• Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan and add the leek and onion and a splash of water. Cover and sweat while you prepare the artichokes.
•  Clean the artichokes really thoroughly. I don’t always peel them – it depends how knobbly they are and seems to make little difference in the end, but you decide. Chop into small chunks and throw into the pan with the leeks and onions. Stir around and season. Cover again and sweat until the artichokes are just soft.
• Add the stock and cook until the mixture is really soft (about 15 minutes). Add the milk and leave to cool.
• Add the hazelnuts and blend in a food processor using the pulse button until the mixture is fairly smooth; it’s nice to have a little crunch of nut left in.
• Put the soup back into a pan, add half the cream then taste. You may not want to add any more; it depends how rich you want it. Adjust the seasoning.
• Reheat and serve with some roughly chopped hazelnuts scattered over each bowlful. Serves 6-8

This is the perfect food to take on a cold winter walk and is inspired a classic Italian Easter pie.

• Start by Pre-heating your oven to 170 degrees celcius.
• Sauté the mushrooms with the cabbage and season.
• Slice the hard boiled eggs and to mixing bowl with the mushrooms, cabbage, ricotta cheese and a generous handful of grated parmesan.
• Roll out some bought puff pastry (though you could make this from scratch if you have the time) and cut into squares.
• Fill one half of the square with a spoonful of the filling, fold over and crimp the edges before placing on a non stick baking tray.
• Bake in the oven until golden brown.

• Steam the shredded cabbage until tender.
• Heat 500ml of cider vinegar in a non metallic pan on a low heat with caraway seeds, bay leaf, chilli, peppercorns and a pinch of sea salt.
• Add the cabbage to the spiced vinegar, cover and take off the heat and allow to steep for half an hour.
• Make the batter by putting flour in a bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper before adding ice cold water to the flour until a light batter is formed.
• Using a slotted spoon remove a large spoonful of the cabbage from the vinegar making sure that you shake off any excess moisture. Any left over cabbage can be stored in sterilized jars covered with the vinegar.
• Add the cabbage to a bowl and mix with some soft goats cheese.
• To finish spoon out apricot sized pieces of goats cheese and cabbage and roll into balls in your hands before dipping in the batter and frying in hot vegetable oil.
• Serve with salad and green tomato chutney.

• Start by taking a handful of sultanas and placing them in a bowl before covering them with some boiled water to plump up.
• Cook your wild rice. There are some great mixed packs available now mixing different grains, I always estimate half a mug of rice per person.
• Finely shred your hard cabbage, and steam until tender.
• Dress your cooked wild rice with soy sauce, olive oil and some finely chopped parsley, mix well before covering.
• Make your hot spiced dressing by heating the olive oil in a pan gently until just hot
• Remove from the heat and add caraway seeds, a pinch of salt and pepper, paprika, a pinch of chilli flakes, bay leaf, garlic and some torn up thyme.
• Stir a little and leave for about five minutes before adding a tablespoon of lemon juice, this will stop the cooking process so it’s important that you allow time for the spices to infuse into the oil. This dressing will improve with age but can be used straight away.
• Finish the salad by adding the cabbage to the rice along with the drained sultanas before dressing with the infused oil.

A classic accompaniment to fish this is also pleasingly very simple to make.

• Wash and peel your celeriac before cutting into fine match stick like batons.
• Season with, salt and pepper, the juice of half a lemon, chopped parsley and a little olive oil.
• Combine well before adding a few tablespoons of mayonnaise to the mix and stirring in until well coated.