Today was another vegetarian day for the Buxers…although some of them sneaked a little anchovies into the salad ;-). I did promise some meat for tomorrow. But, no complaints: next to the pea, courgette & parmesan soup, this lunch was in perfect balance. -enjoy-

INGREDIENTS (serves 6)

1 large crusty baguette
200g baby spinach
200ml double cream
2 medium free-range eggs, beaten
1 garlic clove, crushed
Finely grated zest 1 large lemon
1 tsp English mustard
75g gruyère cheese, finely grated

METHOD

Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Halve the baguette widthways, then cut out an oval shape along the length of each half, leaving a good 3-5cm border around the edge – you want the shell to be as watertight as possible. Using your hands, pull out the soft bread inside.
Boil a full kettle of water and put the spinach in a large sieve or colander. Pour over the water and leave the spinach to wilt. Drain well, then set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, mix the double cream with the eggs, garlic, lemon zest and mustard. Squeeze any excess water from the wilted spinach and put on a chopping board. Roughly chop, then stir into the cream mixture along with half the cheese. Season well.
Spoon the filling into each baguette half and sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the filling has just set. Leave the baguettes to sit for a few minutes before serving, or serve completely cold.