Haskins is encouraging gardeners to make the most of their homegrown beetroot with a delicious roasted beetroot and balsamic vinegar recipe.

Alasdair Urquhart, Haskins’ in-house plant expert, commented: “This time of year is the ideal time to harvest beetroots. If you can resist picking the leaves for salads, they can be harvested right into October.

“My advice would be to twist the tops off instead of cutting, to maintain their deep colour and stop them from staining everything red. They are packed full of vitamins and minerals and roasting them will make a great side dish for roast meat or as a main for vegetarians. Even if you haven’t had time to grow your own beetroot this year, you can still follow our step-by-step recipe.”

Ingredients (serves 5)

• 3 bunches of beetroot (with leaves)
• 1oz butter
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Method

• Preheat oven to 190°C.
• Twist the tops of the beetroot leaves off and set aside.
• Boil the beetroot for 20 minutes, drain and set aside until cool enough to handle.
• Peel the skin away from the beetroot.
• Quarter the beetroots.
• Add the butter, olive oil and some seasoning.
• Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar.
• Bake for a further 15 minutes until tender.

Alasdair added: “Roasting the beetroot will elevate their taste to a new level and the addition of the vinegar makes for a really tasty and vibrant dish.”