It’s February and we’re still harvesting beetroot from the kitchen garden. In order to use some up I made a delicious hummus following a River Cottage recipe, although I tweaked it a bit to suit our own taste. Once made it will keep for a few days if stored in the fridge, serve at room temperature. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

Serves 4

• 50g walnuts
• 15g stale bread, crusts removed and torn into chunks
• 200g cooked beetroot (not pickled), cut into cubes
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• Juice of half a lemon
• Half a tablespoon of olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180 C / Gas Mark 4. Toast the walnuts on a baking tray for 5 minutes, leave to cool. Put the bread and toasted walnuts into a food processor or use a hand blender to blitz to fine crumbs. Add the beetroot, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, a pinch of sea salt and a grinding of pepper. Blend to a thick paste, taste and adjust by adding more lemon, garlic and seasoning if you prefer, blending again. Loosen with a dash more oil if required.

Delicious as a starter or dip, served with breadsticks or flatbreads.