Method

• Preheat oven to 180 °C.
• Top and tail the carrots, bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and place the whole carrots in salted water for 5 minutes until just beginning to soften. Drain then place the carrots in a roasting tin, with the cumin and coriander seed. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle over half the olive oil. Toss to coat the carrots evenly.
• Roast for 15-20 minutes until soft, and beginning to caramelise slightly at the edges. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
• Rinse the freekeh for 2-3 minutes under cold water to remove remaining chaff or grit. Drain then place in a lidded saucepan with 450ml water. Cook on a medium heat for 20-25 minutes until the water has absorbed into the grain and it is tender, but still has a slight bite. Place a lid on the pan, remove from the heat and leave to steam for 10 minutes before placing in a serving bowl.
• Mix the remaining olive oil in a jug with the orange and lemon juice, sweet paprika and ground cumin, salt, pepper and date syrup.
• Pour most of the dressing onto the warm freekeh, add the pine nuts, golden raisins, coriander and mint.
• Slice the carrots on the diagonal,. Pit and chop the dates into quarters, then add them to the salad and garnish with coriander leaves and an extra drizzle of date syrup or left-over dressing.