I can't live without this anymore, it's addictive ... so grateful to have a tomato free ketchup that is just delicious”

We agreed this one looked pretty revolting and it was our least favourite in terms of taste. Perhaps it would be better as a sauce than a dip. Rhubarb

Check Your Beets For Sweetness

Whichever way you go, just put the beets - whole with skin, or peeled and chopped - onto a few layers of foil, along with the onions and garlic. Onion, carrot and celery A classic base for so many sauces and stews, this is known as 'soffrito' in Italy. It gives the ketchup a lovely aromatic base. Some supermarkets now sell a frozen finely-chopped soffrito mix, if you're really in a hurry! Making Andi Oliver’s boreks is not a task for the impatient cook as you’ll need just under two hours, but on completion you’ll be left with perfectly crisp pastry stuffed with the most vibrant filling. Plus, the recipe includes a cucumber and apple gazpacho to be served alongside them – so you’re really making two dishes at once!

Toast the star anise, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, peppercorns and cloves in a small dry pan over a low heat until they are fragrant. Today's recipe is one that was inspired by the Indian pavilion. There was a beet ketchup available for sale, and my husband JUMPED on it. Cook the vegetables for 6–8 minutes until beginning to soften, then add the crushed spices and cook for a further 2 minutes. But, if you're giving this ketchup away as a gift it is nice to have some really pretty flip-top bottles - I love these Kilner 250ml bottles which I bought for a vodka project last year but are now being re-used! Kids will love the colour of them, adults will love the taste of them. These pretty ‘n’ pink beetroot-spiked blinis are perfect for feeding a crowd. We’ve topped them with horseradish and a mixture of smoked salmon and soft-boiled quail eggs but feel free to top them with whatever you fancy.

Sign up to our newsletter

Toss with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper, and fold the edges of the foil up to create a pouch around the beets. Peel and roughly chop the onion and garlic and mix with the remaining oil. When the beetroot has been cooking for 45 minutes, add the onion and garlic mixture to the roasting tin around the foil parcel and return to the oven. Continue cooking for a further 40 minutes or until the beetroot is tender and the onion mixture is sweet and caramelised. Boil everything down. To do this, let the food simmer over medium heat without the lid until enough liquid has been reduced and the consistency desired for the ketchup has been reached. This process takes several hours, depending on the heat, the size of the pot and the desired consistency. Stir again and again in between, season to taste and, if necessary, season.

It satisfies the "creamy but acidic" thing you want from ketchup, is casual and fun while still being earthy, rich, and fancy. SO good.. and kind of pretty! This makes a gorgeous purple-ruby red ketchup.To south India next, for Meera Sodha’s beetroot pachadi. Officially a side dish, this gorgeously coloured coconut dish can fend for itself with ease. Mustard seeds, curry leaves, garlic and ginger are fried, then mixed with boiled beetroot and grated coconut before being stirred through yoghurt and served hot. Magnificent. Beetroot brownies Peel the fresh beetroot and ginger and cut into very small cubes (preferably with silicone gloves). Take the tomatoes out of the tin and also dice them very small. The small cubes because the ketchup should later fit through a bottle opening without clogging, but still want a lumpy consistency like a salsa. But if you're in a hurry this ketchup is also lovely made with pre-cooked beetroot. Just make sure it is plain and not in vinegar or with other flavourings. Sometimes you crave crunch and texture from a dish. This one combines thinly sliced marinated beetroot, salty halloumi shards and toasted pistachios to create a winning, elegant vegetarian dish.

This week there was horseradish-hot beetroot ketchup for sausage sandwiches, but we made another, too, a silky, ochre dip with bananas and ginger that was destined for grilled fish, but would have been just as welcome for a massaman curry or a bowl of steamed white rice. In a food processor or blender, blitz roasted beets, onion, and garlic together with remaining ingredients until smooth.If there’s a recipe that showcases how gorgeous beetroot can be, we think we’ve found it. We’ve used a mixture of golden and candy beetroots, marinated them in lemon and then finished them off with fresh orange slices and a piece of white fish. Result? A vibrant and healthy recipe perfect for those warm summer evenings.