This dish is great to share – make a large bowlful, serve with toasted pitta breads or breadsticks and let everyone dip in and enjoy.

The salt-baked parsnips are great. I have done other ingredients in the same crust before, such as sea trout, salmon, mackerel, celeriac and beetroot, and it’s a great cooking method as the salt crust steam-roasts the contents inside and the seasoning penetrates the food, resulting in a tasty, succulent and well seasoned dish inside (you can’t eat the salt crust). It’s definitely worth the effort.

I pickle almost anything I can find, so the pickled parsnips here add a lovely, interesting texture and taste element to this wonderful dish.

We make many portions of these ‘rings of gold’ on a weekly basis, as they are so popular. They’re served with our venison burger, or as a garnish with the rib-eye steak with peppercorn sauce, or simply as a side dish.

The quick and easy batter is made using ale that we have in the bar, but just use your favourite choice of ale to make these rings of joy a bit more special.

Our secret is to add a teaspoon of dark soy sauce to the batter. It gives the batter an ‘umami’ yumminess and also improves the colour. We also work on ratios, so that you can make as much or as little as you wish. The ratio is 1:1 self-raising flour and ale, plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce per 125g self-raising flour and 125ml ale.

The thickness of the onion rings is quite important too. You need to cut the onion into slices about 1cm thick and then separate the slices into rings. Then, once battered and deep-fried, the crispy onion rings should be salted and served as soon as possible.

This is a classic recipe that should not be messed about with too much, but I have added one of my favourite ingredients to make it extra fun, that is the pumpkin, of course.

We serve these bhajis at the restaurant with a bowl of Madras Spiced Pumpkin Soup. They make a delicious starter or they can also be served as a snack at a drinks party. Make the madras spice mix up to 1 month in advance and keep in an airtight container in a cool, dry cupboard until needed.

Looking back on my life and career so far, it all looks quite rosy, but when I was really in the thick of it, grafting hard for my pennies every single day, it was sometimes difficult to see the joy or pleasure in those moments. As you get older though you realise that those times, whether good or not so good, create memories just like the ones I am writing about now.

The smell of fresh truffles does put a smile on my face as it reminds me of a wonderful time in my career when I was living and working in London. Admittedly, at the time it did not always feel so great, but on reflection now I realise that I was privileged, and through sheer hard work and determination I created many of those privileges for myself.

When buying fresh truffles the choice is yours and you can spend anything between £10 and £300 on a fresh truffle (white truffles are the best and rarest; black truffles are a little less expensive; summer truffles are the least expensive). Alternatively, you can simply just buy truffle oil, and if you do, choose a good quality one (you will pay a bit more, but if used sparingly it will go a long way).

Fresh truffle (or truffle oil) works particularly well with these baked parsnips and creates a lovely side dish, so I hope you enjoy it too!

This carrot and swede mash is a triumph, as it looks fantastic and tastes great. It definitely brightens up my winter plates and I love cooking this mash for the Christmas table. This recipe is featured on page 413 in my cookbook and I thought that it was time for it to enjoy pride of place on the website too. The beauty about this vegetable mash is that it can be made up to 3 days in advance, then kept refrigerated, as it gets better and even tastier a day or two after it’s been made. It also freezes very well.

I like serving this carrot and swede mash as an accompaniment to roast turkey, goose, beef or chicken.

I think this soup should be made in bucket loads; it should be on tap in the fridge and be served at least twice a day! It’s not only packed with natural goodness, it’s filling, thirst-quenching and tasty, and simply just good for the soul.

This recipe shouts holiday in the sun to me. Sun-ripened tomatoes (especially the heirloom ones that come in all colours) and fresh buffalo mozzarella both contribute to this wonderful recipe, but the true stars are the sautéed red peppers. The sautéing brings out their sweetness and provides real depth of flavour to an otherwise potentially boring old gazpacho recipe.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

The ricotta that we buy here in the UK is not quite the same, but it’s perfectly delicious and is good enough for me to bring back many happy memories. I recommend not buying half-fat or low-fat ricotta because the taste is just not the same. If you are going to eat and enjoy it, it is best to buy full-fat ricotta and only eat half the amount.

This recipe is ideal for a starter or light lunch, served with fresh crusty bread. If you wish to cook this dish for your vegetarian fiends, choose cheese made with vegetarian rennet.

But, enough of smoked venison Scotch eggs, our vegetarian diners have voiced their desire and need for a Scotch egg of their own, and for that reason our version of a Puy lentil Scotch egg is now regularly made by request.

They are very tasty, but when making them, take extra time and care as the mixture is a little bit soft, so make sure you chill the mixture according to the recipe, otherwise it might all end in tears.

If you fancy a fishy version of a Scotch egg instead, do refer to my cookbook (The British Larder A Cookbook for All Seasons) on page 163, for delicious Smoked Salmon Scotch Eggs, or page 148 for the fantastic and fun Crispy Quack Eggs (duck meat wrapped around quail’s eggs). Such fun!