COLLE Th Ce TION

For better-tasting food and your own peace of mind, use free-range eggs and sustainable, local ingredients wherever possible. 1 teaspoon is 5ml; 1 tablespoon is 15ml. 'Salt' refers to fine salt, unless otherwise stated.

Parsnip, ham and Gruyère gratin SERVES 4

1.2kg parsnips, trimmed 150g rustic sliced ham, chopped into

1cm pieces 450ml double cream 150g Gruyère, grated pinch nutmeg 8 tbsp chunky white breadcrumbs

Put the parsnips into boiling salted water – add the larger ones first and cook for around 3 minutes, then add the medium ones and cook for another 2 minutes, then add any thin ones and cook for a further 2 minutes, making a total cooking time of 7 minutes for the largest.

Drain and slice the parsnips into 5mm rounds and place in a bowl along with the ham.

Preheat the oven to 220C/200C F/Gas 7. Pour the cream into a pan and warm over a low heat until bubbles appear around the edges. Take off the heat and add the Gruyère, stirring to melt. Season, then pour the creamy cheese mixture over the parsnips and ham and fold gently together, adding a pinch of nutmeg. Tip into a round 24cm gratin dish and scatter the breadcrumbs over the top. Bake for around 30 minutes until the top is golden and the mixture bubbling, then serve immediately.

Honey-roasted Brussels sprouts and shallots with shaved chestnuts

SERVES 4-6

300g shallots, broken into lobes

8 garlic cloves, unpeeled but squashed 3 tbsp clear honey, preferably a scented wildflower variety

4 bay leaves

500g Brussels sprouts, trimmed

75g cooked whole chestnuts

Preheat the oven to 200C/ 180C F/Gas 6. Toss the shallots and garlic with half the honey in a roasting tin, season well and push the bay leaves in among the shallots and garlic. Roast for 15 minutes, turning from time to time.

Toss the sprouts in the remaining honey, season and add to the tin, then roast for another 15 minutes until tender and done to your liking. If they begin to brown too much, cover with foil.

Transfer to a serving dish, removing the bay leaves but leaving the garlic for guests to squeeze over, and finely grate the chestnuts on top to serve.

Parsnips roasted in orange juice, thyme and orange blossom honey

SERVES 6

12 parsnips, trimmed and cut in half lengthways zest and juice 3 oranges

2 tbsp orange blossom honey

4 lemon thyme sprigs

6 knobs of butter

Parboil the parsnips in boiling salted water for 4 minutes, then drain and cover with a clean tea towel.

Preheat the oven to 220C/ 200C F/Gas 7. Put the orange zest, juice, honey and thyme in a small pan, bring gently to the boil and simmer for 4 minutes until reduced a little.

Remove the woody stalks from the thyme and toss the parsnips and orange syrup together in a bowl, then season and arrange the parsnips head to toe in a long, narrow gratin dish. Pour any syrup left in the bowl over them, dot with the butter, cover with foil and roast for 10 minutes. Uncover and continue to roast for another 15-20 minutes until soft, golden, sticky and charred in places, then serve immediately.

Celeriac and potato dauphinoise SERVES 4-6

1 large garlic clove, peeled but left whole

40g butter, plus extra to grease 1 thyme branch, plus extra small sprigs to sprinkle 200ml whole milk

200ml double cream

725g celeriac, trimmed and peeled (450g prepared weight) 600g King Edward potatoes, peeled

Preheat the oven to 200C/ 180CF/Gas 6. Rub the base and sides of a 25cm diameter, 6cm deep ovenproof dish with the garlic clove and grease with a little butter.

Put the same garlic clove and the thyme in a pan with the milk and cream and heat gently. When just hot, remove from the heat and leave to infuse.

Keeping them separate, slice the celeriac and potatoes thinly using a mandoline or a very sharp knife.

Toss the celeriac with a little salt and pepper and steam over a pan of boiling water for 6 minutes, turning the pieces over halfway through. Transfer to a bowl.

Add a little salt and pepper to the potatoes and steam for 3-4 minutes, then add them to the bowl with the celeriac and combine. Strain the milk mixture over them.

Layer up the pieces in the prepared dish, pour any remaining cream mixture over the top and dot with the butter. Scatter a few thyme sprigs over the top, cover with foil and cook for 15 minutes.

Reduce the heat to 170C/ 150C F/Gas 3 and cook for up to 1hr 45 minutes more or until tender, checking with a skewer after an hour. Increase the heat to 200C/ 180CF/Gas 6, remove the foil and cook for a further 10 minutes to brown. Serve hot.