Dine like Lord and Lady Carnarvon with these recipes from her new book about Highclere Castle

HERITAGE TOMATO TART 

My husband Geordie and I are passionately devoted to our ‘heritage’ here at Highclere, so, of course, we use these tomatoes — varieties that have been grown without cross-breeding for 40 or more years. 

They have the added advantage of coming in lots of colours, so they make the tart look really pretty as well as tasting wonderful, and they contain lycopene, one of the most powerful natural antioxidants.

Serves 6

Heritage tomato tart (pictured) should be left to cool before cutting into slices 

• 200g (7oz) heritage tomatoes
• 125g (4½oz) soft goat’s cheese
• 150g (5½oz) ricotta cheese
• 1tbsp milk
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• A small bunch of chives, chopped
• 1tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 20cm ready-made shortcrust pastry case
• ½tsp dried oregano
• 1tbsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6.

Slice the larger tomatoes and cut the small ones in half. Place them all to one side.

Mix the goat’s cheese, ricotta and milk together until smooth. Add a good pinch of black pepper, most of the chives and the lemon zest, then mix again.

Spoon the cheese mixture into the pastry case. Arrange the tomatoes on top then sprinkle with a little oregano, the remaining chives, some salt and a drizzle of olive oil.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the tomatoes start to soften.

Remove from the oven and allow the tart to cool for at least 10 minutes, before cutting into slices.

Hanky Panky (pictured) is best served garnished with an orange twist

HANKY PANKY

The recipe is from the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book and was created by the legendary Ada ‘Coley’ Coleman, the Savoy’s first female head bartender. It has a beautiful scent.

• 50ml (2fl oz) Highclere Castle Gin (a recipe created by Lord and Lady Carnarvon, available online) or other gin
• 50ml (2fl oz) sweet vermouth
• 2 dashes of Fernet-Branca (a bitter herbbased liqueur)

Combine all the ingredients into a mixing glass with ice. Stir until well chilled. Strain into a chilled glass and then garnish with an orange twist

Roast beef salad with homemade horseradish (pictured) is best served with the sauce on the side

ROAST BEEF SALAD WITH HOMEMADE HORSERADISH

This can be cooked up to two days ahead and the beef carved four hours in advance.

Serves 6

• 6 small candy beetroot
• 5tbsp olive oil
• 500g (1lb 2oz) potatoes
• 4 red onions, cut into wedges
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 700g (1lb 8oz) fully trimmed beef sirloin
• 200g (7oz) green beans
• Cherry vine tomatoes (5 per person)
• 3tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1tbsp wholegrain Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180 °C/gas 6.

Lay out the beetroot on a sheet of baking parchment and sprinkle over a tablespoon of oil and a little water, then fold it up into a sealed parcel. Roast for 30 minutes, or until tender. Remove, cut the beetroot in half and keep warm.

Peel and cut the potatoes into chunks, then parboil for 5-6 minutes. Place in a roasting tin along with the onions and 2 tablespoons of oil. Roast for 30 minutes, until golden. Turn off the oven and leave the vegetables inside.

Season the beef. Rub with a tablespoon of oil. Heat a large pan over a high heat and brown the beef all over to seal it. Put it in a roasting tin and roast for 15-20 minutes (rare), 20-25 minutes (medium rare) or 25-30 minutes (medium)… and no longer!

Remove the beef, cover with tin foil and leave to rest for at least 20 minutes.

Cook the beans in boiling salted water for 3 minutes, until al dente. Drain.

Roast the vine tomatoes for no more than 5 minutes and season.

Whisk together the vinegar, the last tablespoon of oil and the mustard. Season well, then use to dress the beetroot and beans. Arrange the potatoes, onions, beetroot, green beans and tomatoes around the carved beef for people to combine as they prefer, with horseradish sauce (see below) on the side.

HORSERADISH SAUCE

Serves 4-6

• 15g (½oz) horseradish, freshly grated
• 1tbsp white wine vinegar
• A pinch of English mustard powder
• A pinch of caster sugar
• 150ml (5fl oz) double cream, lightly whipped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Soak the grated horseradish in 2 tablespoons of hot water for 30 minutes.

Drain, squeeze dry and mix with all the other ingredients. Serve in a bowl.

Gardener’s note Horseradish is the perfect foil for beef and thought to help rheumatism and increase circulation. It is easy to grow and has a clearer taste than shop-bought. You just need to grow one or two plants; they are tough and spread so you may choose to confine them in a pot.

Smoked salmon roulade (pictured) should be chilled in the fridge for at least six hours

SMOKED SALMON ROULADE

Serves 4

• 20 slices of smoked salmon
• 200g (7oz) raw baby spinach
• 500g (1lb 2oz) hot-smoked salmon
• 250g (9oz) cream cheese
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 200ml (7fl oz) double cream
• A pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1tbsp dill, chopped
• 1tsp chives, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

On a clean table, spread out a sheet of clingfilm and onto this lay out the smoked salmon slices, with a slight overlap, covering an area of 15cm x 30cm. Now line the salmon slices with the spinach.

Put the hot-smoked salmon (and any smoked salmon trimmings), the cream cheese and the lemon juice into a food processor and blitz until it becomes a smooth purée.

Add the double cream and cayenne pepper and whiz again briefly, being very careful not to overwork the mixture. Add the dill and chives, and season to taste.

Spoon the mixture over the spinach and start to roll the salmon up into a cylinder shape, then tightly roll up the clingfilm around it, twisting the ends to keep the roulade tight. Chill in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours.

When ready to serve, unwrap the roll and slice with a very sharp knife.

TARTE AUX FRAISES

Serves 10

Tarte aux fraises (pictured) should be gently brushed with apricot jam and lemon juice before serving 

• 125g (4½oz) unsalted butter
• 85g (3oz) icing sugar
• 1 egg
• 200g (7oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 100g (3½oz) good-quality strawberry jam
• 500g (1lb 2oz) strawberries, sliced (simply hull small ones)
• 2tbsp apricot jam
• 1tbsp lemon juice

For the crème pâtissière

• 300ml (10fl oz) milk
• 150ml (5fl oz) double cream
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 3 egg yolks
• 60g (2¼oz) caster sugar
• 3½tbsp cornflour
• 50g (1¾oz) butter, cubed

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 and grease a 23cm- diameter tart tin.

Gently beat the butter and sugar together until smooth but not fluffy. Mix in the egg and flour. Push together into a ball of dough, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 20 minutes.

Dust a work surface with flour and roll out the pastry into a circle 3cm bigger than the tin. Line the tin with the pastry, leaving an overhang. Prick the base with a fork and chill for 30 minutes. 

Fill the pastry with baking beans and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and cook for 15-20 minutes, until crisp and golden. Leave in the tin to cool.

For the crème pâtissière, put the milk, cream and vanilla in a pan over a medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Whisk the yolks and sugar in a bowl for 3 minutes, until pale, then stir in the cornflour until combined.

Pour a quarter of the hot cream over the egg mix, whisking continuously, then pour into the cream pan. Stir over a medium heat for 5-8 minutes, until it thickens. Put in a bowl to cool for 15 minutes.

Gradually whisk in the butter until smooth, cover and chill.

Beat the strawberry jam to loosen, then spread over the bottom of the pastry. Spread the crème pâtissière over the jam and arrange the strawberries on top in a pattern.

Heat the apricot jam in a small pan with the lemon juice and gently brush over the top of the strawberries.

His Lordship Cocktail (pictured) is best enjoyed with a strip of orange zest

HIS LORDSHIP COCKTAIL

We make and sell excellent marmalade, an essential part of Lord Carnarvon’s life!

• 50ml (2fl oz) Highclere Castle Gin or other gin
• 25ml (¾fl oz) elderflower cordial
• 25ml (¾fl oz) lemon juice
• 1 bar spoon of orange marmalade
• Ice and a strip of orange zest

In a cocktail shaker, stir the gin, cordial, lemon juice and marmalade together until the marmalade has dissolved. Add ice, then shake until cold. 

Double strain (see note below) into a cocktail glass. To garnish add an ice cube, if it’s a hot day, and a strip of orange zest.

Butler’s note Double straining is when we use two strainers of different mesh size to ensure that no crushed ice passes into the glass.

The English Garden (pictured) can be garnished with slices of apple and a cherry 

THE ENGLISH GARDEN

This is such a quintessentially British cocktail filled with summer flavours. It is best served in a long, tall glass and enjoyed in a deckchair on a lawn.

• 50ml (2fl oz) Highclere Castle Gin or other gin
• 25ml (1fl oz) elderflower liqueur (such as St Germain)
• 15ml (½fl oz) lime juice
• 75ml (3fl oz) apple juice

To garnish

• Apple slices and a glacé cherry
• A cucumber ribbon

Shake all the ingredients together in a cocktail shaker and then strain into a glass filled with ice. Garnish the cocktail with slices of apple skewered with a cherry and a cucumber ribbon pushed down into the cocktail.

Seasons At Highclere: Gardening, Growing And Cooking Through The Year At The Real Downton Abbey by the Countess of Carnarvon is published by Century on 16 September, £30. © The Countess of Carnarvon 2021. Photographs by Paul Winch-Furness. 

To order a copy for £27 go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3308 9193. Free UK delivery. Offer price valid until 25/09/2021.