Five soups, stews and roasts to warm you up

Next weekend in the UK, the clocks go back, which officially means the end of British Summer Time. It also means that it will be darker and duller and we’ll have to eat bucketfuls of comfort foods to keep warm. I have a couple of favourite books to turn to when the weather gets colder, Scottish chef Tom Kitchin’s Kitchin Suppers is full of one-pan wonders, served up on rustic plates or wooden boards and nestled against British tweed and Scottish tartan cloths. It’s the perfect book to curl up to next to a log fire. It’s also time to flick through Diana Henry’s Salt Sugar Smoke, as the sloes are in season and our apple tree is laden with fruit, so it’s time to get bottling and preserving. The slow-cooker has also been restored to its permanent winter position, ready to cook up plenty of soups and stews such as the ones below…

1. Slow-cooked beef brisket with celeriac mash and wild mushrooms

You can’t beat this recipe, it ticks all the comfort food boxes; rich, savoury, soft, flavourful and easy to make.

2. Slow-cooker chicken soup

This has already been on the go this week – a whole chicken, onions, celery, carrots, parsley left to cook for 5-6 hours on low. Add the noodles or dumplings once cooked.

3. Steak a la Moutarde

Not a slow cooker recipe, but literally a one-pan, twenty minute job, with a tasty creamy mustard sauce – serve with mash or french fries.

4. Chorizo, chicken and chickpea soup

This is a recipe that’s perfect for cold, dark nights. Wholegrain couscous and organic spinach give this soup a healthy and hearty twist.

5. Marjoram steam roasted chicken

Sometimes you can’t be a simple roast chicken, whether for a weeknight supper or a weekend roast. Here I take you through my mum’s way of cooking a roast chicken, which is succulent and falls off the bone once cooked.

We often enjoy adding some Yorkshire puddings to our Sunday roast dinners – my little boy often insists. If you are short for time, but enjoy the addition of some ‘added roastiness,’ this video of Aunt Bessie’s Home Bake Yorkshires might make you giggle, too. As the cold nights draw in, a little comedy is always good.