Middle Eastern

Isabella Palmer's take on Iranian ash reshteh made with English marrowfat and split or naked yellow peas is a comforting noodle soup that makes the most of the creamy sweetness of British-grown marrowfat peas. Serve topped with tangy dairy, fresh herbs and crispy onions (the ready-made kind are very convenient). Classically ash reshteh has sour yoghurt stirred through before serving, but Isabella prefers just using sour cream or crème fraîche as a topping. 

Beth Al Rikabi's Moroccan flatbreads, msemmen, are made with black wheat flour and stuffed with spiced carrot.

A recipe for wild-spiced Emmer pilaf with chanterelles, courgettes and rose petals. Created by Leanne Townsend, a wild food specialist, researcher and food writer. She's added a foraged twist to this classic Middle Eastern dish.

This delicious recipe is from Salma Hage's superb new book The Levantine Vegetarian. We love to take inspiration from the big flavours of Middle-Eastern pulse and wholegrain dishes.

This recipe is the first in a series created in collaboration with Borough Broth and Dr. Wills using some of our products now available from Holland & Barrett.

Switch rice for barley! We use pearled naked barley in place of rice in this pudding inspired by the Lebanese spiced rice puddings traditionally flavoured with cardamom, vanilla, cinnamon, orange and orange blossom water.

Here’s a recipe from the early days of The Little Cooking Pot and one of Aitana's favourites. The squash makes the cake deliciously moist, whilst the fragrant ras el hanout spice mix, chunks of ginger and crunch from the Brazil nuts make every bite exciting.

Mejadra - or Mujaddara - is a simple but perfect store cupboard combination of lentils, rice or another grain, spices and crispy onions. You can find subtle variations across the Middle East but each is equally comforting and delicious. This version uses Hodmedod's Pilau Mix #2 in which the nutty emmer grains make a delicious British-grown substitute for the more usual rice, alongside our earthy olive green lentils.

Here at Hodmedods we sell a number of British-grown seeds, and these quick and easy crackers showcase them perfectly. Alongside this vibrant beetroot hummus, this makes the perfect light lunch, afternoon snack or drinks party nibbles.

Add a few of these moreish falafels to a pitta bread and load up with sliced lettuce or cabbage, cucumber, yoghurt and a dollop of hummus. Hard to beat for a quick, nutritious and satisfying lunch.

Rachel Steeds of plant-based kitchen Greenhouse has created this wonderful vegan twist on the Middle Eastern classic Kibbeh. Typically made with bulgur wheat and meat, Rachel's version combines pulses, smoked quinoa, carrots and spices for a flavour-packed dish.

It's liberating to realise that culinary classics like falafel can be made not just with chickpeas or fava beans, but in fact with most legumes. After all, most traditional dishes have come from a place of necessity and availability, making use of what’s around but applying culinary wisdom that can be found in other parts of the world too. Here, Julius Fiedler of Baking Hermann, brings falafel to the UK with this recipe using British-grown split green peas.