My Family Nut Roast

This is way more than just a Nut Roast! It’s full of flavour and texture & loved by all of my family.

Top with dried cranberries, fresh pomegranate seeds or a dollop of cranberry jelly.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED for 1 large nut roast: (feel free to adapt this recipe to suit you to make it your own)

2 onions, finely chopped

4 garlic, finely chopped

1 parsnip, peeled and diced or grated

4 carrots roughly blitzed, finely chopped or grated

1 1/2 cups of cooked chestnuts chopped

1 1/2 cups chopped nuts ( mixed are fine or hazelnuts, walnuts.

2 cups bread crumbs - any slightly stale bread is great for this ( either grate it or blitz in a processor)

a good bundle of herbs - approx 8 sage leaves, 2 sprigs of rosemary, 6 sprigs of thyme finely chopped

(If using dried herbs - 3 tsp)

2 tsp flax seeds ( linseeds)

1 tbsp tomato ketchup

A good splash of Tamari soy sauce (approx 1 tbsp)

Olive oil

Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper to season

Let's get cooking:

1. Start by preheating your oven at 180c/ 350f / gas mark 4 and get your baking tin or wreath ready by greasing throughly with a little olive oil.

2. Pop a large frying pan on a medium heat and add the olive oil.

3. Add your chopped onions and garlic and cook gently until soft (a few minutes) giving them a stir now and then.

4. Add your herbs to the pan and mix into the onions.

5. Now add your chopped veggies. Mix them into the onions, garlic and herbs and allow them to cook for about 10 mins. Give them the odd stir and keep an eye on the mix so it doesn’t stick (if it does start to stick on the bottom, add a splash of water to the pan and stir through).

6. In a large mixing bowl add your breadcrumbs, chopped nuts and chopped chestnuts. Now add your cooked herby veggies to the bowl, followed by the ketchup and Tamari sauce.

7. Mix the flax seeds with 100ml of water and stir together. This will start to thicken and go slightly jelly like. Add the flax mix to the mix.

Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper or to your taste and stir your delicious mixture together. We sometimes find it easier to use our hands (obviously, washed!) to bring it all together evenly.

8. Fill your baking tin with the mixture, pressing down so it’s tightly packed. Cover with grease-proof paper and pop in the oven.

9. Let the nut roast cook for at least 45mins. Give it a check once or twice throughout the cooking time as all ovens are slightly different.

10. You can serve this straight away but if you want to get ahead, we recommend leaving your nut roast to cool thoroughly in the tin which allows it to settle and it means that you can get this made in advance. Simply warm it through for the big feast!

Enjoy!