pick ‘n‘ mix

Beautiful beetroot-tinged cured salmon

“I love spring – it brings lighter days and a gloriously long weekend for Easter feasting. Mix and match these dishes to suit your mood and numbers – none requires hours in the kitchen, giving you more time to enjoy the celebrations. Happy cooking!”

JEN BEDLOE, FOOD EDITOR

Next-level soda bread with a whipped chive butter

Hibiscus and kombucha sparkling mocktail

Serves 6

Hands-on time 10 min

KNOW-HOW

To make the syrup, heat equal weights of sugar and water until dissolved, then cool and store in the fridge.

• 3 tbsp simple syrup (buy Monin or see Know-how)

• 2 tbsp hibiscus powder (from Waitrose or Amazon – or buy dried hibiscus from a health food shop and grind it)

• Juice 3 limes, plus slices to garnish

• Juice 2 ruby grapefruit, plus thin wedges to garnish

• Chunky ice cubes to serve

• 2x 275ml bottles kombucha, tonic or non-alcoholic fizz

1 Combine the syrup, hibiscus powder, lime and grapefruit juice in a jug. Pour into tumblers over ice, then top up with kombucha (or other fizz) and serve.

Per serving 47kcals, no fat (no saturated), 0.2g protein, 11.5g carbs (10.9g sugars), trace salt, no fibre

For more ways to use hibiscus powder, see Use It Up

Cheese and onion soda bread with whipped chive butter

RECIPES AND FOOD STYLING: JEN BEDLOE. PHOTOGRAPHS: TOBY SCOTT. STYLING: VICTORIA ELDRIDGE

Serves 6-8

Hands-on time 30 min, plus cooling

Oven time 40 min

MAKE AHEAD

Best made on the day you plan to eat it.

Leftovers will keep for a couple of days, but are best lightly toasted. Freeze the cooled loaf whole or sliced, well wrapped, for up to 1 month.

• 500g plain flour, plus extra to dust

• 1 tbsp butter or olive oil

• 1 onion, chopped

• Bunch spring onions, chopped

• 1 tsp nigella seeds

• 1 rounded tsp bicarbonate of soda

• 1 tbsp English mustard powder

• 1 tsp fine sea salt

• 150g hard cheese, grated (we used a mixture of lancashire and cheddar)

• 365-375ml kefir or buttermilk

• 1 tbsp whole milk to glaze

For the whipped chive butter

• 125g unsalted butter, softened

• 2 tbsp whole milk

• 1 tbsp chopped chives

1 Heat the oven to 180°C fan/ gas 6 and dust an oven tray with flour. Heat the butter/oil in a frying pan, then fry the onion for 10 minutes (a little char will boost the flavour). Add threequarters of the spring onions and all the nigella seeds, fry for 5 minutes, then leave to cool.