July in The Farm Table

Before writing this column, I looked back at last July’s piece for reference. In it, I spoke of the unpredictability of weather and its profound impact on food and farming. The incessant Spring rainfall in 2024 had delayed planting, leaving us on the back foot and unsure of what bounties summer would yield. This year is quite the contrast, illustrating my point of unpredictability beautifully. Months of glorious sunshine has left our crops gasping for rain and struggling to germinate. However, while the fields lay parched, our vines with their deep, long-established roots are thriving and lapping up every ray of sunshine. It’s swings and roundabouts; someone always wins and someone always loses. Anyway, enough moaning about the weather…

The food of summer is so vibrant and exciting. Our kitchen is filled with baskets of courgettes and mountains of fresh herbs from the farm. As chefs beaver away shelling broad beans and podding peas, our farm team wade through the dense greenhouse jungle of tomatoes and chilli. Fruit is also particularly abundant, with plenty of cherries, apricots, berries and currants for puddings and preserving. There really is no need to eat any imported food at this time of year, so check the labels when you’re shopping and hold where ever you shop to account. You can support British farms by choosing the most delicious produce and eating with purpose.

This unpredictability also makes it tricky to pin down exact dates for our summer events. But fingers crossed, by the end of the month, our maize maze will be standing tall and ready to open, promising plenty of laughter, exploration, and sun-soaked days out. Not far off, a sea of colour is beginning to ripple through our wildflower patch, which will be open for pick-your-own as soon as it bursts into full bloom. And next month, sunflowers... It’s shaping up to be a beautiful, joy-filled summer on the farm!

Difficulty:

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

BBQ Harrisa Chicken Thighs & Chimichurri Image 1

BBQ Harrisa Chicken Thighs & Chimichurri Image 2

Related Tags

Chicken Seasonality

Ingredients

For the Harissa Chicken:

8 chicken thighs
3 tablespoons Lamiri Harissa
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Field Blends Maple Chilli Salt

For the Chimichurri:

1 cup parsley
1/2 cup coriander
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 small red chilli, deseeded (or keep seeds for extra heat)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice of half a lemon

To Serve

Flatbreads
Tenderstem Broccoli

Method

Preparing the Chicken:

In a large bowl, combine the Lamiri Harissa, olive oil, Maple Chilli Salt blend
Add the chicken thighs to the bowl and use your hands to massage the marinade into the meat. Marinate for a couple of hours, at least, preferably overnight.
Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature.

For the Chimichurri:

Roughly chop the parsley, coriander, garlic, and chilli.
Add them to a food processor along with the red wine vinegar and olive oil
Pulse until the herbs are finely chopped but not completely smooth – chimichurri should have some texture to it. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Transfer to a bowl, cover, and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavours to develop. The chimichurri can be made up to a day ahead and kept refrigerated.

Grilling the Chicken:

Prepare your coal grill to medium-high heat. Wait until the coals have developed a grey ash coating and are glowing red underneath.
Place the marinated chicken thighs skin-side down on the grill. Cook for about 6-7 minutes until the crisp.
Flip the chicken and move to a slightly cooler part of the grill. Continue cooking for another 6-8 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 75°C
Once cooked through, remove the chicken from the grill and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing.