Ambassador – Lesley Waters
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Lesley Waters is well known for her regular television appearances on Ready Steady Cook , Great Food Live and This Morning . She is also a former Head Tutor of Leith ’ s School of Food & Wine , author of several cookery books , a qualified fitness instructor and a mother of two . Originally a Londoner born and bred , Lesley was quickly charmed by the beauty of the West Dorset area and inspired by the superb quality of the fresh local produce available right on her doorstep . She likes to cook seasonal food whenever possible and her simple , modern style makes for dishes that are easy to recreate with stunning results .
Teaching has always been her great passion and opening her own cookery school in Dorset in this amazing location is the realisation of a long held dream . Her energetic style of presentation is expertly combined with clear and simple guidance , making her classes both entertaining and informative .
Roasted Salt and Pepper Pears
“ I have been based in Dorset now for 14 years , but these are two of the first recipes that I developed for my cookery school when I came here . They use two of my favourite products ; lovely goats ’ cheese and a wonderful British balsamic vinegar . They bring back happy memories and I cook them time after time .”
Ingredients Serves 12
6 ripe , Williams pears 2 tsp cracked black pepper 6 tsp caster sugar 1 tsp sea salt 5 tbsp Liberty Fields balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp olive oil
Marinated Feta Cheese
Serves 6
Ingredients
350g ( 12oz ) Feta cheese 2 garlic cloves – peeled and crushed Handful of young thyme sprigs or sage leaves 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 200 ° C , 400 ° F , Gas Mark 6 . 1 . Peel , half and core the pears and lay in a roasting tray cut side up . 2 . Place the pepper , sugar and salt in a small bowl and mix well together . Scatter over the pears . 3 . Drizzle over the vinegar , olive oil and 2 tbsp water . 4 . Roast in the oven for 25 minutes . Remove tray from oven and turn the pears over , drizzle over a further 3 tbsp water and return to the oven for 15- 20 minutes until pears are golden and tender . 5 . Serve the pears warm with crumbled , marinated feta cheese , local air-dried ham , some fresh salad leaves and an extra drizzle of Liberty Fields balsamic .
Method
1 . Place the cheese in a Kilner jar or airtight container and sprinkle over the garlic . 2 . Pull the leaves from the thyme or sage and scatter over the cheese . 3 . Drizzle over the olive oil and season with black pepper . 4 . Leave to marinate overnight in the fridge if possible or for 1 hour at room temperature . 5 . Serve the cheese with the roasted salt and pepper pears .
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