Jane Scotter can summarise her passions in life more neatly than most.
I like food, theFern Verrowfounder tells me over the phone from her 16-acre biodynamic holding in Hertfordshire.
I like beautiful things.
Photo: Giuseppe Vizzari
And I like very hard work.
Plates that look and taste gorgeous without feeling too done: thats the true meaning of a feast.
Its tricky and exhausting, yesbut its also a joy in every sense.
And for those of us who cant make it to Hampshire?
Find threerecipesfor a late summer feast courtesy of Skye, below.
Leave them to cool (at least 3 or 4 minutes) before carefully peeling and setting aside.
In the meantime, start working on your mayonnaise.
Take your time; if you add too much, too quickly, the mayonnaise will split.
Once youre happy with the consistency, check the seasoning.
Carefully slice the peeled eggs in half and season them with salt and a little pepper, too.
(As always, taste as you go.)
Place the cobs in a large pan with the coriander stalks, green chilies, and garlic.
Fill the pan with water until the cobs are just covered.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
Add the corn kernels to the stock and cook until tender.
Finish with salt and lime to taste.
If the corn isnt sweet enough, add a spoonful of sugar.
Pass through a fine sieve, and set aside.
Grill the corn in the husk until the outside is charred and the inner corn kernels are tender.
Strip the kernels from the cob and set aside.
Fill a soup bowl to the halfway point with puree.
Top generously with the grilled corn until the puree is completely covered.
Add five small pieces of fresh honeycomb, distributed evenly across the bowl.
Cover with a grating of Spenwood cheese and a sprinkling of coriander flowers.
Tip the dough out onto a surface and gently knead together into a disc.
Wrap tightly in baking paper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Grease and line the base of a 30cm tart pan with baking paper.
On a clean and lightly floured surface, roll the pastry to a 35cm round, approximately 4mm thick.
Carefully line the tart tin, pressing into the edges where the base meets the sides.
Trim any excess pastry, using the edges of the tin as a guide.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight.
To blind bake, remove the tart shell from the fridge.
Line the pastry with a large sheet of scrunched-up baking paper.
Fill the paper with baking beans or rice to weigh the pastry down.
Bake at 170 degrees Celsius on the lowest shelf of a fan-assisted oven for 25 minutes.
Using a little scrap of pastry dough, carefully patch any cracks in the shell.
Dry in the oven for 2 minutes, then set aside to cool completely.
Set a fine sieve over a large container and set aside.
Meanwhile, gently whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl to break up.
Slowly ladle the hot cream mix into the egg mixture, stirring as you do so.
Return the custard to the saucepan and place over a low heat.
Remove from the heat, and immediately pour through the sieve.
Continue to stir gently.
Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Whisk until well combined, then taste for seasoning.
It may need a little more sugar or a squeeze of lemon juice.
Churn in an ice cream maker as per the manufacturers instructions.
Transfer to a container, cover, and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.
Peel the apples, then cut into quarters and carefully core each one.
If you wish, reserve the skins and cores to make a little sauce.
Pulse the machine until the almonds are finely ground.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and the sugar together until most of the sugar has dissolved.
Add the melted butter and milk to the eggs and whisk to combine.
Finally, add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix with a flexible spatula until well incorporated.
Repeat with all the apples until youve reached the centre of the tart case.
Decrease the oven temperature to 160 degrees Celsius.
Rotate halfway through if necessary.
Remove, and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
If you are making the sauce, add the skins and cores to a saucepan and cover with water.
Bring to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes until the liquid is flavourful and slightly viscous.
Boil for a few minutes, then leave to cool completely.
To serve, slice the tart carefully with a long serrated knife.
