Kate Atlee: founder of Cornwall food business Sabzi
Kate Atlee, founder of Cornwall food business Sabzi, chats to our editor about food as love language, the simple joy of a perfect roast chicken, springtime flavours that spark delight, and a vision for sustainable, heartfelt cooking rooted in community
With February being a month for loved ones…what is your go-to Valentine’s Day foodie treat?
I think with my work being so food focused, any meal that’s made entirely for me by my husband Will feels like a wonderful treat! We ate a memorable meal of roast chicken, salad and potatoes when we were travelling together in Europe aged 17, so that is often our ‘go-to’ for a nostalgic dinner. Plus, can you really ever beat a properly good roast chicken and salad?
What are you looking forward to this year? Any recipe book plans for 2026?
I am so excited for what 2026 will bring for Sabzi. The team and I have some really exciting plans that include a new location and ready meal launch on the commercial side, but also plans around some charitable endeavours that I’m incredibly motivated to drive forward. I have no doubt we’ll do a book one day, but for now I feel I have my hands full, so we’ll keep sharing recipes whenever we can alongside our other plans.
Spring brings new opportunities for flavours. What ingredients are you looking forward to showcasing?
I am obsessed with roasted radishes! Roasted with lots of confit garlic and tarragon until they become pale and beautifully mellow, liberally dressed with a French vinaigrette, spring onions and plump butterbeans, this dish brings me great joy.
Where in Cornwall do you like to visit to see those first signs of spring?
I love walking at Trelissick and Trebah Gardens are breathtaking at any time of year. Walking through the woodland at Trelissick is so atmospheric and ending up on the beach is just blissful!
You’ve recently launched your online shop. What items have been the most popular so far?
Our dahl blend and our granola are outrageously popular – so many of our wonderful customers try them when they visit us in Cornwall, and can’t break their breakfast habit even when they return home! Sabzi’s dahl blend makes for a wonderfully nourishing, comforting supper that uses so few ingredients and keeps brilliantly in the fridge, but it also doubles as a marinade in so many dishes; it’s fantastically versatile.
What or who continues to inspire you and drives the direction of your business?
I am inspired every day by the communities we serve and the team we employ. I believe that you shouldn’t have to pay the highest price to eat creative and delicious food and enjoy exceptional service – Sabzi seeks to prove this everyday and it feels like a privilege to serve our customers across Cornwall. We build our menus around what produce is seasonal locally and our commitment to sustainable cookery is stronger than ever as we are so fortunate to continue to grow.
What is the most important meal of the day to you and why?
Dinner! I love slowing down, opening a bottle of wine, taking time over cooking something delicious and catching up with friends and family.
What are your dreams for Sabzi and where do you see yourself in five years time?
My dreams for Sabzi are built on my love for where we are right now – we have retained our independence to make decisions based on what we believe to be right as well as what is good for the business and I love this so much.
We are planning further growth but the reason for this is primarily so we can share our love of what we do and the food we serve with more people, not simply for growth’s sake. As long as we hold true to our foundations of delicious, seasonal dishes cooked completely from scratch and served with warmth and welcome, I’ll be very, very happy.
Sabzi has delis in Truro, Falmouth, Padstow & Newquay
Sabzi’s red lentil, tomato and coconut dahl
Sabzi’s House Dahl is a dish that’s been on our menu since we opened back in 2019. It’s become a real staple at the heart of the business and I absolutely love it for its humble ingredients, comforting flavour and nourishment
Ingredients
(serves 6)
For the dahl
I tsp per person of Sabzi Dahl Spice Blend
500g red lentils
1 large white onion, finely chopped
Thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin coconut milk
2tbsp tomato puree
4tbsp lime juice
2tbsp mango chutney
Fresh coriander (quantity as per your preference)
For the mint yoghurt
200g thick Greek style yoghurt
1.5tbsp dried mint
1tbsp lemon juice
1 pinch of salt
Generous grind of black pepper
1tsp agave nectar
Method
For the dahl
Gently fry the onion before adding the ginger and garlic and cooking until soft and fragrant. Add one heaped teaspoon of Sabzi House Dahl Blend per person (6 in this case), plus fresh chilli if you like more heat. Continue to stir before adding tomato purée and 3 tablespoons of lime juice. Season with black pepper.
Add your lentils and stir to coat well with the spice paste. Add water if needed to avoid catching. Add the chopped tomatoes and one extra can of water. Stir through the mango chutney and cook gently, stirring frequently until the lentils are almost tender. Keep topping up with water to avoid the lentils becoming too thick. At this stage you can pop the dahl in your slow cooker and leave to cook all day if you fancy coming home to a gorgeous, fragrant supper.
Add the coconut milk to the dahl along with a dash more lime and half of your fresh coriander.
When cooked adjust the seasoning to your preference; you might need more mango, lime and salt at this stage. Serve with the mint yoghurt and the remainder of the fresh coriander.
For the mint yoghurt
Mix the ingredients together well and add more to adjust the taste. This yoghurt should be deliciously minty with a good balance of acidity and sweetness to complement your dahl.
Sabzi’s barberry, cinnamon and organic cacao granola
We love to enjoy our granola with thick Greek yoghurt, seasonal fruit and a drizzle of local honey. It also makes a fantastic, texture packed topping to some good vanilla ice cream too.
Ingredients
1.2kg gluten free jumbo oats
75g barberries
200g flaked almonds
150g mixed toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds
For the syrup
200g dark brown sugar
100g organic agave nectar
275g coconut oil
100g water
37.5g ground cinnamon
37.5g organic cacao
6g sea salt
Method
Preheat oven to 170°C. In a pan, very gently heat the syrup ingredients and whisk to fully combine. Weigh the oats and almonds into a generously sized, wide-bottomed tub or tray.
Once the syrup is combined, pour over the oats and almonds and mix fully. When all the oats are well coated, place a thin and even layer on lined baking trays.
Place trays in the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes before removing from the oven and stirring thoroughly before baking for a further 10 minutes.
Once the granola is beginning to darken and become crisp, it is baked. Remove from the oven and slide the granola along with its paper liner into a tub and sprinkle with the toasted seeds and barberries.
Firmly press the granola down to make a compressed layer and leave to cool. It should look almost like a flapjack at this stage!
Once fully cooled, the granola can be broken up into your preferred size of cluster and kept in a sealed tub or jar for 4-6 weeks.
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