Roasted baby carrots with fennel & caraway

This recipe for roasted baby carrots starred in my very first catering gig. The carrots are sweet and spicy with a delicious aniseed flavour from the fennel and caraway seeds. They are great as a snack: it’s hard to stop at just one carrot as they are so tasty. The carrot tops were made into carrot top pesto: to use up all of the vegetable from root to tip.

I did the catering for the launch of my partner Philip Shelper’s new book Blockchain loyalty. Below is the grazing menu I came up with for 50 people. They ate everything! – I was very happy with this result. I designed the menu to use up as much as possible of an in season ingredient from root to tip: to reduce food wastage and find the tastiest ways to prepare the ingredients. I used carrot, beetroot and eggplant: roasting, pickling and baking. If you like the sound of this menu, please let me know in the comments as I am considering running another root to tip grazing event in future.

Peck of pickles root to tip grazing menu

~Roasted eggplant dip w paprika & micro red garnet

~Carrot top pesto w tarragon & baby basil

~Roasted baby carrots with fennel & caraway

~Roasted baby beet purée w chilli, cinnamon & baby basil

~Filo beet leaf & spinach parcels w nutmeg, lemon & feta

~Assorted pickles & cheeses w mini veggies: pickled rhubarb, fennel and beetroot stems w Brie and Manchego cheese garnished w baby cucumbers, peppers & heirloom tomatoes

~Dessert: vanilla bean halva, raw cacao beans, in season strawberries & blood orange slices w rose petals