Romy Gill

Courgette flowers are one of my favourite summer ingredients. When I had the restaurant, Romy’s Kitchen [in Thornbury, Gloucestershire], we used to grow courgettes — lots of them — and we’d fill them up with different things, like paneer or leftover rice, and then shallow-fry them. Also French beans — l ferment them and cook them in a sabzi, an Indian vegetable dish.

When it’s hot weather, people eat a lot of chillies in different parts of India, depending on which state you’re from — they say it cools you down. There’s a red chilli chutney made with garlic and lemon juice — beautiful.

I make lots of salads and I don’t waste anything — I use the tops of beetroots and radishes because they’re so beautiful with those crunchy leaves. I also like foraging, especially for elderflower — I make elderflower cordial fermented with spices: nigella seeds, or saffron and cardamom, and sometimes rose petals, which I grow in my garden.

I always have beetroot, carrots and apples in my home and, after a run, if my husband is around, he makes me a carrot and beetroot juice. But I also like my gin and tonic, with 6 O’clock Gin, made in Thornbury.

This summer, I was due to do a couple of pop-ups in Greece, which I was excited about because the food is so different from the food in India, but also quite similar in that we’re very aware of seasoning and the influence of people from different parts of the country, and the world. I love Greek dishes, like moussaka; feta, olive and watermelon salad; grilled fish; and meat skewers.

Opposite, from left: Beetroot; stuffed beetroot leaves Previous pages, from left: Stuffed courgette flowers; anchovy and tomato pissaladière