Kohlrabi & carrot stew

Ingredients 4 carrots, 1 kohlrabi, 1 white turnip, 500g mixture of pearl barley, haricot beans, split peas, red split lentils, marrowfat peas, 1 pint vegetable stock, 2 white onions, olive oil.

Serves: 6 Preparation: 2 hours (plus overnight for soaking)

As Autumn sets in, my time in the kitchen is often spent soaking beans and roasting roots for rich, hearty stews to comfort me in the cold damp months ahead. Reluctant as I am to put the freshness of summer behind me though, this clean, simple stew is the perfect way to link the seasons together.

1) Rinse the dried pulses thoroughly in cold water, then soak overnight until they have rehydrated. Drain away the excess water.

2) Peel the carrots, turnip and kohlrabi and slice into half inch sized chunks. Drizzle with a little oil and roast in a covered dish for an hour.

3) Peel and dice the onion and sautee in a little oil until soft, then add the carrots, turnip and kohlrabi along with any roasting juices.

4) Add the pulses and vegetable stock and stir through. Simmer for an hour, season well and then either serve or save! Personally I always prefer stew the day after it's made, but if you can resist dunking some fresh bread into your stock pot then you're made of stronger stuff than I!

Avocado & pea soup

Ingredients 1 can marrowfat peas, 3 avocados, 2 tablespoons vanilla yoghurt, parsley, 1/2 pint vegetable stock, avocado oil.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 20 minutes

This soup is thick and velvety and amazingly comforting to eat - a definite winter favourite.

1) Pour the can of marrowfat peas into a pan and simmer for 5 minutes, strain the peas from the juice and put the juice back into the pan along with the half pint of vegetable stock and stir through.

2) Halve the avocados and scoop the fruit from the shell, discarding the stone. Pulse the avocado in the blender along with 2 tablespoons of Rachel's organic vanilla yoghurt (this may sound strange but trust me, it works!)

3) Add the peas into the blender and blitz through until they have been fully incorporated, then pass the pea, avocado and yoghurt mix through a sieve and back into the pan. This removes the shells from the peas and gives the soup that wonderful smooth, moussy texture.

4) Simmer on a low heat for a further 5 minutes and then serve, sprinkled with parsley and a dollop of yoghurt.

Pea and parmigiano soup

Ingredients 1 can of marrowfat peas per person, 1 garlic clove, a tablespoon of grated parmigiano, dill Optional - to garnish double cream, black pepper

1) Sautee 1 crushed clove of garlic in a little butter or olive oil, stir in freshly chopped dill and then add the tin of marrowfat peas (including the liquid).

1) Simmer on the stove for 10 minutes before pureeing.

1) Stir in the parmeggian

1) Serve drizzled with cream and freshly ground black pepper