The Taste the Distance Competition involved cooking a number of recipes and comparing the food miles between making the recipe from local produce as opposed to supermarket ingredients that could come from much further afield.

Spinach Roulade

(Using ingredients local to Bishops Waltham, which are in season in February)

Swiss Chard makes a good hardy alternative and it has loads more flavour than baby leaf spinach.  It is really easy to grow and will provide you with vitamin packed greens through the depths of winter.

Method

1. Cut the stems off the chard or spinach and wash thoroughly, then strain as much of the water off in a colander.  Cook for 2 – 3 minutes in a large pan with a lid with only the water that clings to the leaves and a pinch of salt.  Remove and leave to drain in a colander then chop as finely as possible.
2. Line a Swiss Roll tray with either a teflon non-stick baking parchment or greeseproof paper, which has been lightly buttered and dusted with flour.
3. Separate the eggs and in another bowl grate the cheese then put this to one side.
4. Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan then add the flour on a low heat and stir this to a smooth paste.  Meanwhile warm the milk and add this gradually to the butter and flour stirring constantly cook for another 3 minutes to thicken.  Season to taste with salt and optionally cayenne.
5. Stir in the chopped spinach and egg yolks to the sauce and remove from the heat.
6. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, then gently fold this into the spinach sauce mixture with the grated cheese.
7. Pour the mixture onto the baking sheet and spread it into the corners.  Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated oven at 200^OC (180^o C if fan oven) until slightly golden and puffed up.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin on a wire rack.  The base will collapse into a flat sheet.  If you used greaseproof paper carefully turn it out onto a clean teatowel and peel off the paper.  If you used the teflon baking parchment you can skip this step.
9. Spread the goats cheese onto the spinach base, making a thicker band across one end.  Roll the spinach up from the thick end first, using the sheet or teatowel to roll it over.  Chill then cut into slices and serve.

Maps showing where the ingredients have come from,