Roger Saul, known colloquially as the 'champion of spelt', has recent released a delicious cookbook dedicated to this wonder-grain, and we've got three tasty courses for you to try.

The book is packed full of homely spelt recipes such as Beetroot, Goat's Cheese, Hazelnut and Dill Salad and Moroccan-spiced Lamb 'Speltotto' to Summer Raspberry Cake and Spelt Cookies, while friends of Shoreham Park including Mark Hix, Signe Johansen and Amanda Hamilton have also donated recipes to the book. With a broader spectrum of nutrients than modern wheat, spelt is easier to digest and has a lower glycaemic index than most other grains and is known to aid the prevention and treatment of various ailments and conditions. Treat yourself to Chicken Soup, Spelt Pizzas and Sticky Toffee Puddings in the knowledge that you're helping your body at the same time!

Chicken Soup with Spelt & Herb Dumplings

Nothing nourishes an ailing body quite like home-made chicken soup. Using roasted or barbecued bones adds much more flavour to this soup than if you use a raw chicken carcass, so it's well worth saving the bones left over from a Sunday roast chicken or if you do some barbecuing when the weather is balmy. SERVES 4 PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes COOKING TIME: 1¾ hours

Ingredients:

FOR THE SOUP:

• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery sticks, chopped
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 8 whole black peppercorns
• 1 bunch of thyme
• 1 bay leaf.
• 1 roasted or cooked chicken carcass, meat stripped and reserved for the soup
• 8 roast or barbecued chicken wings
• fresh vegetables, such as peas, fennel, kale, sweet potato, cabbage, broccoli, to serve
• a few herbs sprigs, such as fennel, to serve

FOR THE DUMPLINGS:

• 125g/4½oz/1 cup white spelt flour
• 125g/4½oz/1 cup wholegrain spelt flour
• 55g/2oz/heaped ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 bunch of chives, finely snipped
• 125ml/4 fl oz/½ cup buttermilk
• 1 egg

Put the carrots, celery, onion, peppercorns, thyme, bayleaf and chicken carcass in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over a high heat, then turn the heat down to low and simmer gently for 1½ hours. Drain the broth into a clean saucepan, discarding the carcass, vegetables, peppercorns and herbs, then put the broth back on the hob and bring to a gentle simmer. To make the herb dumplings, put the flours, Parmesan, baking powder, sea salt and chives in a large bowl, stir together and make a well in the centre. Add the buttermilk and egg and whisk until you have a thick, sticky dough, then stop. If you overmix, the dumplings will be tough. Shape the dough into dumplings using 2 tablespoons dipped in hot water and place the dumplings in the simmering broth. Add the chicken meat stripped from the carcass and wings and whichever fresh vegetables you wish. Cook for 5–10 minutes until the vegetables are tender, then serve the soup hot, garnished with herb sprigs.

Pizzas

My favourite pizza maker is Giuseppe Mascoli, who created Blacks club and the Franco Manca restaurant in London. He is a perfectionist and spent ages trying to get that really fine, crisp base using our spelt flour. He would always want the flour as refined as possible. ‘Roger, give me double refined!' So if you are being really picky, sift your flour once more. MAKES 6 x 23cm/9in pizzas PREPARATION TIME: 25 minutes, plus at least 1 hour rising, preferably overnight COOKING TIME: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 60ml/2fl oz/¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing
• 650g/1lb 7oz/5¼ cups white spelt flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 heaped tsp sea salt
• 15g/½oz/2 tbsp fresh yeast, crumbled, or 7g/¼oz/2 tsp fast-action dried yeast
• a pinch of sugar
• ½ tsp dried oregano (optional)

Lightly oil a large bowl. Put the ingredients in another large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add 430ml/15¼fl oz/1¾ cups lukewarm water and mix together, using a wooden spoon, to a rough dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic and springs back when poked. Transfer the kneaded dough to the prepared bowl, cover with a clean, damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes, or until it has doubled in size. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, knock the air out of the dough by punching it with your fist and knead gently once or twice. Shape the dough into 6 evenly sized dough balls, cover again and leave to prove for at least a further 10 minutes. In a perfect scenario, make the dough in the evening and let it rest overnight. Preheat the oven to 250°C/500°F/Gas 9 and grease several large baking sheets. Roll out the dough pieces to 23cm/9in diameter circles, then put them on the prepared baking sheets. Add your toppings and bake as indicated in the following recipes.

Tomato sauce

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 400g/14oz/1⅔ cups tinned chopped tomatoes
• 500g/1lb 2oz tomato passata
• 1 bunch of basil leaves
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• ¼ tsp caster sugar
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the sunflower oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and fry gently for 1 minute until soft but not browned. Stir in the tomatoes, passata, basil, chilli flakes and sugar. Cook for 5–8 minutes until the sauce starts to reduce a little. Remove from the heat and blend with a hand-held blender until you have a really smooth sauce. Season with a little salt and pepper, then cook over a medium-high heat for a further 5–10 minutes, or until the sauce is quite thick but not solid. Season again, if necessary.

Tomato & Mozzarella Pizza

• 1 recipe quantity Tomato Sauce (see above)
• 200g/7oz mozzarella cheese, shredded into strips
• a drizzle of olive oil, to serve

Spread the tomato sauce over the pizza bases, then spread with the shredded mozzarella. Bake for about 10 minutes until cooked through and bubbling, then drizzle with a little olive oil before serving.

Fiorentina Pizza

• 250g/9oz spinach leaves
• a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 100g/3½oz Tomato Sauce (see above)
• 6 eggs
• 50g/1¾oz Parmesan cheese, shaved into strips
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• a drizzle of olive oil, to serve

Pork & Fennel Meatball pizza

• 1 recipe quantity Pork & Fennel Meatballs (see below)
• 1 recipe quantity Tomato Sauce (see above)
• 200g/7oz mozzarella cheese, shredded.
• a few Parmesan shavings
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• rocket leaves or herbs, to serve

Make the meatballs to the end of step 3 of the Pork & Fennel Meatballs recipe (below) so you have uncooked bite-sized meatballs. Spread the pizza bases with tomato sauce, then top with the uncooked meatballs and sprinkle with the mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 8–10 minutes until puffed up, golden and the meatballs are cooked. Top with some Parmesan shavings and serve with a handful of rocket.

Sticky Toffee Puddings

What is not to love about sticky toffee puddings – apart from the regrettable fact that we can only enjoy them in moderation! This is one of those naughty recipes that we all deserve occasionally because they are just such a treat. It is also a really useful dessert, as the puddings can be made in advance, wrapped tightly in cling film, then labelled and frozen, ready to emerge and delight your guests. SERVES 8 PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes COOKING TIME: 30 minutes for individual puddings, 50 minutes for a large pudding

Ingredients:

FOR THE PUDDINGS:

• 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
• 175g/6oz/scant 1¼ cups chopped pitted dates
• 1½ tsp black treacle
• 1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 185g/6½oz/1 cup dark soft brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 175g/6oz/1⅓ cups white spelt flour
• 1 tsp baking powder

FOR THE STICKY TOFFEE SAUCE:

• 75g/2½oz unsalted butter
• 75g/2½oz/scant ¼ cup golden syrup
• 75g/2½oz/heaped ⅓ cup dark soft brown sugar
• 80ml/2½fl oz/⅓ cup double cream, plus extra to serve
• ¾ cup pudding moulds, or a large ovenproof dish.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 and grease eight 185ml/6fl oz/¾ cup pudding moulds, or a large ovenproof dish. Put the dates, treacle, bicarbonate of soda and 250ml/9fl oz/1 cup cold water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and blend, using a hand-held blender or a blender, until completely smooth. Beat together the butter and sugar, using an electric whisk, until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, including a spoonful of the flour with each egg to prevent the mixture from splitting, beating well between each addition. Add the puréed date mixture, fold in the remaining flour and combine using a figure of eight motion with a large metal spoon or spatula. Don't beat the mixture or it will be tough. Pour the mixture into the prepared moulds, filling about two-thirds full so that they have ample room to rise while baking. Bake for 20–30 minutes for individual puddings or 40–50 minutes for one large pudding until well risen and springy to the touch. Although the puddings are dark in colour, you will see that they also brown a little. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5–10 minutes before serving. (If you are going to use them another time, turn them out onto a wire rack and allow them to cool completely before wrapping and chilling.) Meanwhile to make the sticky toffee sauce, put all the ingredients except the cream in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and fold in the cream. Pour over the puddings and serve with a little extra pouring cream for an extra-indulgent dessert. Spelt by Roger Saul is available to buy on the Sharpham Park website, RRP £16.99