Mejadra is a simple lentil and brown rice dish and my recipe has a great fried onions shortcut tip.

Homemade granola with olive oil and maple syrup, seeds, nuts and dried apricots. Toasted in the oven till golden, crisp and irresistible

Creamy mushroom ragu is the vegetarian equivalent of the Bolognese sauce for pasta: smooth, rich in flavour and yet meatless.

Short ribs of beef, oven braised on the bone with plums and ginger turn completely black.

Roasted grapes go marvellously with cheese, chicken and pasta. With a drop of balsamic and a flake of salt to complement intense flavour.

The best chilli con carne with two kinds of beans, minced beef, tinned tomatoes and judicious seasoning, to end all the chilli disputes.

Pecan Linzer bars with easy, nutty shortcrust pastry and jam filling are one of those ultimately comforting sweets.

Mini cranberry pies, shortcrust pastry made from scratch filled with easy to make cranberry butter instead of traditional mincemeat.

Parkin, Yorkshire spicy ginger cake on steroids is not only good for Bonfire Night. I make it for Christmas too.

Bigos, traditional Polish dish aka hunters’ stew, is a long-cooked, hearty pot of sauerkraut and assorted meats. Best cooked for three days!

Thick and flavoursome cranberry butter is like cranberry sauce on steroids and it can be used as jam, jelly or confiture too.

Beef, ricotta and oregano meatballs from Ottolenghi are delicate and light, cooked in a richly flavoured tomato and onion sauce.

Roasted seed and nut mix, a perfect topping for salads. Salty and crunchy clusters of seeds and nuts are the best fibre fix in our diet.

Homemade candied mixed orange and lemon peel is so gorgeous you might want to nibble on it instead of putting it into a fruitcake.