Rogan. Simon Rogan

the fennel to a blender along with the reduced cream and sweet cicely leaves. Blitz until smooth and pass through a fine sieve for a smoother texture. Chill to maintain the vibrant green colour. Warm slightly before serving.

      Fry the leeks in a non-stick pan over a high heat in 1 tablespoon of the remaining sunflower oil for 2–3 minutes until slightly charred and crispy and season with a pinch of salt. Remove from the pan, add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the same pan and cook the langoustines over a medium heat for 30 seconds on each side.

      Drizzle each plate with the sauce and green oil, then divide the leeks and langoustines among the plates with the purée. Finish with whitecurrants that have been slightly warmed in the langoustine roasting tin.

SWEET CICELY CAKE

      Sweet cicely might seem an unusual ingredient for a cake, but this herb is a natural sweetener, so you don’t need sugar, and pairing it with star anise highlights its aniseed flavour. The leaves also add a wonderful colour to baking, so slice this cake in front of friends to show off the vibrant green in each piece and serve with a dollop of the creamy aniseed buttercream.

      SERVES 10

      Sweet cicely cake

      200ml whole milk

      2 medium eggs

      400g runny honey

      80g sweet cicely leaves

      440g plain flour

      2 tsp baking powder

      1 tsp ground star anise or 5–6 whole star anise, ground

      Star anise buttercream

      80g unsalted butter, softened

      135g cream cheese

      2 star anise, ground

      150g icing sugar, sifted

      juice of ¼ lemon

      Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C Fan/Gas Mark 5 and line a 900g (2lb) loaf tin with baking parchment.

      To make the cake, blitz the milk, eggs, honey and sweet cicely leaves in a blender until the mixture is bright green and smooth. Sift the flour, baking powder and ground star anise into a bowl. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry, transfer to the loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven, leave to cool in the tin, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.

      To make the buttercream icing, cream the butter and the cream cheese together in a stand mixer until stiff, light and fluffy. Add three-quarters of the ground star anise and mix well to combine. Turn the speed down to low and gradually add the icing sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until fully incorporated. Remove from the machine and fold the lemon juice into the mixture. Transfer to the fridge for a couple of hours to set.

      Put slices of the cake on plates with star anise buttercream, sprinkled with some of the remaining ground star anise.

STRAWBERRIES WITH SWEET CICELY SYRUP AND SHEEP’S YOGHURT

      Sweet cicely adds an aromatic natural sweetness to the syrup here, which is the perfect complement to the tart yoghurt and ripe strawberries, finished off with the tangy citrusy leaves of sheep’s sorrel. If you think you are not familiar with sheep’s sorrel, think again: it is probably best known to most people as an irritating perennial weed that appears in summer on acidic grasslands, along roadsides and even in domestic gardens. It is widespread, so the leaves can be easily foraged or even cultivated.

      SERVES 4

      Macerated strawberries

      20 strawberries, hulled

      juice and zest of ½ lemon

      50g caster sugar

      ½ vanilla pod, split lengthways

      Sweet cicely syrup

      75g caster sugar

      juice of ½ lemon

      35g sweet cicely leaves

      a pinch of xanthan gum

      Sheep’s yoghurt

      750g natural sheep’s yoghurt, hung in muslin over a bowl overnight to strain the whey from the curd

      sheep’s sorrel, to serve

      Slice the strawberries in half lengthways and put them in a bowl. Add the lemon juice and zest, sugar and split vanilla pod and stir gently to coat the strawberries in the mixture. Leave to macerate for 1 hour at room temperature, stirring at 10-minute intervals.

      To make the sweet cicely syrup, boil the sugar, lemon juice and 150ml water in a medium, heavy-based saucepan over a high heat until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and chill (you can do this in a freezer for quick results). Once chilled, add to a blender with the sweet cicely leaves and blitz on high speed until smooth. Pass through a fine sieve. Pour back into a clean blender, add the xanthan gum, blitz to thicken then chill again.

      Put a large spoon of sheep’s yoghurt in each bowl, create a well in the top with the back of a spoon and fill with the sweet cicely syrup. Drain the macerated strawberries and arrange them around the outside. Finish with sheep’s sorrel.

SWEET CICELY ICE CREAM

      This is a gently fragrant ice cream, infused simply with sweet cicely. The best way to retain the flavour of this herb is to keep cooking to a minimum, so here it is briefly blanched to preserve its colour, then added to the ice cream mixture at the last minute.

      SERVES 4

      60g sweet cicely leaves

      150ml whole milk

      225ml double cream

      50g caster sugar

      4 egg yolks

      juice of ½ lemon

      Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and blanch the sweet cicely leaves for 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and refresh in a bowl of iced water. Drain and squeeze out the excess water.

      In a medium, heavy-based saucepan, bring the milk, 175ml of the cream and 25g of the sugar to the boil. Once the mixture is boiling, remove it from the heat and gradually pour it on to the egg yolks in a large heatproof bowl, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Return to a clean saucepan and cook over a low–medium heat, stirring constantly, until the temperature of the mixture reaches 80°C (check with a thermometer). Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a clean bowl, cover and leave to one side.

      Put the remaining 25g of sugar in a small, heavy-based saucepan with the remaining 50ml of cream and warm over a low heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the mixture to a blender with the blanched sweet cicely and blitz to a purée, then cool it down as quickly as possible by transferring it to a bowl set over ice to maintain the green colour.

      Once cool, combine the two mixtures, then add the lemon juice and churn in an ice-cream maker until frozen. Serve at once or transfer to a freezerproof container and store in the freezer until required.

SWEET CICELY POT WITH LEMON VERBENA AND BLUEBERRIES

      Lemon verbena is an intense herb that has a floral, citrusy scent that is released when you crush the plant’s leaves. Its flavour is slightly