I like quinoa but do not cook with it as often as I think I should. It has a great taste, it’s packed with protein and slow-releasing energy and is pretty healthy too. There are two main types of quinoa – red and creamy white/pale yellow. I use red for this recipe as the nutty taste is more intense and I quite like the colour too

This recipe is fairly complex, but perfect for impressing friends. The aubergine fondue can be made up to 3 days in advance (keep it refrigerated – see Chef’s Note) and it reheats very well. You could even make a larger quantity and freeze it. I love it and it’s great as a dip too.

Well, these Dingley Dell T-bone pork steaks are definitely something different. We buy 800g–1kg pork steaks and they are perfect for two to share. Cooking a large piece of pork instead of two individual steaks saves on pan space, plus cooking this thicker cut of pork on the bone helps to keep the meat succulent and juicy. A win win situation as far as I’m concerned.

We do not like to overcook our pork; with these timings the pork will be medium instead of well done. Around the bone the meat will still be slightly pink, but do not be put off. Just make sure that you give the cooked meat long enough to rest after cooking (which will ensure that you have no unwanted juices ending up on your plate).

I have marinated this piece of pork with a little garlic and thyme for a minimum of 12 hours before cooking; it’s your choice if you prefer not to, but I think it’s a nice touch and adds extra value to an amazing piece of pork.

Personally, I like goose and dislike turkey, so goose is my preference for Christmas day. For me, goose has to be cooked medium-rare as I don’t like well-done goose, which tastes of liver and the texture is off-putting. For this reason, I don’t buy a whole goose for roasting as the legs require a long roasting time to cook them well, whereas the breasts require less cooking and are best served medium-rare. One tip when cooking goose breasts is to ask your butcher to take the breasts off the bone for you, as this eliminates a lot of hassle and saves time too.

This recipe is fairly simple to make and delicious to eat. If you do have gadgets as I do, see the Chef’s Notes below for alternative instructions on how to cook the goose breasts in a water bath or sous-vide. The results are pretty similar.

I serve the roast breasts with braised white cabbage and pancetta. It’s tasty and doesn’t require too much preparation. It also means that when your guests arrive, all the work is done and you can sit back, relax and enjoy all the compliments that this recipe is sure to trigger.

Cooking and eating pies at this time of the year provides a welcome comforting ‘hug’, making you feel that the cold and gloom are not so bad after all. The game season is in full swing now and I particularly enjoy cooking with venison. It’s packed full of flavour, contains very little fat and is a bit different. During the summer we cook and serve a lot of beef, so when the game season begins it’s great as it offers us more variety, and I like a bit of variety.

Venison can be very strong in flavour, so make sure when you buy it from your butcher you know exactly what it is that you are getting. Your butcher will be able to tell you if it’s fallow, muntjac or red dear. They all vary a bit in flavour, so choose according to your preference.

These delicious venison pies are perfect for providing a comforting autumnal meal. The carrot and potato rösti topping is a different variation on the norm of using either mashed potato or pastry (you could even try using celeriac instead of the potato).

I have made these in four individual serving dishes, but if you prefer a large family-style pie, use one large serving dish and remember that the pie will require a slightly longer cooking time. Serve simply with plenty of crusty bread to mop up the delicious juices.

It was a memorable family occasion, because my parents boiled the corn in this enormous saucepan filled with salted water until soft, then we would sit around the table with napkins and lashings of margarine, salt and pepper. My mother only served white sliced bread with it and it was heaven. I loved it.

I also remember us all sitting around afterwards (like baboons!) with the toothpicks, removing the bits stuck between our teeth. When my mother reads this she will probably want to kick me on the shins, as she’ll probably want to die of embarrassment! I hope you have a good giggle reading this, as it’s the absolute truth!

Following on from the gigantic saucepan, mum eventually upgraded to a microwave. It’s quite a fancy model and she uses it for cooking or baking most things, and consequently, she has taught me the best, quickest and least messy way to cook corn on the cob. I am chuffed, after all these years, that I still cook my corn in the microwave as mum taught me.

So, to cook corn on the cob my mum’s way, simply wrap each prepared corn on the cob in a double layer of kitchen paper, soak the whole wrapped cobs in water, then place in a microwave and cook on High (100% power) for 9–12 minutes, then leave to rest in the microwave with the door closed for a further 9 minutes. Hey presto, job done!

The standard recommendation is to cook flat fish, such as plaice, on the bone to prevent it from overcooking and becoming dry, but to be honest, I and a lot of others, do not enjoy all the kerfuffle with the bones. Ask your fishmonger to do all the hard work for you and get them to take the fillets off the bone as two whole fillets per fish (one larger fillet from each side of the fish, rather than two smaller fillets from each side of the fish). The bones make a delicious stock too, so ask your fishmonger to reserve them for you.

Remember, the smaller the fish, the less cooking is required (and once the fish is cooked it will continue cooking a little more). As I use large plaice fillets for this recipe, I cook each fillet for 1½–2 minutes on each side.

I find a simple fish supper is incredibly satisfying and it does not necessarily have to involve battered fish served with chips (I am writing this whilst wagging and pointing my finger at Mr P; he will do anything for traditional battered fish and chips!). The brown shrimp and lemon butter sauce is very easy to make and is really tasty (the taste is so good, you would think it’s taken hours to prepare). Serve this dish with plain boiled new potatoes and wilted spinach, as the fish is so tasty you do not need accompaniments with big personalities. The simplicity of this dish tastes wonderful.

For the cooking of the pork and courgettes I have used a griddle pan, and it’s given me the closest results to a barbecue (I know the taste is not quite the same, but it’s pretty close if you ask me). If you do have a barbecue then these pork steaks are perfect for that. The runners dressed in the home-made mustard make a wonderful salad served warm or at room temperature, and they are great with the griddled (or barbecued) pork steaks.

The inspiration for the home-made mustard came from Diana Henry’s cookbook ‘Salt Sugar Smoke’. I have referred to this book in another recipe, as I simply love this book. It’s inspired me to try making recipes that I either never had the guts to do, or would have liked to try but have never really known how to approach the task, one of those being how to make wholegrain mustard. Diana’s book is sophisticated simplicity in its own right and I am finding that it is bringing me many times of endless fun and joy. I have altered Diana’s mustard recipe to suit the ingredients stocked in my larder. I only had black mustard seeds and the spices where changed because again it’s what I had to hand. The mustard does make a generous amount, but it will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three months.

I am very proud to say that the honey I have used is from our own hives. The bees have been busy this year and so we have had great success in harvesting quite a significant amount of honey from our hives, which is always such a pleasure.

For this recipe, I use a mixture of smoked and natural (unsmoked) haddock, as I personally quite like the flavour of smoked haddock but find it a little too overpowering on its own in a recipe like this. However, you don’t have to use smoked fish if you are not so keen on it. Other alternatives and combinations that would work just as well are fresh salmon mixed with smoked salmon, fresh mackerel mixed with smoked mackerel, or simply cod or even sea trout.

To make these fishcakes, firstly a small amount of fish purée is made and this forms the ‘glue’ that holds the fishcakes together. The rest of the fish is then diced and mixed with the fish purée. No breadcrumbs are used, just fish and a few other choice ingredients. It is best to make these at least 2 hours before you intend to cook them as the resting time will help the fishcake mixture stick together, firm up and holds its shape. I also like to prepare the fishcakes a day in advance (keep them in the fridge overnight), as it really helps to get ahead and allows me more time to spend with my friends and enjoy their company.

The parsley sauce is also not quite as traditional as you might expect. For this recipe, I make a parsley purée rather than a traditional white sauce with parsley running through it. The purée is strong and more condensed in flavour and therefore you do not quite need as much. It is also served chilled or at room temperature rather than hot. If you prefer watercress instead, then simply replace the parsley with watercress, and add a few mint leaves to accentuate the flavour of watercress.

Serve these fishcakes as I do with wilted spinach and charred spring onions, to create a delicious supper perfect for summer dining, ideal with a glass or two of chilled Gavi di Gavi.

To confit duck legs in duck or goose fat is one of the techniques I absolutely adore. The texture and flavour is second to none. I also use the sous-vide technique to cook duck legs, which is the healthier option, but sometimes we have to give in to the things that simply taste the best. The beauty about cooking duck legs in duck or goose fat is that they will keep very well in the fridge, if kept submerged in the fat, for up to a week. This in itself is brilliant as you can put a lot of effort into cooking the legs and then use them in various different recipes; I think that is a real bonus.

I serve these duck legs with one of my favourite recipes, which is a warm bacon dressing drizzled over a salad of sautéed potatoes, samphire and broad beans. What is there not to like about this?!

Perfect al fresco dining for this time of the year, and a little effort goes a long way in taste!

This dish is perfect for sharing, a family-style supper for two, providing more than generous servings if the pork tenderloin is on the small side, but if it is on the larger side, then this is perfect for a family of four (two adults and two children).

I would like to mention here that cooking pork tenderloin perfectly is more difficult than cooking fish to perfection. Pork tenderloin is, to my mind, very underused and I think it’s perhaps because it’s very lean, with no fat at all, and if it’s overcooked it will be tasteless and very dry. For that reason, I cook my pork tenderloin medium to medium-well done. Pink is perhaps pushing it too far, but at the other end of the spectrum, well done is not good for the reasons given above. Cooking the pork in butter helps to keep it moist, and once the butter turns nutty brown (burnoisette), it adds plenty of wonderful flavours to the pork. If you are cooking your pork medium/medium-well done, then make sure you rest it well. You do not want pink juices on your plate.

This version of choucroute garnie might provoke a bit of controversy, as the true meaning of choucroute is fermented sauerkraut cooked according to the people of Alsace with pieces of sausage and bacon. My version is perhaps the cheat’s way and is slightly ponced up, but then I suppose it’s my prerogative to simplify it and adjust the method and recipe to suit my lifestyle and cooking.

Here at the British Larder we make our own sauerkraut by fermenting the cabbage for a month before use, it’s work in progress and we continue making batches of sauerkraut as the winter progresses. Over the festive period we where serving it with roasted duck breast to be precise, and it’s absolutely delicious.

Pork tenderloin is not only shredded and used in stir-fries, no, it’s absolutely ideal and perfect when cooked whole like this and enjoyed by all. This delicious recipe is something special, so do give it a try.