A true paella should have soccorat which is the crusty & caramelised layer of crunchy rice at the bottom of the pan. It’s the best bit! In this vegan paella I have swapped out the meat for tasty shitake mushrooms. This dish is packed with hearty ingredients from the butter beans to the sweet paprika which adds a Smokey depth of flavour to the rice.

We use bomba rice for this recipe which is ideal for paella, it comes from Valencia the famous region for paella. Bomba rice absorbs up to three times its weight in liquid but still keeps its crunch and not ruin its structure. Which means all the flavours from the pan roasted vegetables and stock are absorbed into the rice, giving you a dish packed with flavour. I have paired this dish with pan roasted asparagus and confit tomatoes. The tomatoes are so packed with flavour from the slow cooking in rosemary and garlic and is a perfect combination to cut through the hearty rice dish.