#17 - Vegetable Lasagne

This dish is the perfect way to use up vegetables which have been left lying around a bit too long, or just to get your "five a day" the easy way.

Roughly chop your selection of vegetables - in this case I used courgettes, aubergines, butternut squash, mushrooms, onions, garlic, broccoli and spinach - and add to a large saucepan with up to 4 tins of tomatoes, some tomato puree, a healthy glug of red wine, some bayleaves and some mixed herbs. Stir well, cover and leave to simmer for an hour or so until it's well reduced. If you like you can also add some lentils for some extra bite.

Make a basic white sauce as in the start of the whisky sauce in this recipe, but instead of adding whisky and cream, add cheese to the sauce and make it nice and thick. Then layer a large dish with alternating layers of the vegetable mixture, cheese sauce and lasagne sheets, until the dish is full. Finish with the cheese sauce and top with some grated cheese.

Bake in a medium-low oven (around 140°C) for 30 minutes, finishing off in a hot oven for 10 minutes before serving to brown the top of the lasagne. Perfect served with a green salad and garlic bread.

#16 - Leek and Parmesan Risotto

I love risottos. Contrary to popular belief they're very easy to cook, very tasty and are extremely adaptable. You can pretty much chuck anything you like into a risotto.

Start with around 100g of arborio rice (or risotto rice) per person. Measure that out and keep to one side. Next decide on what kind of stock you're going to use - vegetable or chicken would be my preferences - and put a pan of stock on the hob. Once it boils reduce the heat and keep it simmering. Next get a large pan (I find my casserole dish is perfect for cooking risottos) and put in your risotto "flavouring". You can use just about anything - mushrooms are lovely, as is asparagus when it's in season, parsnips make a surprisingly tasty dish or even leftover chicken from the Sunday roast.

In this case I fried some leeks and garlic in some olive oil until soft. Then added the rice. Stir the rice into the vegetables to ensure it's well coated and mixed together. Then add in a glass of white wine (optional) and stir until the liquid has been absorbed into the rice. Then add a ladle of stock and stir until it's incorporated. Keep adding the stock in small quantities and stirring until the rice looks soft and creamy and still has a little bite when tested.

To finish, add a knob of butter and some parmesan cheese (or whatever hard, full-fat cheese you have to hand) and a liberal sprinkling of fresh black pepper. It's the ultimate comfort food!

#15 - Butternut Squash and Sausage Bake with Chestnuts and Sage

This dish is very similar to the Tagliatelle with Chestnuts, Sage and Crispy Parma Ham which I made as dish number 2. However, this time, following a recipe from Olive magazine, I used butternut squash instead of tagliatelle and chopped up sausages in place of the parma ham.

It was very much a "chuck in the oven and do something else while it cooks" recipe which is perfect for the end of a work day when you've got better things to be getting on with than standing over a stove! Peel and chop the BNS then chop six sausages into small pieces. Add a packet of chestnuts (I used 200g of the vacuum packed Merchant Gourmand chestnuts) and some sage, and drizzle olive oil over the whole lot.

It took around an hour to cook so check it a couple of times and turn everything over so it cooks evenly. It was delicious and would probably have been improved by the addition of some brussel sprouts. I might try that next time!

#14 - Haggis parcels

These were made with the last of the leftovers from the Burns' Supper.

Take 2 sheets of filo pastry and cut in half. Lay each of the four squares on top of each other, each at a slight angle to the rest so you end up with a kind of star shape. Then place a little haggis, neeps and tatties on to the bottom of the pastry (don't put in too much or your parcel won't close!). Using beaten egg, brush a little round the edges of each sheet of pastry and then bring together at the top. Then brush the outside of the parcels with the egg wash and put on a baking sheet lined with some greaseproof paper.

Bake at 140°C for 25 minutes, then at 180°C for 15 minutes until the pastry is brown and crispy.

To serve, make a whisky sauce. Start with a basic white sauce base with equal amounts of butter and flour. Melt the butter over a medium heat then stir in the flour. Leave to cook for 1 minute, then add milk little by little, bringing to the boil and stirring until the milk is incorporated into the flour and butter mixture each time milk is added. Continue until you have a thin sauce which coats the back of a spoon. Then add some whisky and cream, salt and pepper to taste.

#13 - Cranachan

Another Burns' Supper recipe was the traditional Scottish dessert of Cranachan. It's essentially whipped cream mixed with raspberries, whisky, honey and toasted oats, and is absolutely delicious!

Lightly toast 75-100g of porridge oats in a hot non-stick frying pan (keep them moving so they don't burn and remove from the heat when golden brown). Meanwhile whip around 1 pint of cream until it's at the "soft peak" stage (don't overwhip it) then mix in about 1lb of Scottish raspberries. Add the toasted oats and some whisky and honey to taste (I use 2-3 tablespoons of whisky and 1-2 tablespoons of honey) and mix well. Spoon into a large dish, or into several smaller dishes, and put in the fridge to set.

Really easy to make, and really delicious!

#12 - Smoked Salmon Parcels

This was made for the starter of our Burns' Supper this weekend. While salmon mousse is delicious, it has a tendency to be associated with 1980's style dinner parties. However, this version brings salmon mousse right up to date and makes a nice starter for a special meal.

Line 6 ramekins with smoked salmon. Make sure the bottom of the ramekin and the sides are well covered and leave some smoked salmon strips hanging over the side of the dish.

Mix 8oz (225g) salmon with 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise. Whip ¼ pint of cream and fold into the salmon mixture. Dissolve 4 teaspoons of gelatine in 3 tablespoons of hot water and stir into the salmon mixture along with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Mix well.

Spoon the salmon mousse mixture into the ramekins and ensure the mousse is level (the easiest way to do this is to gently tap the ramekins on a chopping board to "settle" the mousse in the dishes). Carefully fold the smoked salmon strips over-hanging the ramekin over the mousse to seal into a parcel. Put the ramekins in the fridge for 2-4 hours - or as long as possible before serving.

To serve, run a knife round the edge of the ramekin and turn the parcel out on to a plate. Top with a king prawn and serve with a green salad and fresh brown bread.

#11 - Pizza

Pizza has to be the ultimate comfort food, and is perfect for a quiet Friday night in. I like to use Delia's recipe for pizza base as it comes out consistently well.

Make sure and use a dusting of polenta on the work-surface when rolling out the pizza base. It makes a huge difference to the base and makes for a lovely end result. Also, cooking the pizza on a pizza stone or pizza tray which helps the air circulate makes for a lovely crust.

For a quick tomato base for the pizza, soften a finely chopped onion, then add some garlic, oregano and a tin of tomatoes. Simmer until the sauce has thickened and spread on the pizza. This can be made in advance and will keep for a couple of days in a tupperware in the fridge.

Everyone has their own favourite pizza toppings so chop and add whatever takes your fancy to the top of the pizza. Tear some mozzarella (buffalo mozzarella is the best if you can get it) for the top, then cook in the oven at around 180° for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

It doesn't take long and tastes a lot better than anything from the supermarket!

#10 - Spaghetti with Cherry Tomatoes and Olives

This is an old favourite pasta dish of mine which, while not amazingly complicated or fancy, really hits the spot.

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. I find spaghetti works best with this sauce - but tagliatelli, spaghettini or fettucini would work just as well. Finely chop an onion (as fine as you can) and fry in a little olive oil until soft. Then add halved cherry tomatoes and black olives and mix well. If liked, add half a finely chopped chilli for some extra spice.

When the pasta is cooked mix in the tomato and olive sauce and serve topped with sliced parmesan.

Simple - but absolutely delicious!

#7, #8 and #9 Bobotie, Yellow Rice and Apricot Blatjang

I made this meal for dinner with friends and it was absolutely delicious. I've wanted to try making bobotie for a while, and I wasn't disappointed. The rice and apricot blatjang made lovely accompaniments.

The bobotie is made from minced beef with added spices. I was a bit wary of adding whole allspice berries and cloves to the dish in case someone got a nasty surprise, so I made a little spice bag with some muslin and added this to the cooking meat. This means the flavour gets into the food, but that the cloves and berries are also easy to find and retrieve after cooking (and before someone bites into one). If you don't have muslin, then a tea infuser like this one would work just as well. Instead of mango chutney I also used Mrs Ball's Chutney for a more authentic flavour. Both the allspice berries and Mrs Ball's Chutney were available at my local supermarket (the former in the speciality ingredients' section).

The yellow rice and apricot blatjang accompaniments were also delicious and very easy to make.

If making this dish again, I would make the bobotie beef mixture a day ahead to help infuse the flavours, but it was absolutely delicious all the same.

#6 - Chicken and Butternut Squash Red Thai Curry

This was another quick and easy dinner one night after a long day.

Chop a couple of chicken breasts into cubes and saute in a frying pan until brown and cooked through. Meanwhile peel and chop the butternut squash (BNS) into cubes and put to one sice. Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the pan, cover and keep warm. Fry the BNS until soft then return the chicken to the pan. Add a tin of bamboo shoots and a large tablespoon of red thai curry paste (I haven't been brave enough to attempt to make my own paste from scratch as yet so I use Thai Taste's Gang Ped Red Curry Paste which you can get in most supermarkets). Mix well then add a tin of coconut milk. Stir and simmer until the sauce thickens.

It's delicious just as it is, or with some jasmine rice if you prefer to bulk it out a bit.

#5 - Sausage and Lentil Casserole

This was a bit of a "throw it all together and see what happens" dinner, but it was lovely.

Take 6 sausages and brown in a frying pan before putting into an oven-proof casserole dish. Meanwhile chop and fry some red onion until soft. Add to the sausages. Measure out a mug of lentils (I used puy lentils, but any kind of lentils would do) and add to the casserole, then measure the same amount of liquid. I used cider, but chicken or vegetable stock, passata, or even water, would do just as well. Add two tins of tomatoes plus a tin of kidney beans and half a finely chopped chilli, and stir the casserole gently to mix the ingredients together. Then put into a medium oven (around 180°) for 1-1½ hours until the mixture is bubbling and the sausages and lentils are cooked.

It's perfect for this time of year and easy to make. I'm sure you could also make it in a slow cooker if you had one.

#4 - Lemon and Lime Cupcakes

This recipe was a bit of an experiment, but it turned out amazingly well.

The basis for the cakes was a basic victoria sponge mixture. The base mixture is 2oz (50g) each of flour, butter and sugar, plus 1 egg. The mixture scales up really well and for 10 cupcakes I used 6oz of flour, butter and sugar plus 3 eggs.

To make the cakes into coconut cake take out 3 tablespoons of flour from the amount measured and then replace with 3 tablespoons of coconut.

First of all measure out the butter and sugar and cream together until the mixture is white and fluffy. Beat the eggs and add in slowly bit by bit, stirring well to incorporate all the egg. Then add in the flour (or flour/coconut mixture) and whisk until smooth.

In the meantime line a cupcake tin with paper cases, or use a silicon muffin tray, and put the mixture into the tin until each case is around ¾ full. Bake at 180°C for around 15 minutes, or until a cocktail stick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Once the cakes have cooked, remove and place on a wire tray to cool. In the meantime mix up some icing sugar with lime juice into a thick paste (taste it to get the right balance of sweet and sour). Pour the icing mixture over the top of the cakes and leave to cool (or leave for as long as possible before eating!)

#3 - Courgette Fritters with Lemon and Olive Salsa

While not very wintery, this dish is absolutely delicious. It's another Waitrose recipe which was really easy to make. The feta cheese gives the fritters a bit of extra bite and the lemon and olive salsa is really lovely.

This would be a lovely dish for a summer BBQ as well as for a light mid-week meal.

#2 - Tagliatelle with Chestnuts, Sage and Crispy Parma Ham

This is a recipe which I tore from a Waitrose magazine a while ago although I've managed to find it online as well. I love chestnuts, but rarely have them other than at Christmas, so this recipe was perfect. It is absolutely delicious and the flavours are wonderful. It's a perfect dish for a cold winter's evening.

The parma ham can easily be omitted to make this dish vegetarian.

#1 - American-Style Pancakes

The first recipe of the year and the first recipe of this challenge is a traditional one in our house - American-style pancakes served with crispy bacon and maple syrup. It's a good New Year's Day breakfast, easy to make, tasty and perfect for soaking up any wine from the night before.

I use a Jamie Oliver Recipe for "Pancakes USA Stylie" from his Happy Days with the Naked Chef book. It's really easy to make, but the result tastes brilliant.

To cook, heat a frying pan over a medium heat and rub with a little oil (small pans are best for this as the result is a small pancake - or you can use a cooking ring to keep the batter in place in a bigger pan). Put some batter in the pan then leave until the top is covered in little bubbles. This means the pancake is cooked and ready to turn. Turn, then leave for another couple of minutes until the other side has turned golden.

We love these served with crispy grilled bacon, maple syrup and butter, but they would be equally gorgeous without the bacon or left to cool then served with a bit of butter and a large mug of tea. For a simple dessert, try them with some chopped banana and chocolate sauce or with some blueberries, or other mixed fruit, and some creme fraiche. The options are almost limitless!