Overhead view of a plastic crate filled with fresh herbs: a large pile of sage leaves in the center, thyme sprigs on the left, and long green chives on the right. The crate sits on a concrete surface.

A delivery of freshly picked organic herbs arrived at the farm this week from Stuart at Sunny N Margs - thyme, sage, chives, coriander and parsley. While growing your own fresh herbs is always the best way to go, if this isn’t possible sourcing them from local small scale growers is the next best option. The quality is significantly better than anything you might find in a supermarket, it’s better value and if you get it from somewhere like Gathered, organic too. Not spray free, but properly organic. This means no industrial chemicals or non-organic inputs used at any point through the growing process or anywhere on the property the produce has come from.

Speaking of fresh herbs, this week’s recipe for Lentils cooked with garlic, chilli and rosemary with baked eggs and kale from the book Outside by Gill Meyer is simple, affordable and filling! Most ingredients are available from the farm shop too.

Overhead view of a rectangular baking dish filled with a lentil-and-greens mixture topped with three baked eggs and sprinkled with chopped herbs and pepper flakes. A metal serving spoon rests in the dish on a wooden surface.

Lentils cooked with garlic, chilli and rosemary with baked eggs and kale by Gill Meyer

2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

a pinch of chilli flakes, plus extra to serve

175g red lentils, rinsed

2 rosemary sprigs

1 litre vegetable stock

1 small bunch of curly kale, leaves stripped from the stalk and roughly chopped

1 knob of butter

4 eggs

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

a handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to serve

Heat a large, heavy-based saucepan. Add the extra virgin olive oil and when it’s hot, add the onion, garlic and chilli flakes, as well as a little salt and pepper. Cook gently for 8-10 minutes.

Stir in lentils and rosemary sprigs and pour in the veg stock. Cook the lentils over a low heat. They just want to simmer gently. When the lentils have been cooking for about 20 minutes, add the kale. When the kale is tender adn the lentils are beginning to break down and thicken (another 15 minutes or so), give them a taste and season. The lentils need to be thick enough that you cam make four wells in them using the back of a spoon.

Make the wells and drop a dot of butter into each, then crack in an egg. Season the top of the eggs and pop a lid on the pan. Cook for 6-7 minutes, or until the whites are set and the yolks are still soft. Scatter over the chopped parsley and a few chilli flakes, and serve at once.

Close-up of six baked muffins on a light plate, dusted with powdered sugar. One muffin shows blueberry pieces and another has a slice of dried citrus on top.

Close-up of green leafy plants and tall onion-like stalks growing in a garden bed, with a pale yellow flower in the center. A cluster of small magenta flowers appears at the bottom edge against a cloudy blue sky.