The first courgettes are well and truly here – versatile, delicious and soon to turn into a glut. If you have a garden or allotment with a couple of courgette plants, then you will need every recipe possible to keep fully enjoying them until the end of the season.
Our first recommendation is to pick them small – when they are firm and tasty and not watery when you cook them. Don’t forget that the flower is also edible and can be eaten along with the sliced courgettes and fried in batter (see last week’s newsletter!). 
Another more healthy but equally delicious option is a courgette salad.
serves 6-8
- 3-4 courgettes
- grated zest of 1 lemon and juice of 1/2 lemon
- grated zest of 1 lime and juice of 1/2 lime
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped summer savory or tarragon
- 1 teaspoon runny honey
- salt and black pepper
Using a veg peeler, slice the raw courgette into ribbons, before adding lemon and lime zest. Combine the remaining ingredients to make your dressing, before adding to the courgette. Toss gently, season and serve.
A third option is to slice the courgettes in a bowl with olive oil, rosemary and garlic – season and toss together, before grilling or frying on a griddle or BBQ.
Hopefully that gives you a couple of options to start with, but let me know if you have any other favourite courgette recipes and we will start a compilation….