Matilda Carr has been a saviour to many during lockdown, making the decision early on to offer fresh and freezer-friendly food alongside seasonal flowers, available for delivery in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire.
Before COVID-19 struck, Matilda catered for events and provided beautiful floral displays and impressive tablescapes. Now that lockdown restrictions are beginning to ease, we wanted to invite Matilda onto the journal to tell us all a little more about what services she now offers, whilst treating you to a selection of summer recipes to try at home.
Canapés & picnics
“Whilst I have loved delivering small dinners for people to enjoy at home over lockdown and I am so grateful to those who ordered, this was always a temporary arrangement until I could get back to what I know best! Since the Government guidelines have changed, I have now created a new menu aimed more at special occasions, dinner/lunch parties and picnics as we can now meet outdoors in groups of up to six people.
I have created a food and flowers delivery menu for the coming summer months, which I am delighted to be delivering between pre-existing jobs. I have put together deliverable canapés, a picnic menu, a summer lunch and dinner menu as well as puddings, and I’m now offering a service to deliver flowers and cakes for special occasions.”
Tablescapes & flowers
“I also offer a laying out service, which consists of me arriving prior to an event to beautifully display food (cold only) on decorative platters and bowls with colourful tablecloths. The crockery and decor can then be hired out for the day for collection the following day. I can also offer a flower service within this, in which I would make a beautiful seasonal flower table display using my own pots and vases, which can be collected the next day and is of course subject to government guidelines.
If you would like to get in touch, please either message me on Instagram or send me an email to matilda@bymatilda.co.uk“
Summer recipes
“Since I’m unable to deliver food to all corners of the globe and for some, deliveries may not be an option at the moment, I wanted to share with you my recipe for green hummus and beetroot tzatziki as well as homemade tortilla chips for dipping. All of these are simple recipes; the only equipment you’ll need is a blender or food processor.”
Tortilla chips:
Ingredients:
Flour tortillas
Sunflower oil
Maldon sea salt
Course ground black pepper
Method:
Cut the flower tortillas in half, then quarters and keep going until they are small triangles. If you have a deep fat fryer turn it on to 190 degrees, otherwise a deep frying pan will work. Heat 3-4 cm of sunflower oil in saucepan on a high heat, once hot, cook on each side for 2 minutes until they turn a dark golden brown. You will need to cook in batches so you don’t overcrowd the saucepan. Take them out with a spatula, place on a kitchen towel to absorb excess oil, and then sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. They will keep for up to five days when stored in Tupperware (if they last that long!).
Green hummus
Ingredients:
Good handful of spinach leaves
Good handful of parsley
Pealed garlic clove
400g chickpeas (or 1 tin)
Half a lemon or whole depending on taste
Olive oil
Good pinch of cumin
2 tablespoons of tahini
Method:
In a food processor, blitz the parsley and spinach in a little bit of olive oil to release the green! Add chickpeas, garlic, tahini and cumin and blend again; gradually pour the olive oil in whilst it’s whizzing until you get a creamy consistency. Add a squeeze of lemon with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
Beetroot tzatziki:
Ingredients:
3-4 medium sized raw beetroots
4-5 tablespoons of Greek yoghurt
Half a clove of garlic
Handful of mint
Third of a cucumber de-seeded and pealed
Squeeze of date syrup (if you have)
Good pinch of za’atar (if you have)
Squeeze of lemon and some grated zest
Method:
Roast the beetroots with their stalks off but unpeeled for an hour until soft. Once they are cool, peel and place in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients, blitz and drizzle a dash of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. It should become a deep shocking pink with a creamy consistency.