Christmas is on the horizon and that means a ‘festive cooking list’. Recently my son, Felix, having returned home from university has moved into a nearby flat, so this Christmas he has suggested that he could invite us over for dinner during the Christmas holidays – I’m sure the novelty will soon wear off! Naturally, he has asked me for some recipe ideas, so I’ve been thinking of dishes which are ideal for casual entertaining and which won’t cause a lot of stress for the cook. I am well aware that for many of us the season of ‘treats’ means spending a lot of time in our kitchens but let’s face it, it shouldn’t be ‘all work, no play’. Remember, entertaining can be casual, the main thing is that we’re enjoying time together! The key is balance – finding a couple of recipes that can be prepared in advance and that will happily sit in a warm oven whilst you enjoy one or two aperitifs with your close ones. You’ll be pleased to hear that this month I’m sharing some recipes that fit that criteria – nothing too fancy, just good, honest dishes which everyone will enjoy!… (Of course, all of these recipes work just as well for a family supper at any time of the year!).

Menu One is ‘Beef, Tomato and Fennel Pie with Mustard and Gruyere Mash’. This delicious dish was made for sharing, it can be prepared in advance and just heated up when your guests arrive. It’s also a great dish to bring to a party – I’m bearing this recipe in mind in case my invite to Felix’s ends up as a ‘Mum can you bring over the diner’!… Menu Two is ‘Orecchiette, Pork, Milk & Fennel’, this is perfect for feeding friends, a real crowd-pleaser. Yes, it’s just a pasta dish, but wow what flavours it has, it’s definitely a dish which will impress your guests. It’s easy to prepare the sauce well ahead of any guests’ arrival, leaving you to simply make the pasta and perhaps a big green salad when they arrive. Menu Three is ‘Pot Roast Pollack, Chickpeas and Chorizo’, a wonderful, slightly smoky flavoured dish from Tom Kerridge’s cookbook ‘Proper Pub Food’. It’s excellent for entertaining as you can prepare the chickpea and chorizo stew beforehand and then when your guests are ready to eat just reheat it with the fish on top for about 15 minutes – easy peasy!… Finally, a vegetarian stew, ‘Black-eyed Beans and Chickpea Stew’ – yes, chickpeas again but this time they are delicately spiced and served with a good sprinkling of fresh coriander and rice on the side. If needed, you can make this well in advance and reheat it before serving.

There, sorted!… Merry Christmas!!… For my Christmas Dinner menu click here!

Menu One

Beef, Tomato and Fennel Pie with Mustard and Gruyere Mash (Serves 4 – 6)

This dish is reminiscent of ‘Shepherds Pie’ but only better. It does require quite a lot of chopping and slow cooking, but once it’s on the stove you can leave it to itself. Believe me, it really is a special dish, perfect on a chilly night – pure comfort!…

1kg beef (chuck), cubed

10g dried porcini mushrooms

Olive oil

2 onions, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1 fennel bulb, chopped

4 bay leaves

Bunch of thyme, leaves picked and chopped

Bunch of sage, leaves picked and chopped

300g chestnut mushrooms, quartered

2 tablespoons tomato purée

400g cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons redcurrant jelly

175ml marsala wine

175ml red wine

750ml beef stock

1kg potatoes

100g butter

25ml full fat milk

2 tablespoons mustard

200g gruyere cheese, grated

Sea salt and black pepper

1. First of all put the porcini in a small boil, cover with boiling water and soak for 30 minutes. Drain and chop. Put to one side.
2. Meanwhile heat some oil in large pan, add the beef in batches, sear and brown. Once browned remove from the pan and put to one side.
3. Add the onion, garlic, fennel seeds, chopped fennel, bay leaves, sage and thyme to the pan and sauté for about 5 minutes until they are starting to caramelise. Add the mushrooms and cook for another few minutes before returning the beef to the pan. Add the tomato purée and the cherry tomatoes, mix and then add the porcini, red currant jelly, marsala wine, red wine and stock, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil then cover and simmer for 2.5 hours until the meat has broken down. Now remove the lid and boil rapidly for 10-15 minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce.
4. Meanwhile make the mash – peel the potatoes and chop into quarters, place in a pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil then simmer for about 20 minutes until cooked through. Mash until smooth, adding the butter, milk, mustard and cheese and season generously.
5. Spoon the beef mixture into a large pie dish, probably you will not need all of the gravy, but keep it to one side (it’s delicious!). Top the pie with the mash, spreading it out to cover the meat filling – it can look a bit messy, but no worries it cooks up beautifully!
6.  Cook in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for about 25 minutes until golden and bubbling. Allow to cool a little before serving, reheating any reserved gravy to pass around.

Menu Two

Orecchiette, Pork, Milk & Fennel (Serves 6)

This is a wonderful slow cooked recipe in which the pork becomes beautifully tender and flavoured with the stock and milk. You could, of course, serve it with any pasta shape but the orecchiette work particularly well as the ‘little ears’ of pasta pick up the braised pork and capers perfectly. Serve with plenty of parmesan and, if you wish, an extra sprinkle of chilli flakes. This recipe is courtesy of Florence Knight, the wonderful chef from London’s ‘Sessions Arts Club’ (review here!).

3 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon fennel seeds

2 banana shallots, peeled and finely chopped

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

½-1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

2 rosemary sprigs, picked and roughly chopped

500g pork mince

125ml dry white wine

200ml chicken stock

120ml whole milk

40g baby capers, rinsed

Zest of ½ lemon

340g dried orecchiette (or gluten-free pasta if required)

80g Parmesan cheese (to serve)

1. First of all in a dry, small frying pan toast the fennel seeds over a high heat for a minute or so until aromatic. Remove and grind in a mortar and pestle. Set to one side
2. Place a large heavy-bottomed pan over a low heat and add the olive oil. Once warm, add the shallots and salt and cover with a lid for 10-15 minutes until soft but without colour.
3. Stir through the garlic, chilli, rosemary and ground fennel seeds. Cook for a couple of minutes.
4. Turn up the heat and crumble in the pork mince. Stir to separate the mince, cook for a few minutes then pour over the wine. Once bubbling add the stock and half of the milk. Reduce the heat to a gently simmer and cook over a low heat for 30-40 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed and the meat is tender.
5. Take the pan off the heat and stir through the remaining milk, capers and lemon zest.
6. Meanwhile cook the orecchiette until al dente, according to their packet instructions. Stir through the warm sauce, adding a ladle or two of cooking water to encourage the starch to bind it all together. Grate one third of the parmesan into the pasta, stirring to combine.
7. Serve hot with plenty of extra grated Parmesean cheese.

Menu Three

Pot-Roasted Pollack, Chickpeas & Chorizo (Serves 4-6)

This is a wonderful, slightly smoky flavoured dish from Tom Kerridge’s cookbook ‘Proper Pub Food’. It’s excellent for entertaining as you can prepare the chickpea and chorizo stew beforehand and then when your guests are ready to eat just reheat it with the fish on top for about 15 minutes! Instead of pollack you could make it with another firm white fish, such as haddock or cod. (The original recipe uses dried chickpeas, but for an easy alternative I use tinned).

4 tablespoons sea salt flakes

A pinch of saffron

1 fillet of pollock, about 500g skinned and pin-boned (or another white fish such as haddock)

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 fresh red chillies, chopped

2 onions, finely chopped

4 cooking chorizos, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 dried bay leaves

1 cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

150g tinned chickpeas, drained

1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

200ml chicken stock

200g spinach leaves

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

1. Mix together the sea salt flakes and saffron. Place a piece of clingfilm large enough to wrap around the pollack on the work surface, sprinkle with half the salt mix and place the pollack on top, then sprinkle the remaining salt mix over the fish and wrap in the clingfilm tightly. Leave in the fridge for 1½ hours.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large flameproof casserole over a medium heat. Add the garlic, red chillies and onions and fry, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes until the onion has softened.
3. Add the chorizo to the pot and continue frying for a further 5 minutes. Stir in the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cumin and paprika and fry, stirring, for a further 3-4 minutes.
4. Add the chickpeas to the pot, then the tinned tomatoes and the stock. Bring to the boil and put in a preheated oven, 170’c fan, for 45 minutes.
5. Remove the pan from the oven. The sauce should have reduced a little and thickened. Taste and add salt if necessary.
6. Rinse the pollack thoroughly under cold running water. Pat dry and place on top of the chickpeas. Place the pot back in the oven for a further 10-15 minute, until the fish is cooked through and the flesh flakes easily.
7. Remove the pot from the oven. Gently take the fish from the pot and place on a large serving plate. Stir the spinach into the hot chickpeas until it just wilts. Spoon this mix over and around the fish and serve immediately.

Menu Four

Black Eyed Beans and Chickpea Stew (Serves 4-6)

This is a delicately spiced vegetarian stew, serve it with a good sprinkling of fresh coriander and rice on the side. The recipe is from Darina Allen’s cookbook ‘A Year at Ballymaloe Cookery School’.

225g fresh chestnut mushrooms

6 tablespoons groundnut oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 inch piece of cinnamon stick

140g onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

400g tinned chopped tomatoes

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

Pinch of sugar

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

225g tinned black eyed beans, drained

225g tinned chick peas, drained

3 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

1-2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, chopped

1. Cut the mushrooms into thick slices. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. When hot put in the whole cumin seeds and cinnamon stick. Let them sizzle for 5-6 seconds then add the onion and garlic. Stir fry until the onions are just beginning to brown. Add the mushrooms, stir fry until they begin to wilt. Now add the tomatoes, ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric, sugar and cayenne. Stir and cook for a minute. Cover the pan and cook over a gentle heat for 10 minutes.
2. Add the drained black-eyed beans and chickpeas, 150ml of water, 2 tablespoons of the chopped coriander and season generously with salt and pepper. Bring the stew to the boil again, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 20 minutes.
3. Serve with a generous sprinkling of the remaining chopped coriander and the mint, with rice on the side and a good green salad.

Vesper Martini (Serves 1)

If you’re a James Bond fan, you will no doubt be familiar with this cocktail. It’s the martini that Bond author, Ian Fleming, invented for his infamous character. It first appeared in his book, ‘Casino Royale’, and is named after Bond’s love interest Vesper Lynd. In the book, Bond asks for ‘Three measures of Gordon’s; one of vodka; half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it over ice, and add a thin slice of lemon peel.’ Unfortunately these days it’s impossible to replicate it exactly as Kina Lillet, which adds the slightly sweet, bitter taste to the martini, is no longer available. Fortunately, there are a couple of very good substitutes – Cocchi Americano or Lillet Blanc. Recently it’s become my ‘new’ favourite cocktail, as since discovering the joy of a ‘White Negroni Twist’ (recipe here!) which requires Cocchi Americano, I’ve had an excuse to use this Italian aperitif for other cocktails, namely the Vesper Martini!!…

60ml gin (Gordons would be very ‘Bond’!)

20ml vodka

10ml Cocchi Americano or Lillet Blanc

A strip of lemon peel, to garnish

Handful of ice

1. Place all the ingredients except the lemon peel in a cocktail shaker, add a handful of ice and shake for 15 seconds until cold.
2. Strain the liquid into a martini glass and garnish with the twist of lemon peel. Enjoy!

Venison Mince with Celeriac Mash (Serves 4)

November deserves this recipe! I first shared this in 2020, it’s a great winter supper any day of the week, warming and tasty – you really do need to make it. The venison gives this mince dish a lovely rich flavour, whilst the addition of redcurrant jelly lends a subtle sweetness which is complemented beautifully by the roughly mashed celeriac. This is a recipe which I have taken from Tom Aikens cookbook, ‘Tom Aikens Cooking’ – although he is a Michelin starred chef, this is a very simple recipe.

*These days it is easy to buy venison from your butcher – just ask him to mince it for you (diced shoulder is the best cut for this).

400g venison mince

150ml olive oil

25g unsalted butter

3 carrots, peeled and diced small

2 onions, peeled and diced small

2-3 cloves garlic, sliced

150g button mushrooms, sliced

1 rounded tablespoon plain flour (gluten free if required)

2 level tablespoons of tomato purée

200ml chicken stock

200ml red wine

40g redcurrant jelly

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon each of chopped parsley, thyme and sage

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Place a casserole over a medium heat, add the oil , when hot add the mince and season with salt and pepper. Brown in the pan for about 5 minutes. Tip the mince into a colander with a bowl underneath to catch the juices.
2. Place the casserole back over the heat and return the drained juices to the pan with the butter. Cook the carrot for 5 minutes then add the onion and garlic and cook for a further 5-7 minutes until golden. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes.
3. Return the mince to the casserole, add the flour stirring well and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for a minute, then add the stock, red wine, redcurrant jelly, bay leaf and fresh herbs.
4. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring now and again.
5. Serve with the celeriac mash (recipe below).

Simple Celeriac Mash (Serves 4)

This  is what I call my ‘rough and ready’ celeriac mash – I also cook another recipe with potato and garlic which is more of a purée, so more refined (recipe here). This ‘rough and ready’ version is excellent for a quick midweek supper; the texture and flavour, with its hint of lemon, complements the venison mince perfectly.

500g celeriac, peeled and chopped into 2 cm pieces

35g unsalted butter

2 teaspoons chopped thyme

1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (to taste)

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Place a pan over a medium heat, add the butter, when melted add the celeriac and thyme, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and cook for 15-20 minutes adding the lemon juice halfway through cooking.
2. Remove the lid and cook for a further 5 minutes until soft.
3. Mash and check seasoning (adding more lemon juice if required).

Absolutely Almond Slices

If like me you love almonds and marzipan then you will definitely love these! My friend introduced them to me – she was so adamant that I should try them that she cooked me some. I was sold. The recipe on paper is super easy, but I will warn you that rolling out the marzipan requires some elbow grease; I must admit that I nearly gave up – but believe me it’s worth it! They are super sweet so are best cut into small slices (although I ate many more than one!). They are fantastic with an espresso or a strong cup of tea…

250g butter, melted

400g marzipan

4 eggs

350g ground almonds

225g caster sugar

4 teaspoons almond extract

Zest of orange (optional)

50g flaked almonds

(Baking tin – 30 x 23cm, lined with baking parchment)

1. Knead the marzipan to soften it. Then roll it between two pieces of baking parchment; I found that starting off this way was easiest and then finished rolling without the top sheet of parchment. Roll to a rectangle that will fit the baking tin.
2. Put the eggs into a large mixing bowl. Add the ground almonds, sugar and almond extract and then add the melted butter. Beat with an electric mixer at high speed until smooth and creamy. Add the grated orange zest if using and mix well.
3. Pour half of the mixture into the prepared baking tin and smooth over with a palette knife. Gently place the rolled-out marzipan on top then pour over the remaining mixture, smoothing it over, taking care to cover all of the marzipan.
4. Bake in a preheated oven, 180’c fan, for 30 minutes until a light golden colour.
5. Allow to cool in the tin before cutting into small slices. (Keeps for up to five days in an airtight tin).

I am a planner. I’m happiest when I have a plan, big or small. Perhaps, that is why I’m so content in my kitchen where you can find me following the plan of a recipe – by my own admission I’m not a creator of recipes but I am extremely good at spotting a top-notch recipe when I see it; which is, of course, great for you! However, just recently one of these recipes was so good that it upset my plans for Menu Mistress. I write up my new recipe posts at least 6 weeks in advance; I have it all mapped out, all under control – ‘planned’. So when the other day I discovered the aforementioned recipe, I was in a bit of a quandary. No, it couldn’t wait until January, it was made for November! That, of course, has meant I have had to change my ‘post’ plan at the last minute, which as you can imagine is something that is quite out of character for me. However, I hope that you’ll agree that sometimes a change ‘out of the blue’ can be good – delicious even! So, this month ‘Marmalade-Roasted Chicken Legs & Squash’, a recipe from the fabulous chef of London’s ‘Sessions Arts Club’ (review here!) and author of the cookbook ‘One’, has made it onto November’s menus!…

Drum roll please for this month’s menus!…

Menu One, ‘Rolled Pork with Cider’, is a recipe that simply sums up the spirit of November – cider and apples how can one resist? I found this recipe in Donna Hay’s cookbook ‘Seasons’ and as with a lot of her recipes, it’s super easy to make. Menu Two is ‘Baked Sausages, Leeks, Apples & Cider’, this is a fantastic midweek supper dish from Diana Henry’s cookbook ‘Pure Simple Cooking’, it’s perfect on a winter’s evening! Menu Three is the celebrated ‘Marmalade-Roasted Chicken Legs & Squash’; I think I’ve already sold you this dish! And finally, Menu Four is a vegetarian pasta dish, ‘Pasta & Lentils’ is a wonderful wintery pasta dish which will please vegetarians and meat lovers alike. Enjoy!

Menu One

Cider Roasted Pork Shoulder (Serves 4)

This is a recipe that simply cries to be eaten on a cold day! Pork, cider and apples how can one resist?! I found this recipe in Donna Hay’s cookbook ‘Seasons’, and as with a lot of her recipes, it’s super easy to make. This really is a recipe you need to make a note of…

1.8kg pork shoulder, tied and skin scored

Sea salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 red onions, peeled and halved

250ml apple juice

750ml dry cider

75g brown sugar

4 fresh bay leaves

4 sprigs thyme

1. Rub the skin of the pork with the salt.
2. Place the oil and onions in a deep baking dish, top with the pork and roast a preheated oven, 220’c fan, for 30 minutes.
3. Place the apple juice, cider and sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the apple mixture, bay leaves and thyme to the pork (do not pour it over the skin of the pork as you want this to crisp up), cover with foil. Reduce the oven temperature to 180’c and roast for a further 2 hours.
4. Remove the foil, increase the heat to 200’c and roast for a further 30 minutes or until the skin is gold and crispy.
5. Remove the pork and set aside. Place the baking dish over a medium heat and cook the juices for 10 minutes or until thick and syrupy.
6. Serve the pork with the juices and onions. Roast potatoes and ‘Tenderstem Broccoli with Lemon & Almonds’ are good accompaniments (recipes below)

‘Staple Side Dish’ – Tenderstem Broccoli with Lemon Butter and Almonds (Serves 4)

This is a lovely fresh recipe which really takes tenderstem broccoli to another level.

200g Tenderstem Broccoli

20g unsalted butter

Juice of half a lemon

A generous handful of flaked almonds

Sea salt and black pepper

1. First of all put the flaked almonds in a small, dry frying pan, place over a moderate heat, stirring, until the almonds are browned – toasted. Remove to a plate.
2. Steam the tenderstem broccoli for about 4 minutes until just cooked.
3. Melt the butter in  a small frying pan and add the lemon juice, stirring well.
4. Add the tenderstem broccoli, stirring to give it a good coating of the butter mixture, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the reserved toasted almonds.

Staple Side Dish – Perfect Roast Potatoes

Everybody has their favourite roast potato recipe. I must admit that having tried various recipes, I have always returned to the one I found years ago in Delia Smith’s ‘Winter Collection Cookbook’ – you can’t beat it in my opinion. I use either olive oil or goose fat (I buy it in jars), depending on my mood. The olive oil gives a lighter, cleaner taste, whereas the goose fat has a richer flavour – both crisp up the potatoes equally well.

1.8kg Maris Piper or other floury, roasting potatoes

110g olive oil or goose fat (see note above)

Sea salt

1. Place the fat in the roasting tin and place in the oven, 190’c fan, on the highest shelf so that the oil preheats whilst you prepare the potatoes.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut into evenly sized pieces.
3. Place the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with boiling water and add the salt. Simmer for 10 minutes until the outer edge of the potatoes is fluffy – test with the points of a fork.
4. Drain the potatoes well and return to the saucepan. Place a lid over the pan and shake it vigorously. By shaking the potatoes in the saucepan in this way the cooked edges will become floury and fluffy – perfect for crisping up in the oven.
5. Remove the roasting tin from the oven and place the potatoes in the hot fat – careful as the oil may spit! Baste them well and return to the oven for about 40 minutes until they are golden brown and crisped.
6. Sprinkle with salt and serve straightaway – do not allow them to sit around otherwise they will loose their crunch (if they are cooked before you are ready, turn off the oven and leave them inside – but with caution, they don’t like to wait!)

Menu Two

Baked Sausages with Leeks, Apples & Cider (Serves 4)

This is a fantastic midweek supper dish from Diana Henry’s cookbook ‘Pure Simple Cooking’, it’s perfect on a winter’s evening, but I’ve been known to serve it in all weathers!.. Serve with mashed potatoes (recipe below!)

3 leeks, washed and chopped into 1-inch lengths

2 apples, halved, cored and cut into wedges

8 good quality pork sausages (gluten-free if required)

3 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

30g salted butter, cut into small cubes

280ml cider

2 tablespoons coarse-grain mustard

1. Put the leeks and apples into an oveproof dish and arrange the sausages in a single layer on top. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, and toss everything around. Dot with the butter and pour in the cider. Bake in a preheated oven, 190’c, for 50-60 minutes.
2. About 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time, spread the mustard over the sausages and any sticking-out apple pieces, and return to the oven.
3. Serve with mashed potatoes (‘My Favourite Mashed Potato’ recipe below!)

Staple Side Dish – ‘Favourite’ Mashed Potato (Serves 4)

There are numerous recipes for mashed potato, and yes, I have tried many, but this one is probably my favourite. It actually doesn’t contain any butter, which makes me feel that it could be healthy, although admittedly it does contain double cream! Don’t be put off by the garlic, you really can’t taste it, it just enhances the flavour of the potato. I must admit I ‘cheat’ when it comes to mashing, I am fortunate to have an amazing kitchen appliance, a Thermomix, this is a serious piece of kitchen kit; I can actually steam my potatoes in it and then mash them in seconds. If you don’t have a Thermomix you can either mash by hand, however,  for an easier option I would recommend doing as Delia Smith suggests in her ‘Winter Cookbook’ – whisk them with an electric hand whisk. When whisking them you do have to be careful – make sure that the potatoes are absolutely cooked, otherwise they will go gluey. Start off with the speed slow to break up the potatoes and then increase to a high speed to quickly whip them until smooth – don’t do it for too long, as again, they will go gluey, which is not good!

1kg potatoes (floury, such as Maris Piper)

100ml full-fat milk

100ml double cream

2 cloves garlic, sliced

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Peel the potatoes and cut into even sized chunks. Steam until completely cooked through.
2. Put the milk, cream and garlic in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat.
3. Mash the potatoes (see note above) adding the milk mixture a little at a time. Season well with salt and pepper.

Menu Three

Marmalade-Roasted Chicken Legs & Squash (Serves 4)

Every cold, blustery day needs this recipe! It’s comfort food at its best, the chicken meat becomes sticky and unctuous, and teamed with the soft, slightly sweet roasted butternut squash it is simply perfect. I found this recipe in Florence Knight’s cookbook ‘One’, it’s become a family favourite!

800g Butternut squash

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes

2 tablespoons chicken stock (or water)

100g Muscovado sugar (plus a sprinkle)

4 chicken legs, skin on

2 tablespoons thick-cut marmalade

1 tablespoon tomato ketchup

2 teaspoons sunflower oil

2 garlic cloves

Sea salt and black pepper

Olive oil

Natural yogurt to serve

1. First of all, prepare the butternut squash by cutting it in half, peeling it, removing the seeds, and cutting it into even-sized slices – roughly the thickness of a pound coin. Place them in a roasting tray with the coriander seeds, dried chilli flakes, chicken stock, a good pinch of salt and black pepper, a glug of olive oil and a sprinkle of the sugar.
2. In a separate roasting tray, rub the chicken legs with the rest of the sugar, the marmalade, ketchup and sunflower oil. Bash the garlic cloves with the flat of your knife, remove the skin and fold through the sticky chicken along with a pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Place both roasting tins in a preheated oven, 200’c fan. Glaze the chicken every 10 minutes. After 30-40 minutes remove the chicken, cover with foil and leave to rest whilst the butternut squash finishes cooking for about another five minutes.
4. Once the butternut squash is cooked through and caramelised, scoop a third of it into a bowl, add a splash of olive oil and use a fork to roughly mash it. Fold it back through the remaining caramelised pieces.
5. Spoon portions of the butternut squash onto plates, topping each with a sticky chicken leg and a spoonful of tart, natural yoghurt.

Menu Four

Pasta & Lentils (Serves 4-5)

This is a delicious vegetarian pasta with a wonderful fulfilling flavour; it will be loved by vegetarians and meat lovers alike!…

300g pasta shells (gluten-free if required)

300g Puy lentils

2 level tablespoons Marigold Swiss bouillon powder

1 onion, peeled and cut in half

6 fresh sage leaves

2 sprigs rosemary

4 ripe tomatoes, 350-400g, peeled

20g parsley, stalks removed

2 cloves garlic, peeled

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt

To Serve:

Extra virgin olive oil

Freshly grated pecorino romano (or parmesan)

1. Put the lentils in a sieve and rinse them under cold water, picking out any gritty bits. Place in a saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to the boil, boiling for 5 minutes, then drain, reserving the cooking liquid and rinse them.
2. Put 3 litres of hot water, including the reserved cooking liquid from the lentils, in a saucepan and mix in the Marigold Swiss bouillon powder. Add the onion, sage leaves, rosemary sprigs and 1 level tablespoon of salt.
3. Add the lentils to the pan, cover and bring to the boil, stirring once or twice. Let the lentils cook for about 20 minutes until just tender.
4. Add the pasta shells to the saucepan and cook with the lentils for a further 10-11 minutes – until the pasta it just al dente (check the packet instructions for cooking time).
5. Meanwhile, squeeze the seeds out from the tomatoes. Chop the tomatoes together with the garlic and parsley, to form a coarse mixture. Spoon the mixture into a large frying pan, pour in the 4 tablespoons of olive oil and heat gently for 5 minutes.
6. When the pasta is nearly cooked drain the pasta and lentils, pick out the onions, sage and rosemary. Add the pasta and lentils to the frying pan and stir-fry with the parsley mixture over a medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes turning the mixture over and over.
7. Serve in pasta bowls, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with the cheese.