• Peel the potatoes and slice them into thick (1.5cm) chips.
• Place in a colander and rinse, twice, in cold water.
• Place in a bowl and cover the potatoes in cold water (make sure they’re completely submerged). Add in the vinegar too.
• Soak for 30 minutes.
• Drain the potatoes and place in a large pan. Cover with water and bring to the boil, then simmer for 8-10 minutes, until tender.
• Drain in a colander and allow to steam dry for 5 minutes.
• Heat the oil in your deep fryer to 170℃/340℉.
• Add the potatoes to the fryer basket and slowly lower down into the oil, ensuring they’re not going to bubble over.
• Fry for 5-6 minutes, until lightly golden brown.
• Turn off the fryer, drain the chips and serve with plenty of salt and vinegar.

• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the stock to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low to keep warm.
• In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 7 minutes.
• Add mushrooms, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and 1 Tbsp. butter. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are softened and golden brown, 10 to 15 more minutes; season with salt and pepper. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a medium bowl.
• In same pot over medium heat, melt remaining 1 tbsp butter. Add rice and cook, stirring, until grains are coated and smell slightly toasty, about 2 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring frequently, until wine has mostly absorbed, about 3 minutes.
• Using a ladle, add about 1 cup of the stock. Cook, stirring often, until rice has mostly absorbed the liquid, 3 to 5 minutes. Continue to add the stock about 1 cup at a time, letting the rice absorb each addition of stock before adding more. Stir often and cook until risotto is al dente and creamy, not mushy, 20 to 25 minutes total. (You might not need all the broth.)
• Return mushroom mixture to pot and stir to combine. Stir in Parmesan and peas until cheese melts. Top with parsley.

• To make any of the above curry pastes, first peel the garlic and ginger. Put a frying pan on a medium to high heat and add the spices for toasting to the dry pan. Lightly toast them for a few minutes until golden brown and smelling delicious, then remove the pan from the heat.
• Add the toasted spices to a pestle and mortar and grind until fine, or put them into a food processor or hand blender and whiz to a powder. Either way, when you’ve ground them whiz the toasted spices with the rest of the ingredients and ½ a teaspoon of sea salt until you have a smooth paste.

• Measure the flour, salt and yeast into a bowl, using a spatula mix everything together thoroughly.
• Make a well in the centre of the mixture then add the water. Now mix to a dough, starting off with the spatula and using your hands in the final stages of mixing, adding a spot more water if there are any dry bits. Continue to mix and press the dough in the bowl for about 1 minute so that the dough is evenly mixed (it will feel little sticky but that’s fine) then put the bowl of dough into a large polythene bag and close it with a clip.
• Leave it until it looks as though it has doubled in bulk, which will be about 2 hours at room temperature. After that, punch out all the air, then knead lightly and shape the dough into an oblong, then roll it up and place it into the buttered tin, sprinkle with a dusting of flour. Now place it in a greased polythene bag, closed with a clip until the dough rises above the top of the tin – this time about an hour at room temperature.
• Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 230°C, gas mark 8.
• Once the dough has risen, remove the bag, slash the top of the loaf with a sharp serrated knife and bake it on the centre shelf for 25 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 200C, gas mark 6 for a further 15 minutes. Turn it out on to a cloth to protect your hands. Then tap the bottom of the loaf with your fingertips to check if it is cooked through as you tap you should hear a hollow sound.
• If you like it crusty then return the bread, out of its tin, upside-down to the oven to crisp the base and side crust for about 5 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.

• Heat the oil over medium heat and add the garlic and anchovy. Cook gently until the garlic smells fragrant and the anchovy melts into the oil. Add the tomato puree and cook for another couple of minutes until the puree starts to darken.
• Add the tomatoes, sugar, salt and basil and bring to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes until thickened. Season again to taste.
• While the sauce cook bring a pot of water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook according to packet instructions. Just before the sauce finishes cooking, add the kale and stir to wilt.
• When everything’s finished cooking add the pasta to the sauce with the parmesan and toss well before serving.

• Preheat the oven to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C.
• Place the chicken, skin-side up, in a roasting tin with sweet potato chunks – a perfect job for little helpers.
• Leaving the skin on lightly crush the garlic cloves and ask the children to place them amongst the pieces of chicken.
• Drizzle the rapeseed oil over the pan and add the chicken stock, then season. Get the kids to squeeze the lemon juice in too before adding the juiced halves of lemon to the tray.
• Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes. About 30 minutes in add the chorizo, courgettes and chilli.
• Cut into the thickest part of the thigh to check that the chicken is cooked through with no pink showing, then remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes.
• Mix the spinach and parsley leaves through the hot chicken mix and serve immediately.

• Preheat oven to 220℃/Fan 200℃/425℉. Lightly grease a large baking sheet, set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the Brussels sprouts, olive oil, minced garlic, sea salt and pepper. Stir until ingredients are evenly distributed.
• Evenly spread the oiled and seasoned Brussels sprouts onto the prepared baking sheet.
• Sprinkle the diced bacon evenly around the sprouts on the baking sheet. Make sure everything is in a single, even layer.
• Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through. (NOTE: The size of your Brussels sprouts will affect roasting time. I prefer small sprouts for better flavor, but if using large sprouts, you may need to roast longer than 20 minutes).
• While the Brussels are roasting, mix together the mustard and honey.
• After 20 minutes, or when the Brussels and bacon are starting to brown, remove the baking pan from the oven and drizzle the honey mustard mixture over the Brussels and bacon.
• Stir until evenly distributed and spread mixture in an even layer on the baking sheet.
• Return to oven and roast again for 5-10 minutes (remember, the size of your sprouts will determine this – check at 5 minutes), or until the sauce has thickened and coated the sprouts and the sprouts/bacon are browned.
• Remove from oven and stir the mixture to ensure nothing sticks to the pan.
• Serve warm.

Prep Leeks:

• Dice off the coarse green tough part of the leek (save for making stock if you wish). Keep the root intact and slice in half lengthways. Clean out any dirt under the tap or in a bowl of cold water then thoroughly dry. Trim off the root then season the insides with a good pinch of salt and pepper.

Fry:

• Add 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil to a large pan over low-medium heat. Add leeks (work in two batches, or as many as you can fit) seasoned/flesh side down and gently fry until soft and buttery. Discard any papery outer layers that detach. Really take the time to ensure they soften right through. If your leeks are quite thick consider adding a splash of stock or water, putting on the lid and allowing them to steam through. That or quarter instead of halving them. Place to one side and repeat with second batch, adding a splash more oil if needed.

Sauce:

• Turn heat to a medium and melt in 2 tbsp butter. Stir in 2 tbsp flour to form a paste, then very gradually begin adding in 2 cups/500ml milk, whisking as you go to avoid any lumps forming. Once thickened, add in 1 tbsp dijon mustard, a good few pinches of nutmeg and salt & pepper to taste. Turn off heat then add in 1 cup/100g Gruyere and 1 cup/100g Cheddar and stir until smooth.

Bake:

• Spread a spoonful of cheese sauce in the base of a 9″x9″ baking dish. Add 6 leek halves cut side up, pour over sauce, add the remaining leeks on top then pour over the rest of the sauce. Finish with your remaining cheddar and bake in the oven at 200C/390F for 20-25mins or until golden and bubbly.

Serve:

• Allow to rest for 5 or so mins until it cools down, then slice right down the middle. Serve up and enjoy!

Slicing

• Make a tiny slit across the tip (not the root) of your onion and peel the brown shell away.
• Place the onion with the root facing up. With a knife, begin slicing around 1/2 inch away from the root in a circular motion. You should be able to create 12-16 even slices depending on the size of your onion.
• Flip the onion and gently spread out the petals.

Coating

• In one bowl combine flour, paprika, cayenne pepper, oregano, garlic powder and salt & black pepper. In a second, combine eggs and milk.
• Place the onion in the dry mix, spread out the petals and thoroughly coat, ensuring you coat as much of the onion/petals as possible. Shake away excess flour, then place into the wet mix. Coat again, ensuring you get right in between the petals. Allow excess to drip off then place back into the flour. Coat once again, ensuring you thoroughly coat each petal, carefully spreading them out as needed and shaking out any excess so the petals don’t clump together. This is a tedious process but worth it to ensure each petal has a good coating and also don’t all stick together.

Frying

• In a suitably sized pot, heat up enough oil to cover the depth of the onion. You want to get it to about 350F/180C. Drop a petal in and if it vigorously sizzles, you’re good to go. Using a ladle, slowly and carefully drop in your onion root side up. Allow to fry for around 2-3mins, then very carefully flip it over. It’s ready to flip when the very tips of the petals begin to lightly char.
• Continue frying until deep golden and visibly crispy all over. Depending on the size of your onion it should take around 6-10 minutes until done. You don’t want to pull it out early as the batter with taste flakey/powdery, so ensure it’s a deep golden colour before it comes out. Try and keep it submerged in the oil throughout and keep it on a high heat to try and maintain the oil temp as best possible.
• Place upside down on a paper towel to drain. Flip then sprinkle another pinch of salt. Serve with your favourite dip!

• Zest and juice one of the oranges and pour the juice in a medium bowl. Slice the remaining orange into ¼-inch rounds.
• With a vegetable peeler, peel the pears and cut them in half length ways. Add the pears to the bowl with the orange juice and toss to coat (this will help prevent the pear from turning brown too quickly).
• Prepare a non-reactive pot that can fit all the pears snuggly (I used an enameled pot). Add the orange slices, red wine, honey, sugar, cinnamon stick, and cardamom.
• Over medium-high heat, bring the liquid to a rolling boil, then lower the heat and add in the pears and orange juice (set the bowl aside). Cover and let simmer gently for 20 to 30 minutes, occasionally rotating them using a wooden spoon, until the pears have softened enough and a skewer inserted in the middle of a pear at the thickest part meets no resistance.
• Transfer the pears back to the bowl for now. Simmer the remaining liquid for a few minutes or until thickened.
• Allow the pears to sit upright in the poaching liquid until they have cooled enough to serve.
• Serve poached pears warm or cold with a little bit of the syrup drizzled on top, and some orange zest for garnish. You can also refrigerate them in the poaching liquid overnight to serve at a later time.