BAKED MACARONI CHEESE

When the family first gave up meat, Linda created a turkey-shaped macaroni cheese so there was something to carve at the Christmas lunch table! It’s lovely with some salad or green vegetables at any time of year. The ‘cheesy’ taste comes from the nutritional yeast flakes – a natural product that can add extra flavour in many recipes.

Serves 4

• 50g raw unsalted cashew nuts, finely chopped

• ¾tsp turmeric powder

• 40g nutritional yeast

• 1½tbsp miso

• 2tsp apple cider vinegar • 1tsp fine sea salt

• ½tsp onion powder

• ¾tsp garlic powder

• ½tsp sweet smoked paprika

• 1½tbsp Dijon mustard

• 350g macaroni

• 30g fresh breadcrumbs

• 1tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to grease

• Sea salt

Put the chopped cashew nuts into a pan of boiling water and cook them for 10 minutes over a high heat. Drain them thoroughly in a fine sieve and transfer to a high-speed blender. Add the rest of the ingredients – except the macaroni, breadcrumbs and oil – and 230ml of water, then blitz until completely smooth. This may take a few minutes, depending on the power of your blender. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Grease a medium baking dish with a little olive oil.

Cook the macaroni in a pan of boiling, salted water for 1-2 minutes less than the packet instructions – the pasta should be still be quite al dente, not soft. Drain thoroughly and transfer to the baking dish. Add the sauce and stir to combine. Scatter over the breadcrumbs, drizzle over the olive oil and bake in the oven for 15 minutes until golden and crisp on top.