Welcome to the WI’s meal ideas for using fresh seasonal British produce. Recipes on our site include new contemporary dishes as well as family favourites making use of the WI’s huge wealth of food talents gained over nearly 100 years. Some recipes are quickly made whereas others will take a bit more time and skill. There is something here for everybody.

Spring time is officially here and Easter is a great chance to catch up with family and friends – so spoil them with some of these mouthwatering dishes.

Fried Halloumi with sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts,

Warm Poached Salmon with Watercress Mayonnaise

French Apricot Tart

This menu is particularly useful if you are feeding a number of guests and/or family and you want to remain unflustered and enjoy a simple meal accompanied with a cool crisp wine.

Fried Halloumi with sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts

Halloumi is a Cypriot firm brined, slightly springy white cheese, traditionally made from a mixture of goat and sheep milk.

Serves 4

1 packed halloumi, thickly sliced.

4-6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and finely chopped

50g pine nuts

Mixed salad leaves

Olive oil for frying

Crusty bread to serve.

For the dressing:

25ml balsamic vinegar

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Salt and pepper

50ml oil from the sun-dried tomatoes

1. Heat a large frying-pan.  Add the pine nuts and toast at a low heat, tossing occasionally, for about 5 minutes until golden and fragrant.  Set aside.
2. For the dressing, put the vinegar, garlic and seasoning in a bowl.  Gradually add the oil, whisking as you do so.  Set aside.
3. Arrange the mixed salad leaves on serving plates.  Heat a little olive oil in a frying-pan and fry the halloumi slices for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown.  Keep the heat high to drive off moisture from the cheese.
4. Place the sun-dried tomatoes and toasted pine nuts on the salad leaves.  Sprinkle the dressing over the top.  Add the slices of  fried halloumi, hot from the pan and serve immediately with some crusty bread.

Tip:

Make sure you tip the toasted pine nuts out of the frying-pan to avoid them overcooking and burning.

Warm Poached Salmon with Watercress Mayonnaise

This recipe can be doubled or tripled depending how many guests are arriving. Perfect for a small or larger gathering.

• 1. You need to decide how many people you will be serving, and buy sufficient salmon fillets for one each.  Place them in an earthenware or Pyrex type dish. (This container will be a poor conductor of heat and will protect the fish whilst is is gently poaching keeping the flesh    soft and moist.) Pour around sufficient water to be approx 5mm deep.  Add the juice of a  lemon and grind over a little black pepper.  Refrigerate until required.
• 2. Meanwhile take sufficient low calorie mayonnaise out of a jar and let it down with single cream.  Place in a food processor.  Add a good handful of carefully washed and dried watercress.  Whiz to give a delicious green sauce at the touch of a button.

Cover and refrigerate until needed.

1. Turn the oven on to 200C/Fan oven 180C/Gas 6 and when required pop the prepared fish in for approximately 8 minutes.  This can sit in its juices keeping warm while you enjoy your guests company. Remove fish from the liquor and place on plates.  Either garnish appropriately or use a mixed dressed salad as the garnish before the plates go out.
2. Serve this with mixed salad leaves tossed in a sweet balsamic dressing and warm new potatoes tossed in butter served separately in bowls, with snipped chives if desired.

Tip:

You could add a few prawns on each piece of salmon to warm through whilst the fish is sitting in its juices to add a touch of luxury.

French Apricot Tart

This is my version of a French Apricot Tart using a packet of buttery puff pastry.

Serves 6-8

Large tin apricots well drained.

1 packed fresh buttery puff pastry. Not ready rolled variety.

250g mascarpone cheese

150ml double cream

2 large eggs, beaten

90g golden caster sugar. (extra for coating)

1. Preheat the oven to 220C/ fan oven 190C/Gas 7.
2. Roll out the pastry to fit a 23cm deep quiche tin.
3. Run the tin under cold water and leave some water on the tin.
4. Fit pastry into the tin and prick the base.  Add the drained apricots to the base of the pastry case.
5. Mix together the mascarpone cheese, eggs, sugar and cream.  Pour over the apricots and sprinkle with remainder of the sugar.
6. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until firm to the touch.

Leave to cool before serving with ice cream or pouring cream.

Tip:

Sprinkling water onto the tin helps provide steam in the oven for the past