Yemi Adelekan is a Harrogate-based food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in the 2022 series of BBC TV’s Masterchef competition.

Yemi writes for the Stray Ferret about her love of the area’s food and shares cooking tips.

There is something pretty special about cooking with ingredients you can easily and directly trace to its source.

Two weeks ago, I found myself at the incredible Mount St John Kitchen Garden, near Thirsk, for one of its open days, surrounded by rows of vegetables, herbs and flowers, with the most spectacular views stretching out beyond the garden. I was there to do a chef demonstration, which always feels like a humbling experience.

I had plenty to work with, so I chose chillies, tomatoes, beetroot, kale, Swiss chard, onions and garlic, all grown right there in the garden. My brief, in many ways, was simple: take these beautiful ingredients and make them sing.

I decided on two dishes, each reflecting a little of my own food journey.

First was my roasted beetroot, served on a bed of creamy labneh with a sauce vierge dressing. I used more tomatoes than peppers in my version, letting their sweetness come through. Red onions were caramelised before the beetroots were tossed in the pan, followed by a splash of whisky balsamic and some red peppercorns.

The fish was next; I pan-fried the trout skin side down for the whole cooking time and cooked the top gently by basting with the hot oil. I kept the seasoning simple, but tossed in some pink peppercorns and fresh herbs to gently infuse the fish without overpowering it. A non-stick pan is a must especially if you like your crispy fish skin.

Everyone must have heard by now that trout and beetroot are an awesome pairing, like a marriage made in heaven; it’s why we have beetroot-cured trout.

For my dish, the earthiness of the beetroot, the richness of the trout, the sharpness of the dressing and the cool creaminess of the labneh all came together beautifully to create a stunning and visual dish that reminded me of the beauty of the gardens.

My second dish took me much further from Yorkshire and back to Nigeria.

Efo riro translates roughly as ‘stirred vegetables’ and is a dish I love for its versatility. Red pointed peppers, tomatoes (optional), chillies, garlic, ginger and onions are roughly blended before being fried in oil with seasoning. The key is allowing the pepper mixture to cook properly before the vegetables are added.

Traditionally, Efo riro might contain assorted meats or fish, but there is plenty of room for adaptation. Vegetarians can replace the meat with shiitake or oyster mushrooms.

On this occasion, the star vegetables were the Mount St John kale and Swiss chard. The kale was so young and tender that it needed very little preparation. I washed it, sliced it and added it to the cooked pepper mixture first, giving it about three minutes to soften. The sliced Swiss chard followed for another couple of minutes. That was it. I finished the Efo riro with more of that beautifully cooked trout.

Both dishes were practically begging to be scooped up, so I made some fresh flatbreads to serve with them.

There is something wonderfully satisfying about tearing off a piece of warm bread and using it to scoop up whatever is on your plate. In this case, it meant catching up every last bit of the labneh, beetroot and trout, or mopping up the rich, peppery Efo riro.

It felt like the perfect meeting of two food worlds: Yorkshire produce, grown with care, finding its way into dishes inspired by my Nigerian heritage and my love of bringing flavours together.

And that, for me, is what made the day at Mount St John so memorable. I got to share a bit about my mum who birthed my love of food; I lost her a few weeks before the demo and being able to share what she would have cooked for me was comforting and special.

The Kitchen Garden is the backbone of the Provenance Inns Group, which is a collection of hotels, restaurants and pubs. Seeing where some of that produce begins gives you a completely different appreciation of what eventually arrives on your plate.

The garden itself is quite something. Designed by Tom Stuart-Smith OBE, it combines the character of a traditional Victorian kitchen garden with ornamental water features and beautifully considered planting. Add those breathtaking views and it becomes a place where you could happily spend far longer than you intended.

The garden currently opens to the public just twice a year, with the next open day expected in October, although the date is yet to be confirmed.

So, if you love gardens, food, growing, cooking or simply discovering what happens behind the scenes of some of Yorkshire’s wonderful hospitality businesses, keep an eye out for the next Mount St John Kitchen Garden Open Day.

Go for the garden. Stay for the views. And, if you are lucky, leave inspired to take an idea of something new to grow back to your own kitchen.