ELEMENTAL EATING

When I decided to launch the outdoor pop-ups in October everyone thought I was bonkers

Amanda Farnese Heath talks outdoor feasting in East Lothian

If you go down to the woods in East Lothian, you’re sure of a big surprise. You probably won’t stumble upon any teddy bears, but you just might encounter a mad march hare.

The brainchild of Amanda Farnese Heath, Mad March Hare is a pop-up, outdoor (yes, in Scotland!) dining experience that serves up tasty, rustic food that’s wholly in keeping with the environment in which it is enjoyed.

‘When I decided to launch the outdoor dining pop-ups in October everyone thought I was bonkers,’ laughs Amanda. ‘But there’s always a contingency.

‘Our last event was at Harvest Moon treehouses, so we always had the option of taking shelter, but we had no rain.

‘It was windy, but we were in the forest and the trees protected us. Not only was it a great foodie experience, but it was just amazing to be outside and dining.’

Amanda preps a lot of the food at home, but lots of her dishes are cooked over a fire for extra flavour – like the mushrooms that forager Monica Wilde found ahead of the feast. ‘Monica talked to guests about the mushrooms as I cooked them on the fire,’ says Amanda. ‘In fact she stayed until about 3am and we all sat outside because it was such an amazing evening.’

The recipes detailed overleaf typify Amanda’s food. Her priority is to use the best possible produce and she prides herself on her ingenuity in sourcing them. Some of the ingredients are foraged, but that’s not the sole focus. There’s lots of healthy vegan cooking while the meat is always carefully sourced and well-reared. Nutrition and health are big priorities for Amanda, as is ensuring that food is fulfilling, nourishing and suited to eating outdoors. The dishes are paired with raw, organic wines.

But there’s more to Mad March Hare than just dinner. Amanda wants each dining experience to be an event, so 2018’s pop-ups will feature music in the form of a classical piece created especially for the evening by Amanda’s composer husband. The plan is that diners will enjoy a summer feast by a beautiful lake while listening to music that is set to visuals.

This year may even see the hare pop up in the altogether more urban environment of Edinburgh, but Amanda is keen to ensure that her dining experiences remain outdoors, even if they are in the city, so watch this space.

White Soup

1 kg parsnips Handful raw cashews (soaked in cold water for an hour or so beforehand) 2 white onions roughly chopped 2 celery sticks chopped 1 leek chopped 3 garlic cloves chopped Stock (I make chicken stock out of the bones when I’ve cooked a roast chicken which tastes divine, but if you want to keep the recipe veggie just use a low salt kallo stock cube or similar) Dessert spoon of white pepper Malden sea salt Mace blades x 2 Bay leaf Lemon Single cream to taste Method: Literally put all the ingredients in a saucepan and cook slowly. When all is soft remove the bay leaves and whizz till smooth and add a little single cream and the juice of half a lemon. Serve with soda bread and walnuts. Divine!

Chipotle Walnuts

New season’s extra virgin olive oil Handful walnuts 2 garlic cloves Teaspoon chipotle chilli flakes Teaspoon cinnamon Maldon sea salt to taste Black pepper Method: Toast the walnuts, either in a frying pan or in the oven, till the colour is slightly darker. Then mix all the other ingredients together in a food processor. Ready to spread on bread or serve with soup.

Soda Bread

This bread is a staple on the menu these days and is another very simple recipe. 12oz flour (I use a mix of spelt and rye, but try your own mix, they all work) Big teaspoon of organic gluten-free bicarbonate of soda Malden sea salt – a big pinch Black pepper Teaspoon of caraway, oregano and tumeric 200/250 ml carton of buttermilk or live natural yoghurt Method: Put all of the dry ingredients together then mix in the buttermilk or yoghurt. It will be sticky but this is fine. Shape it however you wish, use a bit more flour if it’s sticking to your hands. Place on baking paper then into the oven at 200 ˚ c fan for around 25 mins. Tap it to see if it sounds hollow. Serve warm.

Fish Cooked over Fire

Prep your whole fish (I am using sea bass and sea bream) Make slits in the skin on both sides and stuff the fish with a mixture of your favourite fresh herbs (I’m using dill, parsley, coriander and thyme) plus thinly sliced lemons and red onions. Slice some salty butter and push inside the fish with more herbs, onions and lemons and also a good sprinkle of salt and black pepper. Oil the skin of the fish. BBQ the fish until the flesh is white. You can measure the temperature by holding your hand over the grate – you should be able to hold your hand there for five seconds, if not wait a bit for the coals or wood to reduce in heat. Then cook the fish for approximately 20 minutes one side and 10/15 or until cooked on the other, or in the oven for around 25 minutes on 160 ˚ c fan. When done, serve with the beets, potatoes and chipotle walnuts.

Roasted Beets with Cumin Butter and Dill

Roast the beets at about 170 ˚ c in a fan oven for half an hour until cooked. Toast cumin seeds in a pan for a few minutes, add a slice of butter and Malden sea salt and pepper and pour over the beets once cooked. Squeeze lemon and dill all over.

Potatoes with Saffron and Samphire

Par cook some floury potatoes with a teaspoon of saffron and a pinch of salt. Drain and put in flame-resistant pan (or roasting tin), making sure you scrape saffron into the pan. Douse with olive oil, salty butter and Malden sea salt. Add a handful of samphire, thinly sliced red onion, parsley and chopped green chilli. Cook over fire or in oven on 170 ˚ c/180 ˚ c fan until potatoes are soft.

Fruit Poached over Fire

Take any fruit in season (I used cherries and nectarines), remove any stones and place in a cast iron pan along with butter, star anise, dark brown sugar, a sprinkle of pink peppercorns, cinnamon and some liquid. With the cherries I used cassis and with the peaches I used a bit of red wine. Get your fire or BBQ lit, (you can always cook on the stove top but the flames add to the flavour). Cook until the fruit is soft and the liquid is syrupy.

Almond and Saffron Sticky Cake

1lb ground almonds 15oz golden caster sugar 6 organic eggs Malden sea salt Teaspoon tumeric Teaspoon ground cardamom Teaspoon of really good vanilla essence Teaspoon of saffron strands Method: Whisk the eggs, add the saffron strands and let them infuse for 10 minutes. Then put all the ingredients, including eggs, in a food processor and whizz for five minutes. Line a loaf tin, pour in the mixture and bake 180 ˚ c fan or until very brown on top. Plunge a skewer into the centre, if it comes out clean it’s cooked. Serve with the poached fruit and almond cream.

Almond Cream

So simple! Buy some raw organic almonds and toast them in the oven for 20 minutes on 200 ˚ c fan oven. Take them out and while still warm put them into a food processor and blitz for around 10 minutes. Keep breaking the almonds up until slowly they start to turn into almond butter. Add a little maple syrup and almond milk until a creamy consistency is achieved. Then plop a healthy dollop on your peaches or cherries or any fruit you fancy.