Roasted butternut, borlotti and barley with creamy tahini dressing

Eating roasted butternut squash in season is so amazing. Really sweet and intense. Used pre-made Jamie Oliver grains from a packet which is such a great time saver. I chopped a bit of apple into the mixture too to add sharpness and the creaminess in the tahini sauce was from tofu, spiked with garlic and lemon. Such a comforting recipe.

Lemon sole with braised fennel and harissa cous cous

I got the idea for this really brilliant, easy supper recipe from a friend of my MIL's who did it with potatoes and monkfish instead. I loved the idea because you can  make the sauce well in advance and then warm it back up, steaming the fish on top with a lid on. Very very easy, healthy and delicious. Definitely one to do again!

Seared tuna with spelt pasta salad

This is a Jamie Oliver 15min spesh and it really was easy and quite popular with both young and old for a weekend lunch. Spelt pasta is lighter than normal and therefore works well with filling tuna. I had leftovers for lunch the next day and it was excellent still with its salty olives which really zing.

Mega-boost flapjacks

I made these as something sweet for after supper as he misses chocolate at that time. Turned out to be a great recipe for him particularly as it had loads of omega 3 packed linseeds but also because they had bananas, honey and porridge oats all of which I gather promote good sleep - a clever second benefit! My sister even liked them despite them not tasting that sweet.

Salt and pepper squid with a vegetable stir fry

Now this was good... The squid I was taught on a brilliant one day fish cookery course at Abinger Cookery School in Surrey. Amazing to eat in the comfort of your own home as I normally think of it as real restaurant cooking, especially with the deep-fried parsley, garlic and chilli garnish (hate that word). As it was a main course I did an easy veggie stir fry with it, consisting of egg noodles, crispy veg and black sesame seeds. 

Spiced three bean stew with pomegranate and coriander

The base here was red thai curry paste then of course onions, chickpeas and mushrooms. Very autumnal and filling especially with brown rice. I actually froze quite a bit of it for another night which I know will taste maybe even better second time around.