Celebrate Bramley Apple Week

Tangy bramleys are at their best now and, to celebrate, this week has been earmarked as Bramley Apple Week. This refreshing mackerel and apple slaw recipe recipe from TV chef Valentine Warner and herb expert Jekka McVicar combines the flavour of the crisp green fruit with the freshness of herbs, so there’s no need to add salt or sugar.

‘Bramley apples have a lovely clean taste that goes really well with oily smoked mackerel, while the dill and chives balances the flavours,’ says Jekka.

Warm smoked mackerel with bramley apple slaw
Adapted from a recipe by Valentine Warner and Jekka McVicar

Prep time: 10 min, plus resting
Cook time: 10 min
Serves: 2

3 heaped tbsp light mayonnaise
3 heaped tbsp fat-free Greek yogurt
1tsp wholegrain mustard
2tsp Dijon mustard
1½tsp white wine vinegar
200g raw white cabbage, leaves very finely shredded
1½tbsp roughly chopped dill fronds
½tbsp snipped fresh chives
1 large bramley apple, sliced thinly and cut into very fine strips
2 small smoked mackerel fillets (not peppered)

1. Combine the mayonnaise and Greek yogurt in a large bowl, then mix in the mustards and vinegar. Stir through the shredded cabbage and herbs, then set aside for 10–15 min to soften. Stir through the apple.

2. Warm the mackerel under a low-medium grill, then peel off and discard the skin.

3. Divide the slaw between two plates, then top each with a warm mackerel fillet and serve.

Per serving
601kcal, 28.5g protein, 45.8g fat, 8.4g saturates, 19.5g carbs, 17.5g sugar, 4.7g fibre, 3.6g salt, 165mg calcium, 4.2mg iron

Low sugar
Gluten-free
2 of 5-a-day

How to cook a healthy Valentine’s supper

By Melanie Leyshon

HFG crème brûlée: pure indulgence for under 200kcal 

One Valentine’s Day, before joining Healthy Food Guide, I was planning a night-in for two. I spent an age on recipe sites, trying to find three perfect courses – not too everyday, not too indulgent. There’s nothing seductive about a pudding that delivers 900 calories in one go or a meal that makes you feel so stuffed that you want to go to bed early… to sleep it off.

I couldn’t find any planned menus I liked, so chose three recipes that came in under 1,000 calories – a simple smoked salmon pâté to start, a fantastic seared steak with rocket (tagliata) and an extravagant, but not too OTT, chocolate pud (thanks to Healthy Food Guidemagazine’s indulgent cookery cousin, http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk).

This year, as editor of Healthy Food Guide, I thought I’d do myself (and those of you who are also staying in à deux) a favour by asking our recipe consultant Phil Mundy to plan a healthier Valentine’s supper. The brief: the menu needed to be satisfyingly sexy but still under 700 calories.

Phil chose a French bistro-style meal that has 673 calories all-in: a prawn salad with mango and chilli, steak and chips with a homemade tomato chutney and a prepare-ahead crème brulée.

Our friends at the Express newspaper came over to the HFG test kitchen to film Phil cooking all three recipes. Even the paper’s man-size cameraman found them filling as well as tasty.

Sit back and watch Phil whiz up the menu at http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/food/454999/How-to-cook-a-healthy-three-course-Valentine-s-Day-dinner-for-two. He also shares his brilliant cookery tips and nutrition advice.

For more recipe clips, see Phil cook our three favourite Healthy Food Guide mood-boosting recipes at: http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/food/455028/beat-the-january-blues-with-three-easy-mood-boosting-recipes.