Polenta with grilled courgettes, onions and herbs

Thyme’s Head Chef, Charlie Hibbert, has put together a bespoke seasonal menu to celebrate The Nature of Thyme, an exhibition of pressed botanicals by JamJar Flowers. We are delighted to share with you this polenta dish, which is the main course from the new menu.

Recipe for polenta with grilled courgettes, onions, herbs, leaves and their flowers

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the polenta...

600ml water

100g polenta (NB check the cooking instructions on the packet as not all polentas are born equal!)

60g Parmesan, freshly grated

Olive oil for cooking

Sea salt flakes and freshly cracked black pepper

For the courgettes and onions...

4 courgettes, sliced into 1cm rounds

4 onions (Roscoff or similar)

1 lemon, zest

½ lemon juice

Olive oil for cooking

Vegetable oil for cooking

Sea salt flakes

For the leaves and flowers...

2 bunches watercress

1 bunch mint (approx. 25g), leaves picked, stems discarded

1 bunch flat leaf parsley (approx. 25g), leaves picked, stems discarded

½ bunch of lovage (approx. 12g), leaves picked, stems discarded

1 bunch of chives + chive flowers (approx. 25g), finely chopped

15 nasturtium leaves and flowers

25ml olive oil

1 lemon, zest and juice

Plus, whichever you can find out of these edible flowers...

Calendula flowers

Marigold flowers

Cowslips

Cornflower

Viola

Allium

Borage

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C (normal) | 160°C (fan) | gas mark 4

Step one: prepare the vegetables

Cut the onions in half from root to tip, making sure you don’t peel them. Place them on a baking tray cut side down, dress with olive oil and salt and put them into the oven for 20 minutes until caramelised and cooked through.

Place a pan over a medium heat, allowing it to get nice and hot before you start cooking. Dress the courgettes in a good drizzle of vegetable oil, ensuring they’re completely coated. Fry them in batches, ensuring they cook in one even layer. Once browned on each side, set them aside in a tray and dress in the olive oil, lemon zest and half of the lemon juice.

Step two: make your polenta

Bring the water to the boil with a good glug of olive oil, salt and pepper. Gently pour the polenta in a stream into the water, whilst constantly whisking. As the polenta begins to thicken, turn the temperature right down and whisk periodically to prevent it from catching on the bottom. Allow it to cook for 5-20 minutes (consult your packet - the cooking time will depend on the quality of the polenta that you have bought and whether or not it is 'quick cook').

Add more water or polenta as needed to get to the correct consistency. It should be almost porridge-like, holding its shape without being stiff and rigid. Stir through the Parmesan at the end and take it off the heat.

Step three: finishing touches

Make the salad by putting the watercress, herbs and flowers in a bowl. Dress the salad in olive oil and lemon and gently toss.

Take a large spoonful of polenta and put it in the middle of each plate. Scatter over the courgettes and two onion halves, before tumbling the herb salad over the top.

Wine Pairing

Andrea, who owns and leads Last Drop Wines on the King's Road in Chelsea, recommends a sophisticated French white to accompany this dish. Read her advice here.

About Thyme

Thyme includes 32 bedrooms situated throughout the Georgian rectory, The Lodge, The Tallet and the buildings around the courtyard and gardens. Ox Barn (seats 62) offers a wonderful dining experience, with its own twist on seasonal British food.

Thyme also offers the Baa bar, meadow spa, pool, orchid house and botanical bothy. The piggery and balcony room boutiques stock Bertioli by Thyme's range of silkwear, tableware and bespoke homeware.

If that's not enough, their 'village within a village' also contains a cookery school, floristry and drawing classes, farm, kitchen gardens, orchards and water meadows. Cottages are available for private hire and you can also book the Tithe Barn for private events.

You can view our collection of Thyme recipes and our interview with Charlie Hibbert on L-Shaped.

Thyme’s room rates currently start at £335 (midweek) / £395 (Fri, Sat) per night. These are room rates include breakfast.

Thyme, Southrop Manor Estate, Southrop, Gloucestershire, GL7 3PW