CHOCOLATE, BEETROOT AND STEM GINGER BROWNIES

Makes 12 squares

Beetroot and chocolate are unlikely friends, but these fudgey dense squares with spikes of warming ginger will keep you coming back for more.

200g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

200g 70% dark chocolate, broken into pieces

125g light muscovado sugar

125g caster sugar 4 medium eggs

150g self-raising flour

1 tbsp cocoa powder, plus extra to dust Pinch of sea salt

200g cooked beetroot, peeled and grated

5 knobs of stem ginger, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 170ºc, gas mark 3. Grease and line a 20cm sq brownie or cake tin. Put the butter and chocolate into a heatproof bowl over a pan of boiling water and heat very gently, stirring until both have melted. Set aside to cool a little.

In a large bowl beat the sugars with the egg until really light and fluffy. Fold the melted chocolate and butter into the beaten egg.

Sift over the flour, cocoa powder and salt, then gently fold through. Fold in the grated beetroot and chopped ginger, then pour into the prepared tin. Bake for 30-35 minutes until set but still a bit fudgey in the middle.

Allow to cool in the tin then remove and dust with cocoa before cutting into squares.