One of my favourite things about the colder weather is that it signifies soup season, and soup is the easiest lunch or starters offering ever. This one is packed with delicious wintery flavours of celeriac with just a touch of nutmeg and coriander.

Celeriac is also in season right now, and it's loaded with important vitamins, such as vitamins B6, C and K, and it's a great source of fibre. Plus, it tastes delicious! 

Don't be put off by it's unusual appearance - once it's peeled and chopped, it doesn't look that different from parsnips.

INGREDIENTS

300g fresh fennel, finely chopped (including the green part)

230g celeriac, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp coriander seed

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

850ml water

1 vegetable stock cube

140g butter or 2 tbsp coconut cream

Juice of 1 lemon

salt & ground black pepper, to season

A handful fresh dill or tops of fennel, chopped, to garnish

Handful of gluten-free croutons (Optional)

METHOD

Aubergine hash

Serves 2

This delicious recipe makes a great weekend brunch option. Serve the eggs as you like them on top.

INGREDIENTS

1 sm onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

110g halloumi cheese, cut into small cubes

500g aubergine, cut into cubes

Salt and pepper, to season

2 large eggs

Worcestershire sauce or Tabasco sauce, to serve (optional)

METHOD

Fry the onion in the olive oil on a medium heat until soft.

Add the halloumi cheese and aubergine and fry until everything is golden brown. Salt and pepper to taste.

Make the eggs the way you like them and serve on top of the finished aubergine hash. Add a dash of Worcester or Tabasco sauce (optional) to finish.

Power Porridge

I love this recipe for when the weather starts getting cooler and you need a warming start to the day. This recipe contains fewer oats than traditional porridge recipes but has a higher content of nuts and seeds. This means that you stay fuller for longer, plus, it's better for your blood sugar balance.

MAKES 1 PORTION

Ingredients:

4 tbsp porridge oats

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp ground flaxseeds, sunflower and pumpkin seeds

1 tbsp chia seeds

1/2 apple grated skin on

250ml water

250ml almond milk (or milk of your choice)

Handful blackberries

1 tbsp chopped almonds

Method:

• Add the oats, cinnamon, ground seeds and chia seeds to a pan and stir to combine

• Grate half an apple with skin on directly into the pan

• Add the water and milk and stir to combine

• Heat on a moderate heat, bring to the boil and then simmer gently for approx 5 mins until cooked. Stir frequently to prevent it catching on the bottom

• Add a bit of extra milk so it's your desired consistency

• Add blackberries and almonds on top

I am a huge fan of asparagus – particularly British asparagus, you really can’t beat it! So, I am super excited that it’s currently in season! 

But did you know that as well as being completely delicious, asparagus is a real powerhouse of a veggie. Asparagus is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals especially folate and vitamins A, C & K. Plus, it is a great source of both insoluble and soluble fibre making it the perfect partner for a healthy gut and good digestion.

Ingredients

4 fillets cod

1 large bunch asparagus, cut into 3-4cm pieces, tough ends removed

1 fennel bulb, very thinly sliced

½ white onion, very thinly sliced

1 lemon, very thinly sliced 

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

Seasoning to taste

Serves 4

Method

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
• On a flat oven tray, lay out a large piece of foil (larger than the tray) and line with grease-proof paper (also larger than the tray.
• Arrange the asparagus, sliced fennel, onion, lemon and garlic along the bottom of the tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season to taste.
• Nestle the fish fillets into the veg evenly and season.
• Drizzle with olive oil and 1 tbsp lemon juice.
• Wrap up the paper and foil so that the veg and fish are encased. Pop in the oven for 20 minutes. Fish should be cooked through and asparagus tender.
• Serve with new potatoes and steamed greens.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 fillets cod or other white fish

• 2 packets Merchant Gourmet pre-prepared Puy lentils

• 1 large bulb fennel

• 2 red peppers

• 3 small leeks

• 2 tbsp Rose Harissa paste

• Extra virgin olive oil

• 1 bag baby leaf spinach

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

2. Chop the vegetables into bite-sized chunks and scatter in an oven tray, drizzle with olive oil and season. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until starting to caramelise.

3. Remove veg from oven, stir through the Puy lentils and the Harissa paste. Return to the oven.

4. Now, pan fry the cod in olive oil for a couple of minutes each side until the fish is fully cooked through. The lentils and veg will now be ready too.

5. Serve with the baby spinach at the bottom of the bowl, topped with the spicy lentils and veg, and top with the pan-fried cod. Dinner in less than 30 minutes!

Blood Orange and Almond Cake

This is a delicious, moist cake, which works perfectly as a dessert or treat for guests. Both gluten and dairy-free, but you would not notice! 

Blood oranges are rich in antioxidants, which help reduce the stress of oxidation and lower your risk of chronic health problems like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.  Due their fantastic pigment, they have 9 x the antioxidant capacity of Navel oranges, as well as 3 x the polyphenol content.

Oh, and they are really tasty!

Ingredients

3 medium blood oranges

6 eggs, separated

150g honey

265g ground almonds

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp ground cardamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

4-6 tbsp flaked almonds

Pinch salt

Serves 8-10

23cm springform tin, greased and lined

Method

• Wash the oranges and put in a pan. Cover fully with water and bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 2 hours or until very soft. Watch the water level. Drain and leave to cool completely.

• Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees fan / 180 degrees normal.

• Chop up the oranges, remove any seeds, and put the rest into the blender (skin and all). Blitz to a puree and put to one side.

• In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.

• In another bowl, beat the egg yolks with the honey and vanilla essence until fully combined. Stir in the pureed oranges.

• Fold in the ground almonds, ground cardamon, pinch of salt and baking powder.

• Gently fold in a couple of spoonfuls of the egg whites, before then folding in the rest of the egg whites.

• Pour the batter into the prepared tin. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds. Bake for 60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. If the cake starts to brown too quickly then cover with foil for the remaining time.

• Allow the cake to cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes as it will be too fragile to remove at this point.

• Leave to cool completely on a wire rack. Serve in slices with whole Greek yoghurt.