Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil.

Slice finely the cauliflower and toss it into the boiling water. When the water starts boiling again, add the peas and simmer for 4 minutes, or until both peas and cauliflower are tender.

Drain the water out and whizz into a purée using a hand blender. Stir in the butter and season to taste. You may want to add a bit of milk if you find the purée a bit thick.

Chop the 1/2 onion and sauté in the olive oil in a large frying pan on medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the meat and curry. Mix well and cook until the meat is browned through, stirring regularly to spread the heat, for about 5-7 minutes.

While the meat is cooking, lay a sheet of grease-proof paper on your oven tray. Sprinkle the cheese into four 10 to 12 cm disks and bake for about 6-8 minute or until the disks start to brown. Take out of the oven, let cool for 1 minute or so and delicately peel off the paper.

Layer the meat and the mash on the plates (I used a small pastry ring to do this), or you can just serve a dollop of mash with meat on top and cover the whole thing prettily with a golden cheese disk.

This recipe is easiest with hokkaido pumpkins, which are a tad less juicy than regular pumpkins. Hokkaido pumpkins have a reddish or dark green skin while pumpkin are more orangy, and tend to bulge out where the stem meets the flesh:

With “regular” pumpkin the recipe works very well too on the condition that you draw out its juice properly. I will be giving you all the tricks to do this below, so don’t worry!

Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Wash the pumpkin and cut it in halves using a large and sturdy knife. Discard the stem and all seeds with the help of a tablespoon. Cut each half into 1 inch slices and scatter them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Sprinkle with a bit of sea salt and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes or until soft.

Allow the slices to rest until they are cool enough to handle then scoop their flesh out, transferring it to a meshed thieve. Gently press the flesh with the palm of your hands to draw its juice out. Mix the flesh and press again to draw out more juice, then repeat one last time if the flesh still feels juicy. Transfer the flesh to a bowl and blend it with a stick blender (or in a stand blender). If you don’t have a blender, use a masher instead.

Take 400g of the puree and mix it with the nutmeg, a bit of salt, flour and then the egg. Work the mixture well until it forms a soft and sticky dough. Resist the urge to add more flour at this point otherwise the gnocchi will become too chewy and their taste will suffer.

Allow the dough to cool down completely, it will become easier to handle. At this stage, it should be sticky and of the consistency of soft putty. If the dough is still too purée-like and you are unable to give it any lasting shape, don’t panick! Just do this most horribly un-cheffy rescue operation (here go all my chances to be taken seriously): transfer the puree to a non-stick frying pan and cook it over low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula and scraping the cooked bottom back into the dough. Lumps WILL form but don’t worry, these will all but disappear as the dough cools down and you roll the gnocchi. Do this for 4-5 minutes then set aside until cold. Don’t lose hope at the still very soft texture of the hot mixture. As it cools down, it will thicken.

Flour liberally a flat work surface and place a generous tablespoon of the dough onto it. Shape it into a finger-thick roll with the palm of your hands and cut it into pieces 2cm long. Mark the top of each gnoccho with the back of a fork to give it its distinctive shape, and set aside on a tray lined with paper towels. Add more flour to your work surface before dropping another tablespoon of dough.

Prepare the dish (10 min):

Peel the chorizo and cut it into ½ cm thick slices. Toss the slices into a non-stick frying pan (don’t add oil) and sauté over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer the slice to a plate and set aside. Add the onion slices to the pan and sauté until soft and translucent. Mix the chorizo back with the onions and keep in the pan, ready for last minute reheating if needed at the time of plating.

Prepare the goat’s cream cream: Crush the goats cheese with a fork and mix it. If it feels too dry and crumbly, soften it for a few seconds in the microwave. Mix with the cream and chiseled sage and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a generous pinch of salt and reduce the heat until the water bubbles lightly. Add the gnocchi in batches and cook until they start floating on top. Depending on their size this may take between 2 and 5 minutes. Take out the gnocchi with a skimmer as they rise to the surface and store them on a warm, oiled plate – pouring them through a pasta strainer could easily damage them.

Prepare the plate:

Arrange the gnocchis at the centre of each plate, place the chorizo and onion mix on top , then drop a dollop of goat’s cheese cream. If you want to add a wow factor, finish with a whole fried sage leaf and a few fried leaf crumbs sprinkled all over the dish.

The plus: fried sage leaves (can be done up to a day before using):

Pour 1 cm sunflower or other frying oil into a small saucepan. Heat it up over medium heat until the oil starts smoking. Reduce the heat and fry the leaves two at a time. Take out as soon as bubbles stop forming around them and set aside on a plate lined with paper towels. When finished, season with sea salt flakes and store between paper towels in an airtight container.

Wash and peel the potatoes and parsnips, trim the ends off the parnips. Cut both potatoes and parsnips in half lengthways and slice each half lengthways into 1/2 cm (1/4 inch) thick chips. Place the chips in a mixing bowl with the oil and the curry. Cover tightly with a lid and shake well to mix the vegetables with the oil and spice. You can also mix the ingredients with your hands or use a zipped freezing bag instead of a bowl and a lid.

Spread the chips on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Make sure the chips do not overlap, otherwise they will not brown properly. Roast for about 20-25 min or until the chips are nicely browned and tender to touch. Turn the oven grill on in the last 5-7 minutes if necessary.

Meanwhile, cut the turkey breasts into 1 inch dice and shred the ham into small bits. Heat a bit of olive oil in a frying pan and add the turkey and ham. Fry over medium-high heat for 5 -7 minutes, or until the turkey chunks are just cooked through (no pink juice should come out of the meat when sliced through its centre). Season with pepper, no need to add salt as the high salt content in the ham will have flavoured the turkey.

Prepare the dip: mix the yogurt with the mustard, coriander and lemon juice.

When the chips are ready, sprinkle them with sea salt flakes. Serve immediately with the turkey and the dip, and enjoy!

Poor the oil in a large, heavy-based oven-proof casserole dish with a well-fitting lid over high heat. When the oil is hot, brown the oxtail pieces on all sides and transfer them to a colander so any excess fat is drained away. Do this in batches otherwise the pieces will boil in their juices rather than fry.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from dish and add the shallots, carrots and garlic. Cook over medium high heat for 10mins or until golden, stirring from time to time.

Add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping any browned bits from the bottom. Cook until nearly all the wine has evaporated.

Add the tomatoes, herb bundle, orange zest, bay leaves, cinnamon, star anise, pepper and a pinch of salt. Place the oxtail pieces on top and cover with a large piece of baking paper placed directly on the oxtail. Cover the casserole securely with a heavy lid and bake for 2-3hrs, or until the meat comes away easily from the bone.

Remove the baking paper and take the meat pieces out. When they are cool enough the handle, pick all the meat from the bones and place it back in the casserole. Add the pumpkin or butternut squash pieces and some water if the dish is on the dry end.

Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 30mins or until the pumpkin is tender. Check the seasoning and transfer to a large serving dish.

Meanwhile, make the gremolata. Finely chop all the ingredients and mix them together.

Serve the oxtail stew in deep heated bowls or serving plates and scatter the gremolata over the top. I served it with bulgur, it was fantastic!

Place a sprig of rosemary on top of each chicken breast and wrap with a slice of parma ham or pancetta. Brush the top with olive oil and place on baking paper or aluminum foil on a tray in the oven.

Cook for about 20-25 minutes or until no blood comes out of the chicken when cut.

Wash the sweet potatoes (do not peel them), do not dry them off. Puncture a few times with a fork. Place on a paper towel in the microwave and cook for about for about 10 minutes. Do this in two 5 min stages, turning over the potatoes halfway through. Add a few minutes if needed at the end, the potatoes must be cooked through.

Remove the skins and mash with the back of a fork, adding a bit of warm milk and a generous dollop of butter. Add the ground coriander if using. The puree can be a bit fibrous, which I actually quite like. My children however are not so keen on this texture so I give it a quick whizz with my hand blender to obtain a smooth consistency.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the chicken on top of the puree.

Preheat the oven to 150C.

Chop the onion, carrots, leek, celery and garlic. No need to cut them too finely as they will only be used to flavour the meat and the sauce.

Prepare the pigs’ cheeks by lightly flouring them. Heat a frying pan with a bit of olive oil. When hot but not steaming, add the meat and fry for about 5 minutes or until just coloured. Transfer the cheeks to a flameproof casserole dish.

To your frying pan, add all the chopped vegetables and garlic, bay leaves, star anise and a good sprinkling of ground pepper) and cook slowly until the greens are soft and golden, for about 8-10 minutes. Toss the vegetables over the pig cheeks and add the cider, vinegar and stock.

Bring the casserole to the boil on the stovetop then cover with a lid and transfer to the hot oven. Braise for between 60-90 minutes or until the cheeks are meltingly tender.

Remove the casserole from the oven, lift out the pig’s cheeks and set aside.

Strain the cooking liquor into a saucepan, bring to the boil and reduce its volume by 1/3 (7-8 mins).

Whisk the butter into the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Reduce the heat and add the pig’s cheeks, heat through gently before serving.

Prepare the pea puree

Blanch the peas in gently boiling salted water for about 2 minutes then put in a blender. Add 1 tablespoon of cream and the butter, and blitz until smooth

Slowly, stir in a splash of wine and the remaining cream if needed. You want the puree to be quite thick so only add these if you think the consistency will take it. (for reference, on the picture my puree is too runny but I could not correct it as I was out of peas!)

Season and adjust as required.

Serve the pigs cheeks with the puree and the sauce. For the posh factor, you can also add simple salad of fresh peas and pea shoots. (for the picture I used a mix of baby watercress and rocket salad).

Prepare the duck breasts by removing all the sinew with a small knife. Trim off any excess fat and score the skin in criss cross shapes. This will allow the meat to cook through the skin.

Place the duck fillets skin side down on a hot frying pan WITHOUT adding any oil on it, and cook on medium heat for 7 to 8 minutes, until the skin is crispy and golden brown. While cooking, drain the fat off the pan regularly. Finish the fillets by turning them over onto the flesh side and cooking until firm to touch, for about 4 minutes.

When ready, season the duck with salt and pepper and set aside, skin-side up.

Add the vinegar, lemon juice and syrup to the pan. When hot, add the thyme, walnuts and peaches and sauté for 5 minutes on medium heat, until the sides of the peaches are lightly browned.

In the meantime, dispose chicory leaves on each serving plate and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Slice each fillet thinly with a sharp knife.

When the peaches are ready, scatter on top of the chicory. Place half a duck fillet prettily net to the peaches and drizzle the sauce over the duck.

Cut the melon in half and de-seed it. Spoon its flesh out with a teaspoon, trying to scoop out even sized chunks. Use a mini scoop if you have one for perfect little balls.

Chop the mozzarella into even sized cubes and wedges (of about 2 cm)

On each skewer, thread a bread cube, a folded basil leaf, a piece of mozzarella, half a ham slice, a chunk of melon and another bread cube. Make 8 skewers.

Mix the muscat with 2 tablespoons olive oil and shake well in a sealed container to blend.

Line the skewers in a shallow dish, Season with salt (lightly) and pepper and pour the mixture over. Eat immediately, or chill in the fridge.

Serve with a green salad on the side drizzled with the skewer juices and mixed with a few chopped leaves of basil and any leftover melon, bread cubes and mozzarella.

When the mix is nicely browned, add the garlic and onions. Cook over low heat for another 6-7 minutes, until the onions are soft and glazed.

Once the mix has warmed down, transfer to a food processor and mix until obtaining a smooth paste. If you don’t have a food processor whizz the mixture with the coconut milk in a blender.

Brown the lamb in the olive oil on all sides in a thick bottomed pan with tall sides. Do this in batches if necessary, the principle is to sear the meat through direct contact with the heat so all the lamb pieces should be touching the bottom of the pan. Once the meat has been browned, add the spice paste, coconut milk if you did not whizz it with the paste already, and 600 mL water.

Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and simmer undisturbed over low heat for 1h15.

At the end of the cooking time, add the cashew nuts and scrape the caramelised bits at the bottom of the dish with a spatula. Add a bit more coconut milk if needed, adjust the seasoning and cook, uncovered, for another 5 minutes.

Sprinkle with coriander leaves and serve immediately with rice and naans (almond-stuffed peshwari naans work beautifully with this dish), and a green side salad on the side to get your vegs.

In a small grinder or using a mortar and a pestle, grind the garlic, paprika, salt, rosemary and pepper into a paste. Transfer the paste to a small bowl and dilute it with the lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, oil and water.

If you did not ask your butcher to do it for you, cut the guinea fowl into two halves lengthways with a butcher’s knife. Score the skin and flesh on both sides of the bird’s halves, place them in a dish and pour the marinade over them. Rub both pieces thoroughly with it to ensure it coats all sides. Leave in the fridge overnight or for at least 4 hours, turning the guinea fowl halves over and rubbing them again with the marinade halfway through.

Preheat the barbecue at high temperature and oil the grid. Place the two bird halves, skin side down, close to the heat on the barbecue. Grill for 10 minutes, checking the meat is not being exposed to high flames and brushing it with the rest of the marinade.

Turn the pieces over and grill for another 15 minutes, then place the bird halves to a higher grid and keep cooking on low heat for another 25 minutes or until cooked through. To know whether the guinea fowl is cooked, cut the flesh on the inside of a leg. The flesh should not have any pink marks at the bone.

Aubergines (10 min busy+cooking):

Wash the aubergines, trim off their ends, and cut them into disks one inch thick. Chop the garlic into fine slivers and slice the parmesan into 1mm slices. Chop parmesan slices into squareish pieces.

With a small pairing knife, cut a pocket inside each aubergine slice (think you are making a purse with a 5 cm opening slit on the skin). Slide inside each slice 3 parmesan square, one rosemary leaf, 2 garlic slivers and a few cumin seeds.

Now you can cook them in either of two ways: on the barbecue or the cooker. If grilling on the barbecue, lightly brush both sides of the slices with olive oil. Grill for 3-4 minutes of each side to get a nice colour then finish the cooking further from the heat for about 20 minutes, or until the aubergines are tender to the core. If using the cooker, DO NOT oil the aubergines. Place them flat in a large ungreased pan and cook on medium- low heat for about 30 minutes, turning them over halfway through. If some cheese were to escape, wipe it away with a paper towel to keep the pan spotless clean. Check regularly to make sure the aubergines do not burn.

Once the aubergines are cooked, drizzle with good quality olive oil and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and salt flakes.

Couscous (5 min busy):

Cook the couscous according to packet instructions.

Meanwhile, Place the raisins in a microwave-safe bowl and cover them with water so that they sit about 2cm under the water surface. Add a pinch of salt, the olive oil, curry and cumin and cook in the microwave for 10-12 minutes, until the raisins are soft and have absorbed most of the liquid. The water will bubble away so make sure your bowl is tall enough to avoid making a big mess in your microwave. If you don’t have a microwave, soften the raisins in the spiced water in a small saucepan.

When the raisins are ready, fluff the couscous with a fork and pour over it the raisins and their remaining cooking liquid. Mix well and adjust the seasoning if needed.