october

Sweet potato, mushroom, spinach curry; rice

Pear tarte tatin

We had a million pears from mum’s tree which all decided to go ripe at the same time. What a good excuse for a Tarte Tatin. I continue to push the boundaries of how far I dare take the caramel; this was black and fantastic. The cake topping was something of an experiment, and I added polenta to the cake mix. It was quite nice. A bit hard compared with cake, but a nice alternative to pastry (I couldn’t be arsed to make pastry)

Chestnuts, caerphilly cheese, savoy cabbage, wheat kernels and barley

Quince and cream

The first of the quinces – these were two windfalls

Hummus and pitta

Roast carrots, puy lentils and tomato puree, tomato chilli salsa, potatoes with avocado oil

Black pudding and apple, cabbage and onion with juniper and chorizo, mashed potatoes

Pear tarte Tatin

Ate out

Lunch: spag with tomatoes, chilli, chorizo

Dinner: Winifred

Slow roast 5-spice pork, pointed cabbage with chilli, mashed potatoes

Squash pannacotta

8oz squash (raw, peeled weight). Boil, mash, sieve. 5floz single cream, 1-2 floz milk, 2-3 tbs sugar, 0.5tsp wattleseed, chilli, vanilla essence. Bring to simmer and let it cool and infuse. Soak 2 leaves gelatine (costa); dissolve in cream. Mix into puree and let it cool. When it starts to set whisk 1-2 floz double cream and mix in. Decant into little bowls.

Winifred is back for most of the next week

Lunch: Spag with ricotta, squash, pinekernels, sage, garlic

Dinner: Fillet steak, mushrooms, braised lettuce, baked potatoes

Figs with chevre

Puy lentil and tomato soup (Tesco)

Aubergine slices, Sicilian sauce; peperonata and basil, ciabatta

Ate out

Partridge, blackberry gravy, cabbage, mushrooms, onion, mashed potato

Quince and cream

There is no escaping the quince

Lentil and squash and almond soup, Indian spices

5-spice pork, pak choi in garlic, cashew, oyster sauce, soba noodles

... and no escaping leftovers, even for honoured guests

Shredded lettuce, mirin and chilli dressing, fried noodles

Gratin of red chard stems, leaves with sherry vinegar and chorizo, potatoes

The gratin worked, but the leaves were less successful.

Lunch: spag with 5-spice pork, cream, chilli, tomato puree

Dinner: Mark and Navah

red peppers with mint, green lentils with tomato, halloumi

Lamb shanks, Persian spices, roast squash, spinach, challah

Navah had made the challah – it was gorgeous

Quince and cream

Swaledale cows, Woolsery goat, Cashel blue

Dinner: Celeriac, red pepper, tomato, chilli tartlets; salad, ciabatta

Bread and butter pudding

... of sorts – Navah’s bread with rum-soaked raisins, candied peel, cream

Pissaladière

... of sorts – stewed onions, olives, anchovies on ciabatta rolls

Squash and ricotta risotto

Tracey ate out

Spag with tomatoes

Banana with rum

Simon and Amelia

Pea and chorizo soup

Osso buco, peas, linguini

Poached pears, blackberry and crème de myrtilles

Swaledale and Woolsery

Ate out

Halloumi, sumac, purple sprouting with walnut-garlic sauce, bulghar with shallot, garlic, tomato, mint, chilli

Quince curd tart

Dinner: Smoked trout and caper pate, toast

Osso buco, saffron risotto, spinach and onions

Lunch: Spag with smoked trout, seaweed flakes, chilli

Dinner: Chicken, avocado, red peppers, tomato, chilli, cilantro, lime, sauteed sweet potato

Mango fried in butter with white rum and preserved ginger

NCG Moroccan chickpea soup

Bigham’s Moroccan lamb, spinach, couscous with preserved lemon, pinekernels, pistachios

Thai Tom Yam soup (tin)

Risotto with crab, spring onions, enoki, red pepper, lemongrass, saffron, chilli

Shitake mushroom spring rolls with sweet chilli sauce

I made these the day before. For 4 rolls, I used 12 mushrooms. It seems best not to overfill the rolls otherwise they tend to disintegrate. I shallow-fry them, but I expect they work better deepfried.

Stirfried cabbage, red peppers, cashews, chilli with oyster sauce; soba noodles

Feta, puy lentils, tomatoes, cilantro, chilli, avocado oil

Persian lamb, bulghar with fried walnuts, sumac, spinach, peas, courgette

Confit of duck, flageolets, ciabatta, cabbage with onions and harissa

Camembert

Lunch: spag with tomtatoes, onions, anchovies, olives, basil

on holiday