Spinach, Honey and Thyme Roasted Parsnips with a Cheddar Walnut Crumble

A side dish of honey and thyme roasted parsnips sitting on a bed of spinach with a cheddar and walnut crumble topping flashed under the grill.  It’d be lovely served with roast chicken for a delicious summer’s lunch.

I’m using Barber’s 1833 Vintage Reserve Cheddar for this recipe, one of those cheeses that’s so full of flavour it’s a delight to use in recipes, as well as topping a humble cracker with a little tangy chutney.

It’s been made by the Barber family down on Maryland Farm in Somerset, who have an impressive 2500 acres of dairy land which is home to their 2000 cows. The Vintage Reserve Cheddar is made using traditional starter cultures, rich milk from their cows, and always matured for at least 24 months. It’s that maturity that gives it that amazing granular quality that I find totally addictive.

This side dish that i’ve developed using the cheese really shows off the flavour of this fine cheese and perfectly compliments the honeyed sweetness of the parsnips. A good serving of healthy spinach lies beneath this golden dish, matched with nutritious oats and walnuts in the crumble to reassure you that you’re being very balanced with your diet!

All you need now is a lemon and thyme roasted chicken and you’ve got yourself a weekend feast to treat your family and friends. Go on, they deserve it!

Spinach, Honey and Thyme Roasted Parsnips with a Cheddar Walnut Crumble

Serves 4
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 50 mins

Ingredients
750g parsnips
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp clear honey (golden syrup also delicious)
small handful thyme sprigs, plus extra for the topping
75g Barber’s 1833 Vintage Reserve Cheddar, grated
50g walnuts pieces, roughly chopped
50g rolled oats
350g spinach
pinch dried nutmeg

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 220C/200C fan, gas 7. Peel the parsnips and cut into equal sized wedges and spread across a baking tin. Toss in olive oil, a drizzle of honey, a good pinch of sea salt flakes and a scattering of thyme sprigs. Roast for 40-45 mins until golden.

2. Make the crumble topping, by mixing the grated cheese, walnut pieces and oats along with a tablespoon of chopped thyme leaves.

3. Towards the end of the parsnips roasting, cook the spinach – the easiest way to do this is to pierce the bag a few times with a knife and microwave on full power for 2-3 mins.

4. You can either use one large oven proof dish, or four individual dishes to serve. Line the dish with a serving of spinach seasoned with a little grated nutmeg, salt and pepper, place some roasted parsnip wedges on top and the sprinkle with the crumble topping.

5. Flash the dish under the grill until the topping is golden and bubbling then serve immediately alongside a roasted chicken for a delicious family lunch.

Cook’s tip: Any leftover dry crumble topping can be frozen in a zip lock bag for future use.

Disclosure: I have been paid to develop an original recipe using Barber’s 1833 Vintage Reserve Cheddar and share it with you here on my blog. All thoughts and ideas are my own.