Healthier options

If you are being tempted from the straight and narrow, try these healthy recipes from Andy Burns, head chef of The Carpenters Arms at Felixkirk and Luke Taylor, head chef of the Black Bull at Moulton near Richmond, both part of Provenance Inns. The Carpenters Arms is Yorkshire’s favourite pub according to a public vote in a competition run by Welcome to Yorkshire in partnership with the Yorkshire Post.

The historic Black Bull pub is currently being refurbished and reopens in March 2014.

Mount St John garden vegetable salad, with Golden Cross goats cheese, pea and mint dressing

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 golden beetroot

1 striped beetroot

1 garden beetroot

100g petit pois

1 tsp wild flower honey

1 small bunch mint

10 slow roasted cherry tomatoes (cut in half, drizzle with oil and place on a baking tray in a low oven for 10 minutes)

1 shallot cut into thin rings

1 log Golden Cross goats cheese

1 small frisée lettuce

1 packet mixed cresses

1 packet micro rocket

Method

Roast the beetroots in a 180°C oven with the skins on, remove and leave to cool.

Blanch the peas and leave to cool. Blend half the peas with a little mint, a teaspoon of honey and a drizzle of olive oil. Peel and cut the beetroots into wedges.

Artistically arrange all of the vegetables and the variety of salad leaves on a serving plate.

Slice the goats cheese and warm with a blow torch or under the grill.

Place on the plate and finish with pea and mint dressing.

Season with a little rock salt and fresh black pepper.

Home smoked corn-fed chicken, pearl barley and wild rice salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 corn-fed chicken breast

100g oak smoking chips

400g cooked pearl barley

200g cooked wild rice

80g peas

40g sweet corn

10 cherry tomatoes

1 red pepper

1 courgette green

1 small aubergine

50g finely chopped shallots

Micro basil leaves

Chopped tarragon, chives and parsley

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Method

Cut the tomatoes in half, season and leave on a tray in a low oven to dry out slightly.

Season the chicken breast and drizzle with olive oil.

Place the smoking chips in some foil and then place in roasting tray, warm on the hob until they start to smoke, place a wire cooling rack over and the chicken breast on top. Cover with foil and leave for 10 minutes on a low heat. Carefully remove the foil, turn the breast over, recover with foil and give a further 5 minutes on the hob. Remove to a baking tray and finish until the skin is crispy in a 180°C oven. For those with a barbeque this can be done outside. Place the pearl barley and rice into a mixing bowl, add the chopped shallots and herbs, and season. Blanch the vegetables and cut into 1in pieces. In a main course bowl place the pearl barley mix in a ring. Dress the blanched vegetables in olive oil and arrange the vegetables around the barley. Remove the ring, slice the chicken breast and fan on itself to create a stack. Place on the pearl barley and finish with a small herb salad on top.

House hot smoked salmon, lemon cured fennel, caramelised shallot rosti, lemon caper dressing

Serves 4

2 cups of wood chippings

1 cup of muscovado sugar

1/2 side of salmon

Rock salt

Method

Trim the salmon removing the belly, scales and any bones, score the skin side and portion. Place the salmon portions on a tray and completely cover them in rock salt for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes wash the salt off and dry the salmon with a new J-cloth.

Place an oven tray on the solid top with the wood chippings and the sugar mixed together. Heat until it starts to smoke, place the salmon on to a cooling rack flesh side down and place on top of the smoking wood chips making sure not to touch the wood chipping mix. Place a lid on and smoke for 7 minutes. Remove the salmon and place in the fridge to cool.

Lemon fennel

Ingredients

2 bulbs of fennel

1 tsp sea salt

Juice of 3 lemons

Method

Finely slice the fennel on a mandoline, place all the ingredients in to a sealed container for 30 minutes.

Caramelised shallot rosti

Ingredients

20g organic unsalted butter

200g baking potatoes

2 banana shallots (finely sliced)

1 cloves of garlic (minced)

3 tbsp vegetable oil

2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves

Salt and pepper

Method

Pre heat the oven to 180°C.

Heat one tablespoon of vegetable oil in a heavy based saucepan, add the butter and heat until it foams. Add the shallots, garlic and thyme leaves, cook over a low to medium heat until the shallots are a deep golden colour. Tip them onto a tray and cool. Coarsely grate the potato into a large bowl then squeeze out the excess water through an oven cloth. Place the potatoes in to a fresh mixing bowl, add the shallot mixture and season with freshly ground pepper and salt. Mould the rösti mix in to the correct ring size then heat the remaining vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat until almost smoking and seal the rosti till golden on both sides. Place on to a tray and cook in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes.

Lemon and caper dressing

Ingredients

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 1/2 tbsp minced shallots (1 small)

1 tbsp drained capers

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tomato peeled and finely diced

Method

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Place the rosti in the middle of a large plate, place dressed leaves on top and the salmon portion on to this salad. Place a few pieces of fennel on the salmon and dress the dish with the lemon and caper vinaigrette.