Buckwheat Nut Roast

In the 1980s, when I was becoming a young man and starting out on the road of life, the nut roast was derided as an unpalatable nonsense cooked up to give vegetarians something to eat when the rest of the family were having a ‘proper’ roast, usually instead of turkey on Christmas Day. But I never subscribed to that opinion, even then.

My mother and I used to eat out from time to time at The Good Earth, Leicester’s oldest vegetarian cafe and restaurant, founded in 1965. This cosy, old-fashioned eatery, tucked away on a side road just off Granby Street, remains a haven for unpretentious vegetarian and vegan cooking, and I have fond memories of their nut roast, among other hearty dishes, typically served (at least then) on rough earthenware. It was there that I learned about the wide variety of British cooking.

In recent years, I have come back to the dish, especially after my father gave me a volume of farmhouse kitchen recipes compiled in the mid-1980s by Good Housekeeping Magazine. The book is full of simple, straightforward recipes for dishes that can still be found in the kitchens and cafes of rural England, and should be more widely celebrated, the humble nut roast included.

For my version, I decided to switch to buckwheat flour to give it an extra dimension, among other tweaks, and leave the nuts and mushrooms in large pieces, which not only changes the texture but also somehow the taste of the dish. Finally, I created a topping that lends a crispness and depth that I would now never be without, even though I am sure it is not one for the purists.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons buckwheat flour
• 3 tablespoons sunflower seeds
• 1 large handful mixed nuts (ideally hazelnuts, walnuts, brazil buts and almonds), roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts
• 1 tsp each dried sage, parsley and thyme, or a large handful each if fresh is available
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 large onion, grated
• 2 medium eggs, beaten
• 1 tablespoon rapeseed oil
• 2 large handfuls mushrooms, roughly chopped

For the topping:

• Butter
• Breadcrumbs
• Sage
• Grated cheese (ideally Emmental)
• Sunflower seeds

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C (180C for a fan oven). Grease a loaf tin. Mix the flour, nuts, seasoning and herbs. Stir in the grated onion, then the beaten egg and oil, then fold in the mushrooms. Turn the mixture into the greased tin. Mix together the breadcrumbs, sage, grated cheese and sunflower seeds in a separate bowl and sprinkle over the mixture. Dot with butter. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until golden.

Enjoy!