that will keep you coming back for more!

The recipe (and more about how colour affects us mentally and physically) is now live on my blog - click the live link in my profile and remember to like and bookmark this post to see more Cooksister in your Instagram feed ❤️
Perspective: a particular attitude towards or way Perspective: a particular attitude towards or way of regarding something.

Perspective is the one thing that the Covid-19 pandemic has given us plenty of. It has certainly made us re-evaluate what is truly important, and also what we did and didn't enjoy about our lives  before the pandemic and its associated lockdowns. It made me appreciate how much happiness my house, my job, my friends, my own company and my running bring to my life (and how fortunate I am to have all these things). But it also brought home how much I enjoy and miss travel, the theatre, and the luxury of reataurant visits at the drop of a hat. I don't think words can describe my joy at sipping the first coffee purchased from a coffee shop in summer 2020 as lockdown eased. It's the little things...

One of the things I have enjoyed and will not miss as the world creeps back to normality is the absence of crowds in what is usually a crowded city. On the occasions that I have been in central London since the start of the pandemic, streets have been blissfully empty and it has felt as if I were discovering my city anew. This glorious perspective (hah!) of St Paul's Cathedral normally requires a long wait while a queue of tourists and "influencers" ahead of you pose for photos - but on this glorious day last Spring it was almost deserted. I will miss that...

Is there anything you will miss as Covid-19 restrictions start to be lifted?
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Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

Latest Recipes

Salmon with blood oranges dill and capers
Brussels sprouts with feta and pomegranate
Roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
Blood orange & pistachio galettes
Cauliflower topped steak with melted cheese
Plate of potted smoked salmon with slaw and a glass of champagne
bowls of pistachio pomegranate bircher muesli
Brussels sprouts with chorizo & hazelnuts

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