Nut roast

Ingredients

• 8 3/4 ozmixed nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 ozunsalted butter
• 2 tbspolive oil
• 1onion, finely chopped
• 1leek, finely sliced
• 2 stickcelery, finely diced
• 3 clovegarlic, crushed
• 10 1/2 ozchestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
• 6 1/4 ozcooked chestnuts, roughly broken up
• 3 1/2 ozfresh breadcrumbs
• 3 1/2 ozCheddar cheese, a variety labelled suitable for vegetarians, grated
• 2eggs, beaten
• 1/4 ozfresh thyme, leaves picked
• 1/4 ozfresh sage, finely chopped
• 2 tspsea salt
• 1 tspblack pepper

Method

1. 1

   Heat the oven to 350°F. Spread the chopped nuts on a baking sheet and toast them until they smell nutty and have colored lightly, then tip them out to cool.

2. 2

   Melt the butter with the olive oil in a wide pan and cook the onion, leek and celery until completely soft, then add the garlic and the mushrooms and keep cooking until the mushroom liquid has evaporated and the mixture is thick and dark.

3. 3

   Tip the vegetables into a large bowl and let them cool a little, then mix in the toasted nuts, the broken chestnuts, the breadcrumbs, the Cheddar, the beaten eggs, the thyme, the sage, the salt and the pepper.

4. 4

   Line a loaf pan with baking paper, leaving an overhang, and press the mixture in firmly, pushing it well into the corners and levelling the top.

5. 5

   Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350°F, then remove the foil for the last twenty minutes so the top browns and firms up.

6. 6

   Let the loaf sit in the pan until it has firmed up, then lift it out by the paper and cut it into thick slices.