There was a time when I used to cook this regularly and I’d forgotten what a special dish it is. There is something immensely pleasing about the texture and mild flavour of hard-boiled eggs with a thick, chunky tomato and onion curry spiced at the last moment with a handful of fresh coriander. It is…

Sublime comfort food. It can be made in stages. Serves 4Prep: 20 minCook: 40 min 750g un-dyed, naturally smoked haddock fillet1 bay leaf1 litre cold water50g butter1 small onion250g risotto rice300ml dry white wine½ tbsp smooth Dijon mustard4 tbsp finely grated Parmesan plus extra to serve1 heaped tbsp clotted cream2 tbsp freshly snipped chives Place…

This is leeks vinaigrette in a different form and just as simple to make. It’s a lovely show-off dinner party dish. A slice of the pretty green and white chequerboard terrine is served eighties throw-back style surrounded by a few crevettes grises, prettily dressed with a swirl of lemon vinaigrette and sprinkling of chives. Alternatively…

This is an all-time favourite, perfect for so many occasions; as a starter, as part of a buffet or with cold cuts and jacket potatoes. Ideally, you want slim leeks, about the thickness of your thumb but thicker trimmed leeks are what most supermarkets sell. The combination of silky, tender leeks, creamy, Dijon-mustardy vinaigrette with…

This lovely stew suits long, slow cooking and will be even better made one day and heated up the next. Goat loin chops are perfect for it but neck or shoulder lamb or mutton chops would be just as good. I’ve also made it with goat cutlets but these tend to be very fatty, so…

This is a usefully make ahead dinner party dish but is one I’ve made regularly for mid-week meals when I’ve run out of ideas for minced lamb. All the ingredients, except ras al hanout, the Moroccan spice mix that gives the dish its hint of the Kasbah flavours, are store cupboard. The meatballs are smaller…

It’s not so far fetched that a shepherd might have leftover roast duck. I always assume that a ‘real’ shepherd’s pie is made with leftover roast lamb, so why not duck. I found myself facing leftover roast Aylesbury duck recently and tinkered my lamb shepherd’s pie recipe by adding a finely grated orange (always good…

This soup is a fridge raid: half a crinkly Savoy cabbage, a few rashers of bacon, a handful of peas from the freezer and an onion and garlic clove from the stores. I used pheasant stock, also from the freezer and although it gave the soup a noticeable gamey flavour, a chicken or veg stock…