Milk jelly with tomato and nettle syrup

Preparation method

1. For the tomato and nettle syrup, carefully drop the tomatoes into a large pan of boiling water for ten seconds and then plunge into iced water. Remove the tomato skin and cut the flesh into quarters. Separate the tomato flesh from the seeds and remove the core. Reserve the tomato flesh 'petals'.

2. Place the tomato skin, cores and seeds into a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer into a jelly bag and allow the tomato water to strain through the jelly bag into a bowl, overnight.

3. Preheat the oven to 100C/200F/Gas ½. Place the water and caster sugar into a large pan, bring to the boil and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add the reserved tomato 'petals' and the nettle stalks and pour onto a shallow baking tray that allows the 'petals' to be covered by the syrup. Reserve 200ml/7fl oz of the sugar syrup.

4. Place the tray in the oven and cook for one hour or until the 'petals' become firm to touch in comparison to their original fleshy juiciness. When cooked, remove from the heat and allow to cool in the syrup.

5. For the jelly, measure 250ml/9fl oz of the tomato water that was strained from the tomato pulp through the jelly bag.

6. Place the gelatine leaf in a small bowl of cold water and leave until soft. Remove the gelatine from the water and squeeze out any excess water. Gently warm the 250ml/9fl oz of tomato water in a small pan, add the soaked gelatine, then remove from the heat and leave to dissolve.

7. Once dissolved, place a little of the tomato water into four individual Yorkshire pudding tins or similar (10cm/4in diameter x2cm/1in deep) so that it comes a quarter of the way up the side of the tins.

8. Remove the cooled tomato 'petals' from the poaching syrup and pat dry on some kitchen paper.

9. Place a tomato 'petal' or two into the bottom of each mould and place the moulds in the fridge to set for one hour.

10. For the milk jelly, place the double cream, milk and caster sugar into a large pan and bring to the boil.

11. Place the gelatine leaves in a small bowl of cold water and leave until soft. Remove from the water and squeeze out any excess water. Add the soaked gelatine to the hot cream, leave to dissolve and then strain through a sieve into a clean bowl resting over a bowl filled with ice. Chop half the blanched nettle leaves and stir into the mix.

12. As the milk jelly begins to thicken, pour equal amounts into each of the moulds with the now set tomato jelly in the bottom. Fill each mould to the top and refrigerate for three hours or until set.

13. Pour the 200ml/7fl oz of reserved sugar syrup into a saucepan and bring to the boil, add the rest of the nettles, stir and then blend with a hand-blender to produce a sweet green nettle syrup. Pour immediately onto a flat tray to cool as quickly as possible to preserve the bright green colour.

14. To serve dip each mould into hot water for three seconds and turn out onto a plate. Pour a little of the nettle syrup around each milk jelly and serve.

Overnight preparation time

1 to 2 hours cooking time

Serves 4