The last couple of times I’ve roasted partridge I’ve found it dull and tough, without the extreme, rich gaminess of grouse or young pheasant. This recipe, casseroling a brace and making a small amount of stock with the backbone and cooking it gently for a long time in the oven was a huge success. I…

The gift of a big phial of Iranian saffron had me itching to cook with it and this soup was my first foray. Saffron with mushroom isn’t an obvious choice but the bosky flavour of mushroom with gentle leek, a hint of chilli and lemon zest and juice, with cous cous to thicken is an…

Chunks of lamb shoulder simmering very gently in red wine with black olives and roasted red peppers simmered will fill your kitchen with enticing smells of the Mediterranean. Try this lovely stew with noodles or mashed potato, carrots and peas. Leftovers, if there are any, can be extended with extra stock to make a robustly…

This soup started with an impulse shop of two big fennel bulbs, a bulb of new season garlic and a couple of banana shallots. I imagined a pale soup flecked with crisp scraps of bacon but it changed course as the fennel shrunk, adding carrots, potatoes and spinach and finally, chopped tomato, ending up with…

I love smoked haddock and love its versatility. My mum used to poach it in water, I used to poach it in milk but now use equal amounts of water and milk with a bay leaf and peppercorns. The poaching liquid usually becomes the sauce that goes with the fish but for this recipe, which…

It’s definitely shepherd’s pie weather, supreme comfort grub, perfect with frozen peas, cauli cheese or Chang’s Cabbage (recipe follows) a favourite from Caroline Conran’s recipe in Poor Cook (if you see a copy snap it up). It makes a change from boiled cabbage. ‘This is a lovely sweet-sour cabbage, very Chinese but rather good with…

This lovely gratin was the happy consequence of leftovers from a very large chicken cooked Antiboise-style (Poulet Antiboise). Torn chicken, jellied juices and soft, sweet, onion counterbalanced by wilted Treviso (or other red chicory) cried out for a crisp potato topping. This recipe, though, creates similar flavours from scratch with a mound of gently cooked…