Healthy

Naturally creamy and slightly bitter in flavour, walnuts are the wrinkly, brain-like fruit of the walnut tree and a versatile storecupboard ingredient in both sweet and savoury cooking. Here, they contrast sweet leeks in a creamy blue cheese sauce for pasta – a quick and comforting dish for a cold winter night

This quick Italian-inspired dish uses a cheat ingredient for a result that tastes like it’s been simmering on the stove for hours

Recipes with minimal ingredients get a great boost from miso, which lends lots of flavour with minimum effort here

This salad, which offsets the often rich food we eat at this time of year, makes a wonderful addition to a buffet table, or a light lunch on its own. Feel free to swap in any grain or other nuts you have to hand

Peas not only lend colour and sweetness to this soup – when roasted with spices, they add texture as a crunchy garnish too

Often called Scotland’s national soup, cock-a-leekie dates back to the 16th century and remains a traditional course at Burns Night and St Andrew’s Day suppers. However, it likely began life in France, as a chicken and onion soup. Rice or barley is sometimes used to make it thicker, while prunes are a hotly contested addition.

Our crustless quiche combines gut-friendly Stilton with nutrient-rich eggs, spinach and mushrooms – just a wedge or two for lunch or supper will help to fuel the growth of gut bacteria.

Think you’re too busy to make mash from scratch? Chop your potatoes into 2.5cm chunks and cook them in a pan with the lid on – they’ll be ready in a fraction of the usual time.

The baharat spice mix brings Middle Eastern flavours to this comforting seasonal salad, while the sweet roasted pears combine beautifully with the salty halloumi and sharp lemon dressing