This dish is very easy to pull together and make. It is jammed packed with loads of winter veggies that are perfect for St Andrews celebrations. The key to this dish is the heat of your pan and making sure you add the vegetables in the pan in the order of what takes the longest to cook. Another reason why this dish eats so well is that the vegetables are all cut into different shapes and sizes, doing this changes the whole eating experience. The pickled shallots are a welcome flavour contrast for the dish. You could also use baby pickled onions whole or you could slice up traditional chippy pickles.

Ingredients

150g Pearl Barley

1 Parsnip washed peeled and quartered lengthwise

½ Celeriac, peeled and diced

150g Kale, washed and chopped

5 Baby Carrots, trimmed, washed and halved lengthwise

Sprig Thyme

2 cloves Garlic, crushed in the skins

2 Shallots, halved through the skins

Good oil

Salt and pepper

For the Pickled Shallots

4 Shallots

75ml White wine vinegar

75ml Water

25g Honey or sugar

1 tbsp Black peppercorns

1 tsp Fennel seeds

For the Dressing

1 sprig Thyme

1 sprig Rosemary

3 leaves Sage

1 tbsp White wine vinegar

100ml Good oil

Method:

1. The first task is to sort the barley, soak the barley in cold water for a couple of hours.

2. Once it has softened rinse in cold water, pop into a pan the herbs and crushed bulb of garlic some salt and pepper and top up with water, bring to a simmer and cook until tender.

3. Once cooked drain the water, spread out onto a tray and allow to cool.

4. Next make the pickling liquor for the shallots, pour the 50ml of vinegar, fennel seeds. black pepper corns, water and honey into a pot.

5. Bring to the boil, double check the balance if it is too sharp add a little more honey

6. Meanwhile peel and slice the shallots so that you get little rings and place into hot pickling liquor. Put to one side.

7. Trim and wash the baby carrots, peel and dice the celeriac, peel and wash the parsnip and cut into ¼s lengthwise.

8. Next, half your remaining 2 shallots in the skin, and tear the kale making sure you remove the centre spines.

9. Pop a large pan onto the stove, add a little oil, and then once hot add the quartered parsnips, followed by the halved shallots in their skins.

10. Next add the carrots and the celeriac.

11. Cook on a high heat until you have achieved some colour.

12. Cook until the vegetables start to soften.

13. Once soft add the kale and barley and cook until everything is hot, double check the seasoning and serve.

14. Top with the pickled shallots.

This recipe is suitable for those who follow a vegan diet if you replace the honey with sugar.