Jewelled couscous
Serve your grain with cucumber, apricot, peppers, olives and tomatoes then drizzle with lemon-infused oil for a mellow finish
Peel 1kg carrots and cut into sticks or slices. Boil in generously salted water for 2 mins until just starting to soften, then drain.
To make the pickling vinegar, put the whole spices in a medium saucepan. Toast over a low heat until they begin to smell aromatic. Add the dried chilli flakes last, as these can easily catch. Add the bay, turmeric and garlic cloves, pour in all of the vinegar and sugar, let it dissolve, and bring to a simmer.
Pack the carrots into the jars, adding 1 tsp coarse crystal sea salt to each, cover with the hot vinegar and seal. Ready to eat in 2 weeks, or longer, if you like.