Merchant Gourmet

Full of herby flavour, these tasty stuffing balls are so simple to make, but play a key supporting role in any plant-based roast dinner.

The perfect plant-based, sticky, delicious treat! Perfect for Easter to Mothers day to afternoon tea. A real showstopper for sure, […]

Pure plant-based comfort food at it’s best! This recipe really takes food on toast to the next level! It can be eaten for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner and is so quick and simple to make – comfort food on toast has never tasted so good. 

Chestnuts are the perfect plant-based pie filling, adding depth and flavour and paring perfectly with the earthiness of mushrooms. This recipe can easily be the star of roast dinners, a simple pie and mash set-up or served simply with a chestnut gravy. Delicious!

hestnuts are the perfect ingredient for many plant-based dessert, not only because their subtle sweetness tastes amazing, when blitzed they act as a creamy thickener and a healthy alternative to diary products. This delicious chocolate and chestnut tart is a great example of how chestnuts can simply transform your desserts into plant-based.

For when you need something sweet, healthy and really easy! If you like the sound of banoffee pie combined with a Snickers bar, then this one’s for you.

This special Wellington is the perfect centre piece for a plant-based Christmas it tastes spectacular and looks absolutely stunning! By @thelittleplantation

Who said you can’t have your cake and eat it? With chestnut puree, you can eat your cake diary free (and a small slice of guilt free!)  in many plant-based scenarios. This chestnut and ginger cheesecake is a real showstopper, with the punchy ginger pairing perfectly with the creaminess of the chestnuts.

The ultimate festive side, full of the warming and familiar wintery flavours of Christmas

There’s nothing better than a roast dinner that is full of plant-based goodness and this delicious stuffed roasted squash recipe is packed with flavour. It’s simple to make, but guaranteed to stand out on a plate of roast dinner!

A popular player in the Christmas dinner game, this plant-based pigs in blanket recipe means you can keep make your roast dinner plant-based without having to compromise on the festive food experience

French toast with a chestnut twist! This plant-based recipe is the perfect way to start Christmas day.

Based on the classic beauty, Daube de bœuf à la Provençale, but this is entirely plant based and has developed it’s own identity!

You could bottle the chestnut spread in this recipe and eat it straight from the jar over the festive period, it’s that delicious! Combine it with mini toast and roasted grapes and you have the perfect starter on Christmas day.

If you’ve ever made the traditional version you’ll be amazed by this easy aubergines, lentil, chestnut and almost instant cheese style pant-based sauce recipe

This is the quickest route I know to the satisfaction of comfort food. The saucy lentils and Parmesan or chestnut puree create the type of texture associated with risotto and the taste associated with Bolognaise sauce, but they do it in 6 minutes rather than 20

These beauties have huge flavour and are huge fun to make. You can also shape and size the sausages to whatever you want to use them for; longer and thinner for hot dogs, tiny ones wrapped in beetroot for Christmas chipolatas, or use them in place of meatballs and that’s just a few suggestions, to start you off

A quick and simple recipe to add a festive feel to your morning. Spread on toast, dollop onto pancakes, or eat from the jar with a spoon! It’s nearly Christmas after all. Keeps for up to 6 months in the fridge.

Chestnuts are the perfect ingredient for many vegan desserts for so many reasons! I’ve used them in my caramel as they’re naturally sweet and creamy so work well as a dairy replacement when blitzed, plus they are a wonderful binding ingredient so I’ve also added them to the biscuit base so they add rich flavour and texture.

This chestnut and mushroom gravy is a fantastic vegan alternative to the traditional Christmas gravy. Flavoured with fresh thyme and paprika, it’s a hearty and delicious accompaniment to roast potatoes, a nut roast and a bowlful of sprouts! For a seamless Christmas Day, make ahead and freeze for one month, or store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

This pilaf is jam-packed full of flavour. The sweet, caramelised butternut squash pairs so perfectly with the earthiness of the chestnuts and the fluffy fragrant rice brings it all together. Perfect for a midweek dinner.

Chestnut butter is totally vegan and totally delicious whether you are vegan or not. It is delicious spread on toasted baguette or baked sweet potatoes, great to stir into soups, pasta sauces, risottos and glorious in combination with chutney and cheese on crackers

A fresh, fruity, spicy and deeply satisfying autumnal delight

This is the most politically correct way to mimic a ‘pâté de foie gras’ in the creamiest chestnut spread known to man, without getting any ducks or geese involved!

In summer, Ratatouille encapsulates this philosophy in a brightly coloured carnival of tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes and peppers

These chocolate tiffins are the perfect melt in the mouth treat alongside a cuppa. Wrap in baking paper and tie with string for a thoughtful Christmas gift, or share with friends and family on a cosy winter afternoon.

This quick cheat’s fudge is fool proof – no sugar thermometers needed here! It’s deliciously rich and fudgy, with the perfect crunch from the chopped chestnuts. The perfect post dinner treat.

These can be made ahead of time and frozen – bring out to defrost 30 minutes before serving. If you like the look of this recipe, there any many more available in The Pulses & Grains Cookbook – out now!

These candied chestnuts are quite a commitment, as doing them properly means spreading the work across 4 days. Don’t be put off though – each day requires only 5 minutes, and the end result is absolutely delicious!

A chestnut custard for Christmas, one that will happily serve everyone at your festive table including those on plant-based and dairy free diets

These chestnut chocolate truffles are seriously decadent and yet really easy to make. Roll in cocoa powder, or get creative with your toppings, coating in white chocolate, or rolling in some Merchant Gourmet Whole Chestnut pieces.

The chestnut purée gives this melt-in-the-mouth tart a nice sweet touch whilst the mushrooms provide a deliciously meaty texture.

A deliciously simple dip with a luxuriously smooth texture that a chickpea could only dream of!

Sweet potato and chestnut puree – a winning luxuriously vegan take on mash that tastes great and caters for everyone!

A wonderfully rich and comforting chestnut flavoured porridge, perfect for a healthy, hearty warming winter breakfast.

This soup is naturally creamy from the cauliflower and chestnut puree gives it a twist. Makes a perfect dairy-free nutritionally balanced plant based meal.

Delicious, rich in protein and fibre, this is a heart warming meal perfect for #veganuary with a decadent truffle twist.

This is a crunchy, chewy, golden and glorious way to start your day. Make sure you’ve always got a jar of this granola handy then alongside yoghurt and fruit you’ve got a beautiful bowlful for your table, or a portable pot to take to work or school. This recipe with the freekeh is new, as I’ve done a great many versions of the granola with all sorts of grains. It looks so pretty layered up with different fruit, you can brighten up the winter with tropical fruit or citrus, celebrate the spring with rhubarb and blaze into summer with berries. The granola can be made at least 2 weeks ahead. Store in an airtight container

A wonderfully vibrant, fresh pea and spinach soup, topped with crispy chestnut croutons. Perfect for a light lunch, or a snazzy starter.

This is a really simple recipe to make. The porcini mushrooms give the soup a fantastic flavour.

A tasty plant-based take on meatballs and comfort food bliss!

A filling, festive salad with roasted carrots and chestnuts.

A truly festive mincemeat inspired by some of the ingredients from the famous 13 Christmas desserts of Provence

A traditional Italian dessert made with only chestnut flour and water, enriched with juicy dried fruits, dates, crunchy nuts and the sweet notes of orange. Humble but deliciously festive!

This is a crumble inspired by mulled cider at Christmas to eat any time that it’s chilly.

The perfect veggie main for your Christmas lunch, full of flavour with an incredible “meaty” texture made with the addition of chestnuts

Powerfully flavoured, packed full of energy and delicately decorated, these chestnut and quinoa protein balls are the perfect healthy snack

A delicious vegetarian and gluten free take on a lasagne using crunchy almonds creamy squash and earthy lentils

This chutney is really easy to make and a great gift for friends and family, sealed in a jar and tied up with ribbon. The spices add a warming, festive feel, making it the perfect chutney to pair with cold meats on Boxing Day. Keeps for up to 3 months sealed in the fridge.

This can be an elegant soup, a rustic one or a mixture of the two.

This is a magical soup, the creamiest you will ever taste, but it doesn’t have any cream added

What a joyful tart to make, figs and chestnuts are a marriage from the magnificent month of September when they cross paths in Provence.

You can mould this kofta mixture around skewers, but I like these little egg shaped cakes that can go into or onto a wrap, through a salad, become vehicles for dip or you can braise them in tomato sauce