Home-made baked beans (feeds 6)

3 tins of borlotti or red kidney beans
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 sticks of celery, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
100g streaky bacon, chopped (optional)
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
1 can of plum tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2tbsp treacle
salt and pepper

Pre-heat oven to 170C. Rinse the beans in water and drain.

Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed casserole dish and sauté the onion, garlic, carrot, celery and bacon until the onion is softening (about 5 minutes). Add the herbs and spices and sweat for a further 2-3 minutes. Add the beans, chopped tomatoes and treacle and bring to simmering point.

Cover the beans in enough water so that there is a spare 5 cm at the top. Cover with a lid and put in the oven for 4 hours, stirring half-way through and making sure there is enough liquid. You want the beans to be juicy but not swimming around in liquid. Add more water if they are looking too dry, turn the oven up if they are looking too wet.

Store in a cool part of the kitchen overnight to let the flavours meld.

Chunky Chicken Miso soup by Hugo Lawrence

2 Chicken breasts
4 potatoes
Other vegetables
Head of brocolli
Handful of Cherry Tomatoes
4 shalots
4 cloves garlic
4 rashers streaky bacon
2 cups miso

Living as a student in Vancouver with very limited time and kitchen facilities I shamefully went six months before finally asking some friends over for dinner and this is what I cooked for the boys. Annabel had asked me to contribute a recipe and I wanted to do something with Miso because it’s her favourite soup. In Canada you’re always up a mountain or on a lake so you need a good chunky soup and this is it. Chunky Chicken Miso!

In a saucepan heat some olive oil. Add the chopped shalots, garlic, and bacon and fry until golden brown then add the potatoes and any other vegetables you like cut into chunky pieces and mix in. Add the miso stock and cook for 15 minutes. Fry or grill your chicken breast till it’s nicely charred on the outside but still juicy, throw in the cherry tomatos for a few minutes. Cut the chicken it into chunky slices and throw it in the soup with the brocolli and tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes. Add more stock or water if required. Season and serve with a spoon and a fork. Delicious! (give the largest guest a teaspoon!).