Fresh lasagne with pesto

• milk↗1.2l l
• butter↗100g g

  cut into pieces

• plain flour↗100g g
• freshly grated nutmegpinch of

  pinch of

• baby spinach↗500g g

  leaves

• lasagne↗250g g

  sheets – fresh is best

• good quality pesto↗3 rounded tbsp
• cherry tomato↗500g g

  on the vine, two or three vines left whole

• basil leaves↗good handful of

  (or one supermarket pack)

• piece fresh parmesan↗175g g

  (or vegetarian alternative), coarsely grated

• mozzarella↗2 x 150g balls g

  preferably buffalo, torn into bite-sized pieces

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C. Put the milk, butter and flour in a medium pan and cook over a medium heat, whisking until thickened and smooth. Simmer for 1 minute. Take off the heat, season and add the nutmeg. Cool, stirring occasionally to stop a skin forming.

2. 2

   Put the spinach in a large heatproof bowl, pour over a kettle of boiling water and leave for 30 seconds. Drain into a colander, cool under the cold tap then squeeze it well to remove the excess liquid.

3. 3

   Spread a spoonful or two of the sauce on the bottom of a large ovenproof dish (about 30x20cm) and lay a third of the lasagne on top. Spoon over a third of the sauce and spread it out. Swirl a spoonful of pesto through the sauce with a knife and scatter over half the spinach with a third of the tomatoes, a few basil leaves and a third of the cheeses. Season with salt and pepper. Layer another third of the lasagne with a third of the sauce, a spoonful of pesto, the rest of the spinach, a third of the tomatoes and cheeses and some basil. Season.

4. 4

   Finish with a layer of lasagne, the last of the sauce, pesto, cheeses and the tomatoes, including those on the vine. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden. Scatter with the last of the basil leaves and serve.