VERY FLASH IN THE PAN! TOAD IN THE VEG PATCH

Serves 4-6 (depending on the size of the sausages)

• 125g (4½oz) carrots, peeled, halved and cut into wedges

• 1 red onion, cut into 8 wedges

• A good glug of olive oil

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 8 good-quality sausages (I use thick ones)

• 125g (4½oz) tenderstem broccoli, tough bottom stalks peeled off, then split lengthways into ‘trees’ of equal breadth

• 16 small cherry tomatoes

For the batter

• 150ml (5½oz) milk

• 110g (4oz) plain flour

• 1tsp English mustard powder

• A pinch of sea salt

• 2 eggs

• A sprig of rosemary, leaves picked and roughly chopped

To serve (optional)

• Sea salt flakes, 2 rosemary sprigs, and mustard

Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7. Find a large, shallow roasting tin of around 41 x 26cm and ideally no deeper than 4cm.

First, make the batter. Add the milk, flour, mustard powder, salt, eggs and 150ml water to a blender (this won’t work in a foodprocessor) and briefly blitz until just combined. Stir in the rosemary and set aside.

Put the carrots and red onion into the roasting tin with the olive oil and some salt and pepper and swirl around to coat. Spread them out in a single layer, then slot in the sausages. Cook at the top of the oven for 15 minutes.

Turn the vegetables and sausages over with a fish slice, add the broccoli and then cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and scatter the cherry tomatoes around.

Give the batter a quick stir and pour it over the sizzling hot vegetables, then return to the oven for a further 25-30 minutes, until risen and golden brown.

Serve straight away, scattered with a few sea salt flakes and sprigs of rosemary, if you like. Some mustard served alongside is good, too.