It depends which day you ask me, but this could be my death row meal - its definitely in my top 3. For me, nothing beats this when I’m craving a rich, hearty, delicious bowl of comforting pasta. It’s all about the slow cooking of the beef shin here which after a few hours in a low oven just melts in your mouth. The end result is a ragu rich with red wine, plenty of rosemary, parmesan, garlic, sweet vegetables, sweet good quality Italian tinned tomatoes and well made beef stock.

This is one of my favourite things to make when I have people over for dinner. Everything can be prepared in advance and ready to go and all served in the middle of the table for everyone to get stuck into. The slow cooked pork with chipotle, orange, cinnamon, and star anise is so full of flavour and just melts in the mouth. All the other elements add plenty of different flavours and textures to make sure that every mouthful is a proper taste sensation. Can’t wait to share the recipe for this one tomorrow - this is one you’re going to need to save. Would make a fabulous dinner for in-between Christmas and New Year as well when everyone needs a bit of spice.

I love a traditional Sunday roast, but sometimes, a comforting curry is just what you need to set you up for the week. This recipe will feed an army at a really low cost. Great for a dinner party and also ideal for freezing and keeping on hand whenever you’re in need of an emergency meal fast. I have priced this out to include the rice but not the naan breads which I’ll post as a separate recipe. Lamb shanks are such a good cut of meat - not only are they delicious, but they go such a long way and the bones add so much flavour. As with most rich meat dishes this also really benefits from a night in the fridge.

This is my kind of Sunday roast. Shove the lamb in the oven in the morning and in a few hours you’re left with the most succulent, tender meat and a few lovely crispy bits from the bottom of the roasting tray (i.e. the best bits). Leg of lamb is a more expensive piece of meat but this fed 7 people comfortably so if you are looking for a special joint as a celebration meal, you do get your money’s worth. The spices used throughout this recipe also make this more expensive than most of the recipes I post, but hopefully if you do make this meal, you’ll find that sometimes it’s ok to splash out for a special occasion. The buttery saffron rice soaks up all the juices and is studded with dried fruit, chopped nuts, cinnamon, bay leaves, and cardamom pods. When it’s left in the pan on a really low temperature it also forms this lovely crispy buttery crust on the bottom which is so so good.

This is one of my favourite recipes I have tested lately and one I will return to again and again. I wanted to come up with an ultimate pasta ragu recipe using lamb shoulder which falls apart, slow cooked in a rich sauce flavoured with anchovies, olives, capers, white wine, parmesan and plenty of herbs. Although decadent, by using white wine and chicken stock, this ragu is surprisingly light and not too heavy at all - meaning you can happily eat bowl after bowl (in fact I’d encourage this).

Not all chilli con carnes are created equally and this is one of the those chillies. The combination of the beef brisket and pork shoulder works so well together, while the chocolate and coffee add a real depth and richness. I love a slow cooked recipe I can shove in the oven and forget about, and the longer you leave this one, the better. It also always tastes so much better after it’s had a night in the fridge and the flavours have had a chance to develop, so if you can make it a day ahead. If you’re after a special, fuss-free dinner party dish which won’t break the bank then this is the one for you.