Squash, apple and black pudding in the hole (pictured above)

I love this combination, but feel free to switch up the black pudding for some nice herby pork sausages, or a decent handful of firm chestnut mushrooms, if you’d like to keep it all about the veg. Once you’ve added the batter, don’t be tempted to open the oven door for at least 20 minutes, as this will help things rise as they should.

Serves 2
butternut or crown prince squash 1 medium (or part of one), about 800g-1kg
sunflower oil 2 tbsp
fennel seeds 2 tsp, lightly bashed
chilli flakes a good pinch
salt and freshly ground black pepper
firm dessert apples 2, such as cox or russet
black pudding 380g
thyme 1 small bunch, leaves stripped
rosemary 2 sprigs
sage 10-12 leaves

For the batter
plain flour 140g
eggs 4, lightly beaten
whole milk 200ml
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C fan/gas mark 6.

First, make the batter. Tip the flour into a bowl and whisk in the eggs until everything is nice and smooth. Gradually add the milk, whisking continuously until you are certain there are no lumps. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Carefully peel the squash, as the skin can be quite thick and cumbersome to remove. Cut the peeled squash in half (if you’re using a whole one) and scoop out the seeds. Cut the flesh into chunky cubes about 2½-5cm. Scatter the squash out over a roasting tin about 30cm x 25cm. Trickle over the olive oil, sprinkle over the fennel seeds and chilli flakes, and season with salt and pepper. Tumble everything together. Roast the squash for 25-35 minutes, or until it has taken on a little colour and is pretty much tender.

Meanwhile, quarter and core the apples, then cut each quarter in two, giving 16 wedges altogether. Peel and cut the black pudding into bite-sized chunks.

Take the squash out of the oven and add the apples, black pudding, rosemary and sage. Turn it all together, turn up the oven to 200C fan/gas mark 7 and return the tray to the centre of the oven for another 8-10 minutes.

Carefully remove the tray from the oven, and working quickly, turn the squash, apples and black pudding once more, using a fork to tease some of the ingredients apart, should they need it. Pour in the batter then set the tin straight back in the oven. Cook for 25-30 minutes, until the batter is puffed up and golden. Serve at once.

Baked brill with leeks, lemon and thyme

Brill is such a magnificent fish and, like all fish, it’s a serious treat. So when you cook it, keeping things simple pays off. This recipe showcases brill’s lovely meaty texture alongside the silky delicate texture of braised leeks, while lemon and thyme do their thing in the background.

It’s delicious served alongside a celeriac or potato mash, or simply with good crusty bread for mopping up all the buttery juices.

Serves 4
leeks 6 medium
unsalted butter 25g
vegetable stock 200ml
bay leaves 2, fresh if you can get them
unwaxed lemon zest of 1
thyme 8-10 sprigs
flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
brill fillet 4 x 200g pieces
olive oil 2 tbsp of your best

Preheat the oven to 190C fan/gas mark 6-6½.

Trim the leeks but leave them whole, then wash them as best you can by letting cold water run down into their tops and giving them a good old shake. If there is any earth or grit in there, you want to try to get it out. Now cut each leek in half.

Arrange the leeks in a suitably sized roasting tin and dot over the butter. Add the vegetable stock, bay leaves, lemon zest and thyme sprigs, and season well with salt and pepper. Use a large sheet of kitchen foil to cover the leeks, making sure you crimp the edges well to seal in all the steam. Pop the dish in the oven and bake the leeks for 35-40 minutes, until they are nice and tender.

Season the brill with salt and pepper and lay the pieces down on top of the leeks.

Cover the leeks and fish with the foil and return to the oven for a further 10-12 minutes. The exact cooking time will depend on how thick the pieces of fish are. To check, insert the tip of a knife into the fish – the flakes should part with ease and appear nice and glossy.

When you’re happy that the fish is cooked just right, squeeze over the lemon juice and trickle over the olive oil. Bring the whole dish to the table and tuck in.

Salt cod dauphinoise

Salt cod has a unique flavour. It’s incredibly savoury and adds a lot of depth and character (in the same way salted anchovies do) to what is a fairly classic dauphinoise recipe. Sometimes I replace half the potatoes with thinly sliced celeriac and pep things up with a generous pinch of dried chilli flakes. Either way, this is a delicious all-in-one pan supper, and just the thing for a cold winter’s night. You’ll need to start this recipe two days ahead.

Serves 4-6
salt cod 250g, sustainably sourced
potatoes 1kg, white floury, such as desiree or maris piper
onion 1 medium, thinly sliced
garlic 4 cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
marjoram 2 tbsp, chopped
rosemary 1 sprig, leaves stripped and chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
whole milk 200ml
double cream 300ml

I like to give the salt fish plenty of time to soak. So, 48 hours before you intend to make the recipe, take the salt cod, place it in a large bowl and cover with plenty of fresh cold water. Pop it in the fridge and leave the fish to soak, changing the water a couple of times during this period. After 48 hours it should be ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 160C fan/gas mark 4.

Cut the fish into thin 1-2cm pieces, trimming away any skin and little bones you might come across.

Peel and slice the potatoes thinly into 2-3mm rounds and give them a rinse in plenty of cold water. Drain the potatoes and place the slices in a large bowl with the sliced onions, slivered garlic, marjoram and rosemary, and plenty of black pepper (it may not need salt as the fish will bring this to the mix). Pour over the milk and cream and give everything a really good mix.

Arrange a nice neat layer of overlapping potatoes and onions in the bottom of an ovenproof dish, about 20-25cm square and 5cm deep. Scatter over some of the sliced fish, then make a second layer of overlapping potatoes and onions. Continue until you have used up the fish, finishing with a layer of potato on top. Pour over all the remaining herby cream from the bowl and let it trickle down through the layers.

Place the dish in the middle of the hot oven (you can place it on a baking tray to avoid cream bubbling on to the oven floor) and bake for 1-1½ hours, pressing the potatoes down firmly once or twice during cooking using a spatula, until the potatoes are tender, the top layer is golden and the sauce is bubbling. If the top is looking like it’s getting too dark at any point, lay a piece of parchment or foil over the top.

Remove the dish from the oven and allow it time to settle. It will be much better, and still nice and hot, after 20 minutes of sitting.

Lamb chops with chickpeas, apricots and saffron

There’s so much flavour to be found in good lamb chops, but it’s worth looking for nice thick ones, with a touch of fat on them, as they’ll be even better. If you’re not a big fan of saffron, you can leave it out, or replace it with 1-2 teaspoons of cracked, toasted coriander seeds.

In the autumn, I like to do something very similar with pork chops. I swap the chickpeas for butter beans and the chewy apricots for rich, dark prunes. Everything else stays more or less the same.

Serves 4
chickpeas 1 x 700g jar (I like Bold Bean Co)
red onions 1 medium or 2 smaller, peeled, halved and sliced
garlic 4 cloves, thinly sliced
chilli flakes ½ tsp
dried apricots 175g, unsulphured
saffron 1 pinch
cider vinegar ½ tbsp
rosemary 2 sprigs, leaves torn from the stems
smoked paprika ½ tsp
olive oil 3 tbsp
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
lamb chops 8

Preheat the oven to 200C fan/gas mark 7.

Drain the chickpeas and place them in a large mixing bowl with the sliced onions, garlic, chilli, apricots, saffron, vinegar, rosemary, smoked paprika and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper, then tumble everything together to combine.

Scatter the chickpeas, onions and apricots across a large roasting tray measuring about 35cm x 25cm.

Give the tray a little shake to even everything out then pop it into the middle of the hot oven for 15 minutes to roast.

Meanwhile, take the lamb chops out of the fridge and arrange them over a plate or board. Drizzle them with the remaining olive oil and then season generously with sea salt and black pepper. Massage the seasoning and oil into the chops.

Carefully remove the tray from the oven and, using a spatula, turn the onions and chickpeas several times. Arrange the lamb chops in a single layer over the top and return the tray to the oven.

Roast the chops for 10 minutes then open the oven, turn the lamb chops over and give them another 8-10 minutes. Ideally the lamb chops should begin to crisp slightly round their edges and remain a little pink within.

When the chops are ready, remove the tray from the oven and cover loosely with foil or parchment. Let everything rest for 6-8 minutes before bringing to the table.

One-pan buttery chicken curry

I prefer buying a whole chicken for this recipe and portioning it up myself. It’s easy to do at home, or a friendly butcher should do this for you. Each breast gets halved, and the legs get split into the drumsticks and thighs. The wings can go into the curry just as they are, or you can freeze them for another day. Alternatively, chicken thighs alone will be excellent too. And if you’re keen on game, this recipe works superbly with pheasant as well.

Serves 4

cardamom pods 6
cumin seeds ½ tbsp
coriander seeds ½ tbsp
cinnamon stick 2-3cm
fennel seeds 2 tsp
fenugreek seeds 2 tsp
black peppercorns 2 tsp
free-range or organic chicken 1, jointed into 8 pieces, or 8 good-sized chicken thighs
butter 50g, melted
turmeric 1 tsp
garam masala 2 tsp
black onion seeds 2 tsp
sea salt
onions 2, finely diced
garlic 4 cloves, thinly sliced
ginger 1 thumb-sized piece, peeled and very thinly sliced
medium-hot chillies 2, dried or fresh
bay leaves 4
curry leaves 8-10
hot chicken or vegetable stock 600ml

Preheat the oven to 200C fan/gas mark 7.

Take a large, heavy roasting tray or ovenproof dish. Scatter in the cardamom pods, cumin and coriander seeds, cinnamon stick, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds and peppercorns and pop the dish in the oven. Toast the spices for about 5 minutes.

Tip the toasted spices into a pestle and mortar or spice mill and grind to a relatively fine texture. You can discard the papery cardamom husk if you like.

Place the chicken pieces into a mixing bowl. Pour over the melted butter and scatter over the warm, ground spices. Sprinkle in the turmeric, garam masala, black onion seeds and sea salt then tumble the chicken through the spices and butter to coat.

Tip the spiced chicken portions (and all the buttery spices) out into the roasting tin. I like to organise the chicken pieces so they’re all skin side up, and make sure there aren’t too many spices sticking to the skin itself, or they could burn.

Pop the tray back into the middle of the hot oven and bake for 18-20 minutes or until the chicken is lovely and golden.

Now add the diced onions to the roasting tray, along with the sliced garlic, ginger, chillies, bay leaves and curry leaves. Use tongs to stir the onions into the chicken juices and rearrange the chicken so it’s sitting over the onions.

Turn down the oven to 180C fan/gas mark 6. Pour in the stock or water and give the dish a gentle shake to settle everything down. Pop the tray into the oven and cook uncovered for 45-50 minutes, basting the chicken with the buttery juice once or twice.

Carefully take the tray out of the oven and taste the sauce. It may need a touch of salt. You can either transfer the chicken to a large serving platter and spoon round the onions and sauce or simply bring the whole tray to the table, just the way it is.

Serve with rice and naan bread for mopping up the sauce.

Orange, coriander seed and honey polenta cake

Here’s a trio I never seem to tire of: orange, honey and coriander seed. They were made for each other. You may not have thought of using coriander seed in a cake, but it’s something I’ve done many times before. On this occasion I thought I’d make a gluten-free version, using ground almonds and polenta instead of spelt flour.

The polenta gives the cake a really interesting texture and the ground almonds keep it nice and moist.

Serves 6-9
unsalted butter 200g, softened
caster sugar 225g
coriander seeds 1 tbsp, toasted and coarsely crushed
orange 1 large, finely zested and juiced
eggs 3 large
ground almonds 225g
fine polenta 125g
baking powder 1 tsp
sea salt a good pinch
runny honey 75g

Preheat the oven to 150C fan/gas mark 3½. Grease and line a 23cm tray or springform cake tin (I used a square one, but a round one will be fine too).

Beat the soft butter, caster sugar, half the crushed coriander and the orange zest and juice together until pale and light. You can do this by hand, but it’s somewhat easier in a stand mixer or with an electric whisk.

Beat in the eggs one at a time. If the mixture begins to split, add a spoonful of ground almonds before you work in the next egg. Once the eggs are in continue to mix for 2-3 minutes.

Combine the ground almonds with the fine polenta, baking powder and salt, and fold this mixture into the creamed butter and sugar nice and gently.

Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and level it off roughly. Scatter over the remaining crushed coriander seeds and bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until it is set.

While the cake is still hot, prick its surface here and there with a toothpick or similar, then trickle over the runny honey. Let it soak into the cake as it cools.

This cake will keep for several days in a tin.

Gill Meller is a chef and food writer. His latest book is Outside: Recipes for a Wilder Way of Eating (Quadrille, £30)

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