The one thing I love about being in Andalusia is there is no such thing as perfectly shaped fruit and vege. Beetroot has legs and the potatoes are misshapen and have blemishes but they used to be like this back in the day before grading. They all taste fab as they haven’t been processed, chilled and shipped thousands of miles losing any flavour in the process.

At the street market in La Cala, I find a Spanish onion called calçot which is a type of green onion that's similar to a large spring onion or leek. It originates from Tarragona in Catalonia and is believed to have been created in the 1800s by a farmer who grew onions in deeper soil to lengthen the stems and keep them white.

To the onion I have added locally grown potatoes and beetroot. Beetroot is sweet and contains betaine, a substance which relaxes the mind and trytophan which is believed to promote a sense of wellbeing. These ingredients are perfect for making bhajis (bajji) which is a type of fritter originating in the Indian subcontinent made from vegetables (commonly onion is one of them) to which flour, spices and ghee or lemon juice is added before forming into balls and fried until crispy and golden and served with cucumber raita, mint yoghurt or chutney and salad leaves.

It’s lovely in the garden, 28 degrees C and so I’ve taken the ingredients outside to prep the bhajis under the shade of the hibiscus and bougainvillea trees, a far distant cry from the cold weather and floods back home. #globalapron