Roast beetroot & tomato soup‏

Ingredients 1 lb tomatoes, 2 beetroots, 1 potato, 1/2 pint vegetable stock, 1/2 bulb garlic, paprika.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour

Tomato and beetroot are a lovely combination of sweet and tangy flavours and this soup has a wonderful silky texture. Great fired up with extra chillies!

1) To prepare the beetroot, wash it and slice off the stalks and leaves. Roast, along with the tomatoes and half a bulb of garlic in a covered dish in the oven for 30 minutes.

2) Peel and dice a potato and simmer in vegetable stock until soft then strain, retaining the stock.

3) Carefully peel the beetroot with the nick of a knife, then puree it, along with the potato, garlic and tomatoes in a blender - ensure all the roasting juices are used! Pass the mixture through a sieve and into a pan. Add a little water until the desired consistency is reached.

4) Season with salt and paprika to taste and serve hot.

Twice baked potatoes: kale & hazelnut pesto

Ingredients 200g kale, 100g hazelnuts, parmigiano, 1 lemon, 20g basil, basil oil, 1 small onion.

Preparation: 2 hours

Cooking the perfect baked potato is an art form, and filling it is an exercise in creativity that I never get tired of. Twice baked potatoes are glorious - a crispy shell filled with fluffy potato overlaid with gungey, creamy swirls of yumminess. Kale pesto alone is unbelievably satisfying, but adding onion really gives it an extra dimension.

1) To make the perfect baked potato.

2) Fold the kale leaves in half, slice away the stalk and discard. 

3) Add the hazelnuts into your food processor and pulse until they resemble fine crumbs. Add the parmigiano and onion (peeled and sliced into quarters), then add the kale and basil leaves bit by bit until everything is thoroughly pureed. Squeeze in a little lemon juice, salt and black pepper to taste.

4) Add the kale mixture to a pan along with the basil oil and stir on a low heat until the kale is soft and the onions are cooked. (Raw kale is wonderfully springy, by the time the onions are cooked, this quality should no longer be present)

5) Slice open the potato and scoop out as much of the potato as possible without compromising the integrity of the structure. (Oh yes, I went there!).

6) Stir the potato in with the kale pesto, then spoon back into the potato shells and bake for a further 10-15 minutes before serving.

Twice baked potatoes: leek & cheddar

Ingredients Potato, leek, butter, cheddar.

Preparation: 2 hours

Cooking the perfect baked potato is an art form, and filling it is an exercise in creativity that I never get tired of. Twice baked potatoes are glorious - a crispy shell filled with fluffy potato overlaid with gungey, creamy swirls of yumminess. I love the combination of leek and cheddar in so many dishes and it's scrumptious here.

1) To make the perfect baked potato.

2) Slice the leek and sautee in a pan with a knob of butter. Slice open the potato and scoop out as much of the potato as possible without compromising the integrity of the structure. (Oh yes, I went there!)

3) Grate the cheese and stir into the potato along with the leek, and spoon the filling back into the potato.

4) Bake for a further 10-15 minutes and serve.

Beetroot soup with mustard yoghurt

Ingredients 2 beetroots, 1 potato, 1/2 pint vegetable stock, 1 tsp mustard, 3 tbsp Rachel's Organic Greek yoghurt.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour

Beetroot is the perfect vehicle for spicy, tangy flavours and this combination of creamy soup and mustard yoghurt is one of the loveliest I have discovered in quite some time. I happened to be dressing a potato and beetroot salad with honey mustard dressing when suddenly inspiration struck!

1) To prepare the beetroot, wash it and slice off the stalks and leaves. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes.

2) Peel and dice a potato and simmer until soft in the vegetable stock. Strain the potato, retaining the stock. I like to grate a little ginger in with the potatoes to give the soup an extra kick, but this is optional.

3) Carefully peel the beetroot with the nick of a knife, then puree it, along with the potato in a blender. Gradually add the vegetable stock until the desired consistency is reached (I think this works best as a fairly thick, creamy soup but if you want to stretch it further, or prefer it thinner that's up to you!) and return to the pan to keep warm whilst you prepare the yoghurt.

4) Stir the mustard into the yoghurt, and swirl into the soup to serve.

Cream of broccoli & stilton soup

Ingredients 1 Broccoli, 1 potato, 1/2 pint vegetable stock, 1 onion, 20g stilton, 50ml cream, 1 tbsp butter, nutmeg, black pepper.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 30 minutes

Stilton is a little like marmite in that people often either love blue cheese or hate it. For those who are a little squeamish about strong, stinky cheese - adding it to soup is a great way to unlock the flavour without it being too intense. This creamy, filling soup has the perfect balance of tangy cheese and fresh broccoli.

1) Peel and finely dice the onion and sizzle in a pan for 8-10 minutes with a tablespoon of butter until completely soft. 

2) Add half a pint of vegetable stock and half a finely diced potato. Simmer on the hob for 15 minutes and then add the broccoli florets.

3) After 5 minutes strain the broccoli, potatoes and onions and blend, adding the soup liquid a little at a time until pulsed smooth. Season with a litt nutmeg and black pepper and return to the hob.

4) Crumble a generous handful of stilton into the soup and a good glug of cream before serving.

Caponata

Ingredients 50g sultanas, 50g olives, 1 aubergine, 10-15 cherry tomatoes, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp muscovado sugar, 1 onion or 1 stick celery, olive oil, 1 piece dark chocolate.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour

Caponata is a hot Sicilian aubergine salad, one of those marvellous Italian dishes which is equally lovely alone as antipasti or tossed with rice or pasta to make a meal. I particularly like this with butter beans to form a sort of stew. This combination of sultanas, olives and balsamic vinegar is the perfect balance of sweet and savoury flavours, soaked up beautifully by the melt-in-the-mouth perfection of aubergine. The leftovers are marvellous spread onto bread for lunch the next day.

1) Slice the aubergine into cubes, toss with a tsp of salt and add to a colander to rest for at least half an hour to allow the bitter juices to drain away. I like to set the colander on top of a bowl so that I can check the progress - from one aubergine you will get at least 50ml of liquid!

2) Peel and finely slice the onions, or finely dice the celery and add to a pan with a glug of olive oil. Sizzle for at least 10 minutes to allow them to soften completely, then add the brown sugar, sultanas and balsamic vinegar. Turn off the heat and leave to rest so that the sultanas soak up the wonderful flavours and become plump and juicy.

3) In a separate pan, Fry off the aubergines in a little oil until they are completely soft and the skin has turned a dark and vibrant purple. Transfer to the pan of onions/celery and sultanas and turn on the heat.

4) Pit the olives and blitz in a blender (or if you can't get hold of good olives - for goodness sake don't bother buying unpitted ones, they're like hunks of rubber! - a good olive tapenade will suffice), quarter the tomatoes then add both to the pan. Stir gently so as not to break the tomatoes down too much, just bring everything together.

5) Whether serving hot, or cold, grate a little good quality dark chocolate to season (I used 85% here but if your tastes are not quite so pure, 70% will be bitter enough).

Deep fried cauliflower with brie dip

Ingredients Cauliflower, breadcrumbs, 1 egg, brie, mustard, almond milk.

Preparation: 15 minutes

This recipe goes hand in hand with my deep fried brie with cauliflower dip - I tend to serve them side by side for anyone who doesn't like cauliflower. Because naturally, me being me, I refuse to accept that a person could deny themselves such luscious, creamy goodness!

1) To make the brie dip: Slice the rind from the brie and add to a milk pan along with the almond milk and mustard. Warm gently whilst whisking until melted and creamy. Set aside, reheating if necessary

2) To make the breaded cauliflower prepare the cauliflower by removing the leaves and slicing the stem to the base. Slice around the stem to release the florets.

3) Prepare two dishes - one with a beaten egg in it and one with the breadcrumbs. Dip the cauliflower into the egg, then roll into the breadcrumbs until coated - double dipping if necessary.

4) Bring a pan containing a couple of inches deep of vegetable oil to the boil (or turn on your deep fat frier) and fry the cauliflower until golden brown.

Deep fried brie with cauliflower dip

Ingredients Brie, breadcrumbs, cauliflower, 1 egg, vegetable oil, almond milk, mustard.

Preparation: 15 minutes

This recipe goes hand in hand with my deep fried cauliflower with brie dip - I tend to serve them side by side for anyone who doesn't like cauliflower. Because naturally, me being me, I refuse to accept that a person could deny themselves such luscious, creamy goodness!

1) To make the cauliflower dip, prepare the cauliflower by removing the leaves and slicing the stem to the base. Slice around the stem to release the florets. Dice both and either steam or add to a pan of boiling water for 8-10 minutes until soft.

2) Drain the cauliflower and puree in the blender, adding a little almond milk until the desired dipping texture is reached. Flavour with mustard to taste (I usually add a teaspoon) and transfer to a dip dish.

3) To make the breaded brie, prepare two dishes - one with a beaten egg in it and one with the breadcrumbs. Dip the trianges of brie (I like to make them relatively bitesized as you'll only get one good dunk before biting into the lovely liquid centres!) into the egg, then roll into the breadcrumbs until coated - double dipping if necessary.

4) Bring a pan containing a couple of inches deep of vegetable oil to the boil (or turn on your deep fat frier) and fry the brie triangles until golden brown.

5) Serve the brie triangles with the cauliflower dip immediately.

Artichoke baked beans

Ingredients 1 artichoke, 1 tsp dried/chopped avocado oil, 1 can cannellini beans, 1 bulb garlic.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour

When artichokes are out of season, or if I don't have the time or inclination - these are one of the few ingredients that I am happy to cheat with and buy in a jar. Marinated artichokes keep for a long time in the fridge and add rich, slithery flavour to all manner of dishes. But making your own is of course always more satisfying and delicious. These beans are utterly lovely and great on toast or with proper baked potatoes.

1) 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!

2) Roast the entire bulb of garlic in the oven for 20 minutes, then carefully peel and squeeze the cloves through a garlic press and into the oil. Add the basil and oregano and set aside until the artichoke is ready.

3) Slice the petals from the artichoke heart and leave to marinate in the flavoured oil. (I tend to scoff the hearts immediately but these can of course also be marinated!)

4) All of the previous instructions can be done in advance, or omitted if using a jar of marinated artichokes. Parboil the beans for 5 minutes in hot salted water, then drain and add the artichokes and a little (about a tablespoon) of the oil marinade to the pan. Allow to simmer until the beans are soft (usually another 5 minutes) then serve hot or cold.

Breaded new potatoes

Ingredients Egg, breadcrumbs, new potatoes, vegetable oil.

Preparation: 30 minutes

These crispy coated bites of soft potato may sound a little bland alone, but they make lovely croutons for soup and are especially incredible when dunked in chilli con queso. The smallest new potatoes work the best - these were about the size of cherry tomatoes.

1) Boil the potatoes for 15 minutes in a pan of hot water, then set aside to cool.

2) Set up one dish with a beaten egg and another with breadcrumbs, then when the potatoes are cool enough to handle, dunk in the egg and then into the breadcrumbs until coated. Double dipping may be necessary though I found the crumbs stuck perfectly to the skin of the potato.

3) Drop the potatoes into a pan of hot vegetable oil and fry until crispy and golden.