The Jerusalem Artichoke is a really underused vegetable which looks looks a bit like a potato, has a texture a bit like a radish, and tastes nothing like either. It is actually the root of a species of sunflower and has a really unique earthy flavour.

Can you believe it is that time already? It seems only a moment ago when I started preparing for Christmas, and yet it is probably already too late to tell you about our Christmas Tree Cake. Still, there’s always next year, and this cake would work just as well baked in any bundt pan, not just the incredibly festive shape pictured.

When I first heard about the new River Cottage book (Everyday) coming out this year I asked practically every family member to buy it for my birthday. Luckily for me one of them agreed, and I can now happily confirm that this is yet another great book from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall.

This recipe is part of my new found love of pomegranates; a leafy salad with pomegranates and feta cheese. It’s surprisingly good, and a great festive alternative to all the turkey you’re likely to be eating. We cheated and used a bag of ready bought salad leaves for this (hey, Delia gets away with it), but it would be even better if you made up your own.

At Christmas I always find myself reaching for one of Nigella Lawson’s great cookbooks. This year is no exception, and I make no apologies for reproducing this fantastic recipe from Nigella Christmas

Give this version (or Nigella’s original Lamb Tagine) a go and your house will be full of the smells of Christmas while it cooks. You won’t regret it!

Czarnina is pretty much a traditional Polish dish, yet shows just how much we in the Western world (UK, in my case) have become detached from our food. All meat has blood in it, but the mere mention of a soup where blood is the primary ingredient still never fails to raise an eyebrow.

To make cheese, you need milk. Milk is basically made up of water, protein, fat and lactose, and what we need to do is make the proteins stick together by adding an acid (forming curds), then sieve away the liquid (the whey).

Normally, a carpaccio is a dish made from thin slices of meat or fish, accompanied by a tangy dressing with vinegar, mustard, or lemon juice. The same principles apply with this beetroot carpaccio, too; wafer thin slices arranged on a plate and drizzled with a balsamic and olive oil dressing. A selection of chopped up herbs finishes the job.

I couldn’t resist sharing this delicious salad with you all, prompted by the “wild tomatoes” that arrived in my vegetable box this past week. The colours are fantastic and I’ve already decided I just have to grow them next year.