leek and potato soup recipe January is a good time to make soup with last year’s maincrop potatoes, stored frost-free over the winter in a cool, dark spot in hessian bags. One of my favourite meal-in-a-bowl soups for this
shallot tatin with leftover cheese recipe You can make this fantastic tart with onion, but the sweetness of the shallots is what makes this recipe particularly delicious. It's ideal over Christmas or New Year – a brilliant use of all those ha
ginger biscuits recipe These are good on their own with a cup of tea, and ideal for smartening up any pudding. Try them with coffee or lemon mousse, or a bowl of homemade ice cream.makes about 30 biscuits 225g plain
roast parsnips rolled in parmesan recipe These are crunchy and sweet, lovely with any meat or stew, to eat with an aperitif, or as a first course dipped into crème fraîche flavoured with dill and/or chilli jam.For 6 600g parsnips100g fresh
mrs titley’s chocolate and coffee éclairs recipe These éclairs are the best you’ll ever eat. They are ideal for a big family party – make two-thirds chocolate and one-third coffee – over Christmas or New Year. You can make the cases several da
moroccan harira with sorrel sauce recipe This is a traditional soup/stew – a meal in itself – eaten to break the month-long, daylight fasting of Ramadan. It's fragrant and spicy, typically served with little bowls of lemon juice to pou
mini blinis with smoked salmon or roe recipe Using buckwheat flour mixed with plain sharpens the flavour of these blinis. Serve warm.for about 80 blinis 225g plain flour 225g buckwheat flour, sifted 4 teaspoons dried yeast 2 tabl
sloe gin (or damson vodka) recipe This sloe gin or damson vodka recipe can be adapted to the fruit you have to hand. Damsons left after the vodka is strained are perfect to eat with ice cream or yogurt. This makes a perfect Chri
marni's salsify recipe This is my grandmother Marni Hodgkin's favourite recipe for salsify, which came originally from Rosamund Richardson's book Definitely Different. Small chunks of the cooked root are tossed in
the best muesli This recipe, unlike many shop-bought mueslis, contains no added sugar. Make a big batch of the core recipe to last a couple of weeks and store in an airtight jar, then add the extras you like, changi
soda bread with sunflower and pumpkin seeds recipe Here's a very quick and easy recipe for when you want almost instant bread on the table. It does not use yeast, so there's no proving, or waiting for it to rise. Makes 1 x 500g loaf 225g strong white
lemon and courgette drizzle cake recipe You can make this cake at any time of year, but all citrus fruit is good in the winter and early spring. The courgette adds a brilliant moistness and cuts through the sweetness of this sugary cake. T
wilted winter green salad with pomegranate recipe The colours here – crimson and brilliant green – look good, and when served warm, this is an ideal winter salad. It's excellent as a starter or as a side dish with meat and fish, and also works wel
rosemary and pork farfalle recipe I love this meat pasta sauce and so do my children, particularly if I leave out the non-essential chilli and onion. It takes only 10 minutes to make and is one of our standard mid-week suppers. It
red thai curry mussels recipe Delicious, spicy and fragrant, mussels, like oysters, are generally thought to be best in the colder months of the year (those with an ‘r’ in them). Use a good-quality red Thai curry paste, such
smashed roast new potatoes with garlic and rosemary recipe My children call out for this as soon as they see new potatoes coming in from the garden. This is real winter comfort food – good as a side dish, but substantial enough on its own served with a salad.
