Pumpkin Mac & Cheese

Ingredients 1/2 can pumpkin puree, 1 clove garlic, 1/4 leek, 250g macaroni, 1 pint vegetable stock, 1 tsp truffle oil, 100g cheese, 1/4 tsp allspice, 1/4 tsp sage, 1/4 tsp thyme, 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 sweet potato.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 30 minutes

I absolutely adore mac and cheese. So much so that despite it's obvious perfection, I am constantly re-inventing it in order to have it more often, without being bored. This version is about as far as the traditional roux-based cheese sauce as you can get, but it's healthy, can be made lactose intolerant or vegan-friendly by using a wheat-free pasta or substituting the layer of cheese with a dairy-free alternative respectively. As Autumn rolls in, I go pumpkin crazy and this truly is an out-of-this world dish.
Check out some of my other favourite versions: avocado mac and cheese using my roast garlic and avocado puree, cauliflower mac and cheese, broccoli mac and cheese and of course mac and peas.

1) Use 3/4 of the vegetable stock to put the macaroni on to boil, reserving the remaining 1/4 for the sauce.

2) Slice and dice the leek finely (discarding the root and leafy ends) and add to a pan with the truffle oil. Sautee gently, adding the garlic (crushed) once it begins to soften.

3) By the time the garlic begins to sizzle the macaroni should be ready - drain and set aside, reserving a ladle of the vegetable stock to add to the leek and garlic. Reduce this by about 50% and add the pumpkin puree, herbs and spices.

4) If the sauce is too thick, add a little more vegetable stock to thin it out (or cream if you want to be REALLY decadent), then stir in the drained macaroni.

5) Transfer to an oven-proof dish and grate the sweet potato and cheese onto the top. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes (until the cheese is gooey and golden and the sweet potato is just beginning to crisp) and serve hot.    

I very rarely add salt as standard to a dish, advising only to season to taste, but in this case I found a tiny bit of salt and black pepper to be a nice touch once I'd removed a portion for my toddler.

Truffled carrot & pumpkin soup

Ingredients 1 can pumpkin puree, 1 cup pearl barley, 5 carrots, 1 tbsp truffle oil, 1/2 pint vegetable stock, 1 tsp sage.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour 30 minutes

There is very little more comforting than pumpkin soup. Whether sweet or spicy, it has such a lovely thick, creamy texture. I like to add pearl barley or beans to thick soups and I think this works So well.

1) Peel and roughly chop the carrots, then add to a roasting dish with the truffle oil. Toss to ensure the carrots are evenly coated, then roast for 45 minutes at gas mark 7.

2) Add the pearl barley to the veg stock and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

3) Puree the carrots in a food processor and add to the veg stock along with the pumpkin puree. Simmer on a low heat for a further 20 minutes and serve hot, drizzled with truffle oil.

Almond buttered bean salad

Ingredients 2 tbs almond butter, 1 tsp truffle oil, 1/4 cup peas, 1/2 courgette, 1 avocado, 1 can cannellini beans.

Serves: 4 (or two as a side dish) Preparation: 10 minutes

Winter to me (like every other season as a vegetarian I suppose!) is somewhat bean-centric. Soups and stews galore are packed with the wonderful range of colours and textures that these little nuggets of protein provide. This salad combines the delicate flavour of courgette and cannellini beans with gutsy almond, earthy truffle and sweet, fresh peas. The dressing is slick and silky with avocado.

1) Rinse the beans and bring to the boil in a pan of salted water for 5 minutes.

2) In a separate pan, warm the almond butter and truffle oil, stirring until a runny dressing has formed, then take off the heat.

3) Slice the avocado in half and use a tablespoon to scoop it from the shell. If the avocado is ripe enough the stone will pop out with a spoon but another good method is to prick it with a knife and pull it out. For the purpose of this dish, roughly dice it into centimetre thick pieces and stir gently into the almond and truffle dressing along with the peas. Some of the avocado will melt to form a thicker sauce and the remains will add texture.

4) I like thin slices of raw courgette in this dish, but you can roast chunks of it if you prefer. Add to the pan of dressing then drain the beans and stir through before serving warm or cold.

Truffled white bean pate

Ingredients 1 can cannellini beans, 2 tbs truffle oil.

Serves: 8 Preparation: 10 minutes, plus chilling time

Being a vegetarian there are some foods which, when adapted from the traditional meat to a substitute, one just can't compare to the texture of meat. Unlike a cheese, mushroom or vegetable "pate" - beans always offer that claggy, thick yet smooth texture. Truffle oil gives this a lovely savoury, earthy flavour.

1) Heat the cannelini beans for 5 minutes in a pan of water and drain.

2) Pulse in a blender or using a mortar and pestle along with the truffle oil and a pinch of salt.

3) You can serve this whilst still hot as a fabulous alternative to mashed potato,  or press firmly into a container and chill in the fridge to form pate. I like to serve this with crusty bread and an extra drizzle of truffle 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.

Truffled white asparagus with almonds & poached egg yolk

Ingredients White asparagus, truffle oil, flaked almonds, egg yolk

Preparation: 8 minutes


Though not as pretty as the more developed, green asparagus - white asparagus is sweeter, juicier and more tender. It is merely asparagus that has been deprived of light (a process called etoliation) and therefore can't produce chlorophyll to become green. This recipe is gorgeous, simply put.


1) Snap or cut the bottom of the stalks from the asparagus and peel them with a vegetable peeler.


2) Drizzle with truffle oil and sprinkle with salt, the flaked almonds, then roast in the oven for 8 minutes.


3) Serve with a poached egg yolk

Roast butternut squash & pancetta soup

Ingredients      1/2 pint ham stock, 100g pancetta, 1 large butternut squash, 1 small potato, truffle oil.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour


I love soup. I find all the chopping, stirring and pureeing very soothing, the warm smells that fill the house comforting, and I love ladling out steamy bowls of soup for people to dunk hot crispy bread into, dressing it with ever more creative croutons or swirls of cream and yoghurt. This winter I have created 10 new soups to warm you through on a cold day. This soup is velvet smooth, voluptuously thick and has a rich, savoury flavour.


1) Peel and the butternut squash, discard the seeds and cut into chunks. Drizzle with a little truffle oil and roast in the oven in a covered dish at 200 degrees for 20 minutes.


2) Strain the butternut squash (do not discard the juice) and pulse thoroughly in a blender. Add the pureed butternut squash and juice into the ham stock along with the pancetta and the peeled, diced potato then allow to simmer for a further 30 minutes.


3) Mash the potato into the soup with a potato masher and stir through. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then serve.

Baba ganoush

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Ingredients Aubergine, truffle oil, garlic, cumin, garam marsala, coriander

1) Slice the aubergine and cover with generous dash of salt to bring out the bitter juices. Rinse after 20 minutes and roast in the oven for a further 20 minutes.

2) Crush 4 garlic cloves and sautee in truffle oil on a low heat so that the garlic does not burn. Stir in a teaspoon of cumin, a teaspoon of coriander and a teaspoon of Garam Marsala.

3) When the aubergine is roasted, drop it in a blender with the spiced garlic oil and blitz thoroughly. If you wish you can peel the aubergine first but I think the skin adds colour and flavour to this wonderful comfort food.

I served this with Fudge's sesame and pumpkin seed flatbread which was absolutely fabulous.

Smoked salmon pizza

Ingredients 1lb of strong white flour, 1 tablespoon of active dried yeast, 2 teaspoons of honey, 2 tablespoons of truffle oil, 250ml warm water, cream cheese, milk, dill, rocket, smoked salmon.

1) Pizza dough
Dissolve the yeast in 150ml of warm water and set aside to rest. After 10 minutes add the honey and truffle oil. Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the yeast mixture a little at a time and mix thoroughly with your hands until it becomes dough like in consistency.
It is possible to make this if you have a dough attachment for your blender.
Transfer your dough ball to a lightly floured surface and flour your hands. Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes and then sit to rest in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover this with a warm, damp cloth. The bowl must be big enough to allow the dough to double in size over the next hour.

Divide the dough into small dough balls and kneed these again before rolling out on a floured surface to make your pizza crust. Bake the base for 10-15 minutes.

2) Pizza sauce
Mix 2 tablespoons of cream cheese with a teaspoon of chopped dill and a little milk until it forms a smooth paste. Spread onto the pizza base.

3) Pizza topping
Top with smoked salmon and rocket and serve.

Artichoke and mozarella pizza

Ingredients 1lb of strong white flour, 1 tablespoon of active dried yeast, 2 teaspoons of honey, 2 tablespoons of truffle oil, 250ml warm water, passata tomatoes, white onion,

basil, basil oil, red wine, mozarella, artichoke, vine ripened tomatoes, rocket, lemon, balsamic glaze

1) Pizza dough
Dissolve the yeast in 150ml of warm water and set aside to rest. After 10 minutes add the honey and truffle oil. Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the yeast mixture a little at a time and mix thoroughly with your hands until it becomes dough like in consistency.
It is possible to make this if you have a dough attachment for your blender.
Transfer your dough ball to a lightly floured surface and flour your hands. Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes and then sit to rest in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover this with a warm, damp cloth. The bowl must be big enough to allow the dough to double in size over the next hour.

Divide the dough into small dough balls and kneed these again before rolling out on a floured surface to make your pizza crust. This dough recipe is best suited to thin, crispy pizza bases. I recommend baking the base first for 3 minutes in the oven to avoid the centre becoming soggy.

2) Pizza sauce
Finely dice half a white onion and sautee in a tablespoon of basil oil. As the onions begin to soften, add a glass of red wine and cook it off until only half the liquid remains. Add the passata tomatoes and simmer the sauce on a low heat, adding a haldful of freshly chopped basil and a good pinch of salt and black pepper.

3) Pizza toppingTo prepare the artichoke vinaigrette: Break the stem of the artichoke as close to the base as you can, then put the artichoke head first into a pan of hot, salted water and keep it submerged with an upturned pan lid (or plate). It will take 20-30 minutes to cook until tender - test the base with a knife - if it goes in smoothly it's ready! Slice the artichoke leaves and mix into equal parts of basil oil, lemon juice and sprinkle with chopped basil.

Top the part baked pizza crust with half a ladle of the pizza sauce, layer with slices of mozarella and artichoke, a few vine ripened tomatoes and bake for 10-15 minutes. Serve with rocket and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.