Baked Feta Cheese with whatever you are growing in your veggie patch

The allotment sorely needs my attention right now, it will be planting time soon and a) I haven’t done any preparation and b) and even more pressing is that until today I haven’t sown any seeds.

I have a To Do List in my head – clearing the winter debris, tidying jobs abound, a new path to be cleared between the greenhouse and shed and talking of the greenhouse it’s on my to do list too!  But I’m not going to dwell on the To Do List as there’s a tendency for it to all start feeling a bit overwhelming. I remind myself this is a hobby, a pleasure and an escape from TO DO lists. Instead I accept that a busy life means it’s a case of do what and when I can and while I’m there pick a few leaves of winter greens like Chard and Kale, dig a handful of Leeks and see what’s in the fridge.

And talking of the allotment, I will take you all up there soon – I just need to remember to take my camera with me!

On to today’s recipe, it’s a Foodie Discovery – simple, inspired and delicious. It had never occurred to me to bake Feta whole before, I thought of Feta Cheese as something you added to a salad. That is until a sunny summer afternoon on a small Greek island, and heading away from the beach in search of shelter and sustenance we came across a small Taverna, ordered a beer and drooled over the menu. There were the usual suspects but gems too of Chickpea Fritters and Baked Feta. With the sand between our toes, a cool beer to hand we whiled away the afternoon sipping and supping.

Midweek meals need to be simple, quick and tasty too. And I think today’s recipe of baked feta ticks all those boxes. Baking the cheese softens it, brings out its creaminess. Try it with a cous cous salad, roasted vegetables, steamed greens, kalamata olives, salads, pita breads and you have a feast. A quick fuss free feast. No fuss and a no brainer! So instead of thinking of feta as a salad ingredient think of it as a baking buddy

Baked Feta Cheese Recipe

Ingredients and Method

• Turn the oven on to 180C
• Tear a piece of baking foil at least twice the size of your piece of feta cheese
• Pour approx a tablespoon of olive oil onto the foil
• Open a packet of feta cheese and wash it gently in cold running water
• Place the feta on top of the oiled foil
• Place a few slices of finely cut red onion, red pepper or courgettes on top of the feta
• Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil on top
• Sprinkle a generous teaspoon of dried herbs like Thyme or Oregano and then a grind black pepper
• Make a parcel by wrapping and sealing the feta in the foil so there are no holes
• Place on a baking tray and cook for 20 minutes, until the cheese is warmed through and smells enticing

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Remembering those sunny days on a Greek island makes me realise how much I long for summer days and holidays, I could do with a fix of warmth and relaxation right now….. but maybe I’d be better off being in the now and sowing some literal seeds.