October 5 -11th 2026
Apple & Kohlrabi Slaw — Bryant Terry
This is based on chef Bryant Terry's Apple & Kohlrabi Slaw, originally published in his Vegetable Kingdom. His version combines kohlrabi and apple with cabbage and a sharp lime-based dressing. The Vegan Atlas
For our box version, finely julienne the kohlrabi and Irish apple and finely shred some Hispi cabbage. Add a little sliced scallion.
Make a dressing with lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, a touch of mustard and a little honey. Season well, toss through the vegetables and leave for 20–30 minutes before serving.
Fresh, crunchy and particularly good alongside burgers, roast chicken or fish.
Credit: Adapted from chef Bryant Terry's Vegetable Kingdom.
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Traditional Colcannon (Traditional Irish Recipe)
One of those recipes where there really isn't any need to reinvent it.
Boil floury potatoes until tender, drain well and allow them to steam dry.
Finely shred the green curly kale and cook gently in butter with finely sliced scallions until tender.
Heat whole milk with a generous knob of butter. Mash the potatoes, gradually beat in the warm milk and butter, then fold through the kale and scallions. Season generously with salt and black pepper.
Serve piping hot with the obligatory well in the middle filled with melting butter.
If potatoes aren't actually included in the box this week, I'd simply list them as the one additional ingredient required.
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Creamy Leek, Broccoli & Spinach Pasta Bake
This should be a good family dinner and uses three box vegetables without trying too hard.
Gently soften sliced leek in butter or olive oil. Add the broccoli for the last few minutes.
Make a simple sauce with butter, flour and whole milk, season with black pepper and a little mustard, then add grated mature cheddar.
Combine with cooked pasta, the leek and broccoli and a couple of handfuls of baby spinach. The spinach only needs to wilt in the hot sauce.
Transfer to a baking dish, top with breadcrumbs and a little more cheese and bake at 200°C for about 20 minutes, until bubbling and crisp on top.
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Leek & Potato Soup
A simple Irish classic and a very good use for this week's leeks. This is a winter staple at Bare Acre.
Serves 4–6
Ingredients
- 450g potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 large leeks, washed well and sliced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 25g butter
- 850ml vegetable or chicken stock
- 150ml whole milk
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Chopped parsley or scallions to finish
Method
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and leeks, season lightly and cook gently for 8–10 minutes without allowing them to brown.
- Add the potatoes and stock. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15–20 minutes, until the potatoes are completely tender.
- Blend until smooth — or only partially blend it if you prefer a little texture.
- Stir in the milk and gently reheat. Add a little more stock or milk if you prefer a thinner soup.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve hot with chopped parsley or scallions and good bread.
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21-28th September
Recipes Using Our Vegetables 28th September - 4th October Some more fabulous autumnal recipes that are easy to prepare and make the very most out of this weeks veg boxs. As always, we focus on putting veg at the heart of the meal. Recipes from previous weeks can be found on our main website www.bareacrefarm.ie
Sticky Honey, Thyme & Mustard Vegetable Tray Bake with Crispy Potatoes
Unlock the joy of honey roasted vegetables. Almost any veg becomes fabulous when cooked this way, but for the purpose of this recipe, we are using the veg from this weeks boxes.
The recipe is simplicity itself and uses only one tray, so its a win win for speed and very little washing up.
BUILD IT
Cut potatoes, carrots, beetroot, swede and cauliflower into fairly chunky pieces.
Parboil the potatoes for 7–8 minutes, drain and rough them up.
Mix 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp wholegrain or Dijon mustard, plenty of thyme, salt and pepper.
Toss everything through it and roast at 200°C for 40–50 minutes, turning once.
For the last 10 minutes, scatter over chunks of goat’s cheese and return to the oven.
The trick here is not overcrowding the tray — use two trays if necessary so the vegetables actually roast rather than steam.
MAKE IT FABULOUS
Serve with a sharp little apple and cabbage slaw alongside: finely sliced white cabbage and Irish apple with a cider-vinegar dressing.
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Creamy Broccoli, Cauliflower & Potato Pie
Yes, you can add cooked chicken to this, But our recipe is vegetarian.
This is the proper comfort-food recipe of the week.
BUILD IT
Parboil chunks of potato, and blanch florets of broccoli and cauliflower for just 2–3 minutes.
Make a thick sauce with butter, flour and Farm Fresh whole milk/Cream.
Add plenty of black pepper, thyme and whatever good melting cheese you have. Fold in the vegetables and some sliced scallions.
Put into a pie dish and top with either puff pastry or shortcrust. Brush with beaten egg, cut a couple of steam holes and bake at 200°C for about 30–35 minutes.
NOTE You want the filling quite thick before it goes into the dish — otherwise you end up with vegetable soup wearing a pastry hat.
MAKE IT FABULOUS
a spoonful of wholegrain mustard stirred through the sauce would be excellent.
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Beetroot, Apple & Goat’s Cheese Tart with Honey and Thyme
This one's a little different and would make a cracking lunch as well as dinner.
Roast thin wedges of beetroot until nearly tender. Roll out a sheet of puff pastry onto a baking tray and score a 2cm border around the edge.
Inside the border, arrange the beetroot with very thin slices of Irish apple. Scatter generously with goat’s cheese and thyme.
Drizzle very lightly with honey and olive oil, season with black pepper, brush the pastry edge with beaten egg, then bake at 200°C for roughly 25 minutes until the pastry is deeply golden.
When it comes out, give it another tiny drizzle of honey and serve with Bare Acre Salad.
The apple is important here: its acidity and sweetness cut through the earthy beetroot and goat's cheese rather than the whole thing becoming heavy.
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Roasted Tomato, Onion & Goat’s Cheese Pasta
This uses the more summery end of this week's box while we still have it.
Put the cherry and/or vine tomatoes into a roasting dish with olive oil, sliced scallions, black pepper and a little salt. Roast at 200°C for 20–25 minutes until the tomatoes collapse and their juices become slightly sticky.
Meanwhile cook pasta and add chopped onion to the pasta water for the final 4–5 minutes.
Tip the drained pasta and beans straight into the tomato roasting dish. Add a splash of pasta water and toss everything together so the roasted tomato juices become the sauce.
Fold through plenty of torn basil, crumble over goat’s cheese and finish with good extra virgin olive oil.
You could also throw in a handful of baby spinach at the very end; the heat from the pasta will wilt it without turning it to mush.
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Quick Pickled Beetroot
Really simple, and far better than anything from a jar.
- Cook the beetroot – Leave the beetroot whole, trim the leaves but don't cut into the root. Simmer in water for 30–45 minutes, depending on size, until a knife slides in easily.
- Peel & slice – Drain and allow to cool enough to handle. The skins should rub off easily. Slice or cut into wedges.
- Make the pickling liquor – Put 250ml vinegar, 100ml water, 75g sugar and 1 tsp salt into a saucepan. For extra flavour, add a few peppercorns, mustard seeds or a bay leaf. Bring to the boil and stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Fill the jar – Pack the warm beetroot into a clean, sterilised jar and pour over the hot pickling liquor, making sure the beetroot is completely covered.
- Cool & refrigerate – Seal, allow to cool and refrigerate. Leave for at least 24 hours before eating; it's even better after a few days.
Quick tip: Cider vinegar gives a softer, fruitier pickle; malt vinegar gives you that traditional Irish chipper-style pickled beetroot flavour.
This version is a refrigerator pickle, not a shelf-stable preserve. Keep it chilled.