Earlier this week we roadtested different recipes from Hayley McKee’s inspiring new cookbook, Sticky Fingers, Green Thumb, which demonstrates how to use vegetables, herbs and edible flowers in baking.

We invited Hayley to come in and select the best one! Here are the results…

Kara Nicholson made ‘Honey for Ray’ (pg. 113):

The ‘tastes of nature’ in this cake were fennel, honey and lemon myrtle. I love fennel but I’ve never put it freshly grated in a cake batter before – the result was fantastic! Despite it’s daunting appearance this cake was really easy to make. I didn’t have any lemon myrtle so I used lemon thyme but I’m definitely keen to hunt down lemon myrtle and try this recipe again.

Judges’ comments: A difficult choice with lots of elements – and every single one was perfect. The presentation was glorious, the cake itself was soft and scrumptious, and the syrup excellent.

Ellen Cregan made ‘Parsnip, pear and cinnamon’ (pg. 67):

I am vegan, so I altered this recipe slightly. Instead of the two eggs it calls for, I used the equivalent amount of egg replacer, and a little bit of a soy milk and apple cider vinegar concoction to make sure the batter was wet enough. (This sounds gross, but works every time.) Apart from this alteration, I made the recipe pretty much as is. Parsnip has such a fragrant flavour, and this, as well as the hazelnuts, made my kitchen smell great. This is a simple, wholesome cake that you could eat for breakfast.

Judges’ comments: An impressive adaption! Great texture and lovely to eat.

Lian Hingee made ‘Herbed salted honey bars’ (pg. 152):

My Mum and step-dad have a big property where they host a couple of very industrious little beehives that keep them well supplied with honey. During my last visit they plied me with bottles of the stuff, so when I saw this recipe, I knew that was what I had to make.

The recipe was very simple and easy to follow – the most laborious step was plucking the herb leaves from the stalks. I used thyme from my own herb garden, and pinched a sprig of rosemary from the neighbours and ten minutes after the slice hit the oven my entire house started to smell absolutely mouthwatering. The bars are dense and chewy, and the flaked sea salt on top offers a much-needed counterpoint to the sweetness of the honey. The herbs give the bars a lovely complexity that elevates them from a sweet treat to something quite special.

Judges’ comments: Truly delicious. An easy recipe, but one that was executed 100% perfectly.

Claire Atherfold made ‘Avocado and Pea Cookies’ (pg. 165):

Now, you might say peas in cookies – aren’t they a vegetable? While it is becoming more and more commonplace to find healthy foods in your treats, like beetroot or carrot, I must admit that this was the first time I have had peas in a dessert! The recipe was super easy to follow and I was surprised by how flavoursome they were.

Judges’ comments: A little cloud of yum, and good use of avocado flavour

Jan Lockwood made ‘Raspberry, orange and basil oil’ (pg. 96):

This moist loaf of fruitiness had an attractive and distinctive colour. Preparation was really straightforward – thanks to the whisk attachment on my food mixer. Six minutes of creaming the butter and sugar was a breeze, and all the other ingredients were just added in stages. A full cup of basil produced a beautiful pistachio colour. The recipe was clear about being gentle with the raspberries so as to avoid turning the green into a purple mess so I took the initiative and spooned a layer of batter into the tin, then plopped a handful of raspberries around, and repeated until all was used. A lick of the spoon and I was transported way back to ‘helping’ Grandma make cakes.

The finished result is a sweet cake with pops of sharp raspberries throughout – a satisfying combination.

Judges’ comments: Really nailed the use of basil oil. Very light, great texture. Overall, very good.

Chris Gordon made ‘Golden saffron pumpkin’ (pg. 63):

There is so much that I love about this cookbook. For one thing, there’s the tips and treats scattered throughout the pages – useful tidbits like how to create perfectly shaped cookies, and what to do with your egg shells after cooking. I also like that this book involves heading outside and picking a leaf here or there, perhaps squeezing a lemon, and sometimes even using an excess of veggies you have lying around. It seems wonderfully practical to me, and goodness, Hayley McKee really has made everything look pretty.

I cooked the ‘warming of soul’ sounding cake: Golden Saffron Pumpkin. Baking this easy-to-make treat made my house smell like how I’ve always imagined the banquet hall at Hogwarts does. My favourite part of the recipe was rubbing flower petals in the sugar to bruise the leaves and dreaming that I was creating a spell of home comfort.

Judges’ comments: High marks for presentation – from the flowers on top to the pumpkin pieces inside, it was a visual treat. Bouncy and light to taste.

Bronte Coates made ‘Rhubarb, basil and oatmeal slice’ (pg. 117):

I love rhubarb, I love basil and I really love a slice… So naturally, this recipe drew my interest. One of my colleagues is a vegan so I adjusted the ingredients for her to have a taste, replacing the butter with Nuttelex and the egg with chia seeds. The recipe also received an unexpected flavour addition when the lid feel off my grinder, spilling granules of rock salt into the mix. I removed most (but not all) so the slice does have some salty explosions in there. You might say that eating one of these treats is a thrilling and risky endeavour – will you get salt or not?

Judges’ comments: Impressed by this vegan adaptation. Strong flavours, tasted great.

And the winners are…

First place: Honey for Ray
Second place: Herbed salted honey bars

Congratulations to all the cooks!

Sticky Fingers, Green Thumb is due to arrive at our shops on 1 March. Pre-order your copy here.