10 bean & chestnut stew

Ingredients 500g beans (I used black eyed beans, black turtle beans, butter beans, haricot beans, lima beans, pinto beans, red kidney beans, rose cocoa beans, alubia beans & mung beans), 415g chestnut puree, 200ml vegetable stock, pumpkin oil, white onion, garlic, olive oil.

Serves: 5 Preparation: 3 hours (plus 12 hours soaking)

If you are a vegan or a vegetarian, creating a hearty stew that can rival one containing meat is not an easy task. Nothing good ever came easy though, and hoo boy this stew is good. The richness of the chestnut forms a great thick gravy, and the pumpkin oil and garlic packs this with flavour, Plus... the protein from the beans will rival any cut of meat. This is comfort food at its best and super low maintenance to make.

1) Soak the beans overnight, ensuring that they are well covered in water otherwise as they rehydrate there won't be any liquid left to soak them in!

2) Peel and dice the onion and sautee in a glug of olive oil until the onions are soft. Drain any liquid left from the beans and add the beans to the onions, along with the vegetable stock.

3) Put a bulb of garlic in the oven, whole, and roast for 20 minutes at 200 degrees. Squeeze out the pureed garlic from the skin and add to the beans and onions along with a can of chestnut puree.

4) Allow to simmer for 2 1/2 hours, stirring frequently until the beans are cooked. Season to taste and serve with a drizzle of pumpkin oil. 

Pancakes - chestnut, leek, pear & cheddar

Ingredients 1 cup plain flour, 1 tbsp baking  powder, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup chestnut puree, 1/2 cup milk, 1 pear, cheddar, 1 leek, butter

Serves: 4 Preparation: 40 minutes

I adore making pancakes. There's something so soothing about the ritualistic rolling of batter in a pan, and whilst traditional pancake batter is perfectly lovely - I can't help but love to experiment. Some of my favourites have been rose and pistachio and banana.

1) Whisk the eggs with the milk, chestnut puree and pour over the dry ingredients, whisking until they are combined. Leave the batter to rest for at least 30 minutes and then stir through

2) To make the filling, peel the pear and slice the flesh from the core. Dice it, along with the leek and sautee in a little butter until soft.

3) Heat a non-stick frying pan until very hot, then add a little butter. Pour in one ladle of batter (if you want crepes, quickly turn the pan off the heat to coat the base evenly with the batter, then return to the hob) and cook for about one minute, until the base is lightly browned. I like to use a spatula or palette knife to just loosen the edges of the pancake - once the air gets under it you will find it does not stick to the pan but slide about which helps it to flip!

4) Flip over the pancake (if you have a clumsy wrist, slide the pancake onto a plate, then tip the pan over the plate and turn it upside down. No one will ever know!

5) Once the pancake has cooked on both sides, stuff with the leek and pears mixture, and crumbled cheddar.

Chestnut & salsify soup‏

Ingredients 1 can chestnut puree, 1 salsify root,  butter, pumpkin oil, 1/4 pint vegetable stock

Serves: 2 Preparation: 45 minutes

Chestnuts are currently having a revival in my kitchen and this velvet textured soup has the sweet flavour of chestnut and wonderful mellow undertones of salsify. It has a simple, comforting taste which reminds me of eating baked beans - I know they're hardly culinary chic, but if you love beans on toast, dunking bread into this will feel familiar, I guarantee it!

1) Peel and dice the salsify and sautee in a pan with a little butter. Add the chestnut puree and turn the heat down to a simmer.

2) Dilute the soup with the vegetable stock and simmer for a further 30 minutes, stirring frequently.

3) Pulse in the blender and pass through a sieve to incorporate the salsify, then serve drizzled with pumpkin oil

Chestnut & pancetta soup

Ingredients    1 can chestnut puree, 175g     pancetta, 1/4 leek, butter, pumpkin oil, truffle oil 1/2 pint ham stock

Serves: 2 Preparation: 20 minutes

Chestnuts are currently having a revival in my kitchen and this rich, velvet textured soup had my husband all but licking the dregs from the pan. This will be going on my list of ultimate Christmas soups but as our British summer is so miserable right now, why not try it early?

1) Dice the leek and sautee in a pan with a little butter. Once soft, add the pancetta and chestnut puree and turn the heat down to a simmer.

2) Dilute the soup with the ham stock and simmer for a further 15 minutes.

3) Season to taste with salt and black pepper and serve with a drizzle of pumpkin and truffle oil.