An ever-changing landscape of colour, shape and pattern to enhance the senses from dusk to dawn. The fruits, vegetables and flowers in the garden sway naturally in the soft breezes of summer. Each bloom is ephemeral, always on the verge of disappearing, only to be born again in an eternal cycle of regeneration. Magical summer flowers include hydrangea, delphinium, dahlia and roses. You can also use the delicate blooms of tiny off-white, star-shaped elderflower, beautiful blue cornflower, lavender, nasturtiums and pansies. Freeze them in ice cubes, stir into cocktails, add to green salads and use to top cakes.

Lamb with Broad Beans

Fresh broad beans are sweet and delicious with a smooth creamy texture. They only have a short summer season. Pale cashmere green, quirkily shaped and with a buttery nutty kick. The broad bean is as delicious in a summer salad as it is fragrantly accompanying tender lamb or pale soft salmon in a hollandaise sauce.

Though neck fillet of lamb is quite an economical cut, it provides very sweet meat that responds perfectly to long slow cooking and you add pre-soaked and green flageolets to cook alongside it, these too absorb all the sweet flavours of the lamb, garlic and herbs, making this an extremely flavoursome and comforting winter warmer.

Ingredients:

2lb (900 g) lamb neck fillets
8oz (225 g) flageolet beans
2 large onions, peeled, halved and cut into ½-inch (1-cm) rounds
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 oz (25 g) plain flour
1 dessertspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 pint (570 ml) supermarket lamb stock or water
3 small bay leaves
8oz (225 g) cherry tomatoes
4 small fresh thyme sprigs
2 tablespoons oil
Salt and freshly milled black pepper

You will also need a flameproof casserole dish of approximately 4-pint (2.25-litre) capacity.
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 1, 275°F (140°C)

Method:

You need to start this recipe off by soaking the beans. You can do this by covering the beans with twice their volume of cold water, then soaking them overnight. Alternatively, on the same day, boil them for 10 minutes then leave them to soak for a minimum of 2 hours.

When you're ready to cook the lamb, pre-heat the oven, trim off any really excess fat and then cut it into rounds about ¾ inch (2 cm) thick.

Now place the casserole over direct heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil then as soon as it's smoking hot, brown the pieces of meat, a few at a time, wiping them first with kitchen paper so that they're absolutely dry when they hit the fat (don't add more than 6 pieces at a time).

Then as soon as each piece is nicely browned on both sides, remove the fillets to a plate and carry on until all the meat is browned.

Next add the other tablespoon of oil and, keeping the heat high, brown the onions round the edges, moving them around until they take on a nice dark caramel colour - this will take about 5 minutes - then add the garlic, stir that into the onions and let it cook for another minute or so.

Now sprinkle in the flour and give it all a good stir, allowing the flour to soak into the juices. Add thyme leaves, then gradually add the stock, stirring all the while as you pour it in.

Next return the meat to the casserole and season it well with freshly milled black pepper, but no salt at this stage.

After that drain the beans, discarding their soaking water, and add them to the casserole as well.

Finally add the thyme sprigs and bay leaves, and as soon as everything has come up to simmering point, place a tight-fitting lid on and transfer the casserole to the centre shelf of the oven.

Give it 1½ hours and towards the end of that time pour boiling water over the tomatoes and then after 30 seconds drain off the water and slip the skins off. Add these to the casserole along with a good seasoning of salt, then replace the lid and carry on cooking for a further hour.

Before serving remove the bay leaves and sprigs of thyme and taste to check the seasoning.

Bellini Sorbet with White Peach & Mint Syrup

SERVES 4
Makes 1 litre / 1 + 3/4 pints • Preparation time: 45 minutes • Freezing time: 2 hours

White peaches, known as the caviar of fruit, they are difficult to grow and rare. Fragrant, plump and juicy, each peach is a moment of deep summer pleasure heightened by the anticipation of juice dribbling down chins and the sweet nectar of the flesh.

Ingredients:

250 ml/ 9 fl oz/ 1 cup water
150 g/ 5 0z/ 1⅛ cups caster sugar
125 ml/ 4½ fl oz/ ⅓ cup liquid glucose
10 blanched mint leaves, finely chopped
7 ripe white peaches (5 for the juice and
2 for serving)
200 ml 7 fl oz/ 1 cup Prosecco
50 ml/ 2 fl oz/ ¼ cup lemon juice

Method:

Put the water and sugar in a saucepan and stir until the sugar dissolves before boiling the mixture for 5 minutes. Add the liquid glucose and then let it cool completely, setting aside 3 dessert spoons to which the mint leaves should be added, before storing the syrup in the fridge until serving.

Quarter 5 of the peaches, remove the stones and juice them to measure out 400 ml/ 14 fl oz/ 1¾ cups. Mix the sugar syrup with the peach juice, Prosecco and lemon juice, strain and place in an ice-cream machine, filling up to half way only. Chum until firm enough to scoop, then scrape out into a plastic container, cover and place in the freezer for 2 hours.

Slice the remaining peaches into discs, fan around the plates, place a scoop of Bellini sorbet in the middle and drizzle with mint syrup.

Figs

One of the oldest and largest fig trees in Europe nestles into a corner of the gardens. Nothing is as quintessentially luscious as a ripe fig. It’s tactile, soft skin, subtle sweetness and tiny grains are a pleasure for the palate. Before sugar the fig was used to preserve cooked fruits. Plato also recommended it as ideal food for the Greek athletes. Fig wood was used in the past for roofing, cabinet making and turning.

Fruit, vegetable and flowers of the Knowsley Garden

Lamb with Broad Beans

Ingredients:

2lb (900 g) lamb neck fillets

8oz (225 g) flageolet beans

2 large onions, peeled, halved and cut into ½-inch (1-cm) rounds

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 oz (25 g) plain flour

1 dessertspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 pint (570 ml) supermarket lamb stock or water

3 small bay leaves

8oz (225 g) cherry tomatoes

4 small fresh thyme sprigs

2 tablespoons oil

Salt and freshly milled black pepperYou will also need a flameproof casserole dish of approximately 4-pint (2.25-litre) capacity.Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 1, 275°F (140°C)

Method:

You need to start this recipe off by soaking the beans. You can do this by covering the beans with twice their volume of cold water, then soaking them overnight. Alternatively, on the same day, boil them for 10 minutes then leave them to soak for a minimum of 2 hours.

When you're ready to cook the lamb, pre-heat the oven, trim off any really excess fat and then cut it into rounds about ¾ inch (2 cm) thick.

Now place the casserole over direct heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil then as soon as it's smoking hot, brown the pieces of meat, a few at a time, wiping them first with kitchen paper so that they're absolutely dry when they hit the fat (don't add more than 6 pieces at a time).

Then as soon as each piece is nicely browned on both sides, remove the fillets to a plate and carry on until all the meat is browned.

Next add the other tablespoon of oil and, keeping the heat high, brown the onions round the edges, moving them around until they take on a nice dark caramel colour - this will take about 5 minutes - then add the garlic, stir that into the onions and let it cook for another minute or so.

Now sprinkle in the flour and give it all a good stir, allowing the flour to soak into the juices. Add thyme leaves, then gradually add the stock, stirring all the while as you pour it in.

Next return the meat to the casserole and season it well with freshly milled black pepper, but no salt at this stage.

After that drain the beans, discarding their soaking water, and add them to the casserole as well.

Finally add the thyme sprigs and bay leaves, and as soon as everything has come up to simmering point, place a tight-fitting lid on and transfer the casserole to the centre shelf of the oven.

Give it 1½ hours and towards the end of that time pour boiling water over the tomatoes and then after 30 seconds drain off the water and slip the skins off. Add these to the casserole along with a good seasoning of salt, then replace the lid and carry on cooking for a further hour.

Before serving remove the bay leaves and sprigs of thyme and taste to check the seasoning.

Bellini Sorbet with White Peach & Mint Syrup

White peaches, known as the caviar of fruit, they are difficult to grow and rare. Fragrant, plump and juicy, each peach is a moment of deep summer pleasure heightened by the anticipation of juice dribbling down chins and the sweet nectar of the flesh.

Ingredients:

250 ml/ 9 fl oz/ 1 cup water

150 g/ 5 0z/ 1⅛ cups caster sugar

125 ml/ 4½ fl oz/ ⅓ cup liquid glucose

10 blanched mint leaves, finely chopped

7 ripe white peaches (5 for the juice and

2 for serving)

200 ml 7 fl oz/ 1 cup Prosecco

50 ml/ 2 fl oz/ ¼ cup lemon juice

Method:

Put the water and sugar in a saucepan and stir until the sugar dissolves before boiling the mixture for 5 minutes. Add the liquid glucose and then let it cool completely, setting aside 3 dessert spoons to which the mint leaves should be added, before storing the syrup in the fridge until serving.

Slice the remaining peaches into discs, fan around the plates, place a scoop of Bellini sorbet in the middle and drizzle with mint syrup.

Figs

Knowsley Hall Guided Tours

The Living History Society

Salt and freshly milled black pepper

You will also need a flameproof casserole dish of approximately 4-pint (2.25-litre) capacity.
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 1, 275°F (140°C)