I started writing this at the beginning of the year when the temperature had dropped overnight to almost zero, the wind was close to force 8 and we were shivering and in dire need of something warm and comforting to eat.

Now, of course, the sun is shining and the temperature is almost spring-like. However, I’ll press on as my recipes today are just as tasty in spring as they are in winter.

A chilli when it’s chilly always seems a good idea, and pork and butter beans make a change from beef and red kidney beans or black beans. It’s a good company dish as it will sit happily in the oven until you’re ready to serve it, and it’s even better if you cook it a day ahead and reheat it. This one is warm rather than eye-wateringly hot, but if you like more heat, leave the seeds in the chillies. It’s good served with rice, sour cream and warm tortillas to mop up the juices.

I think of lentils as winter food, and I always think of sausages as comfort food, so if you put the two together they make a comforting winter feast.

I used both pork and Maltese sausages with lentils and diced vegetables, then added some chorizo for a bit of spice. When served with crusty bread and a glass of wine, you have a very satisfying supper.

My recipes today are just as tasty in spring as they are in winter

As we’re talking comfort food, it doesn’t come better than a potato-topped fisherman’s pie. It’s very much a moveable feast in that you can use whatever combination of fish you like. I just used salmon and ċerna fillets but you can add prawns or mussels, smoked fish or a can of drained tuna, anything fishy really.

It’s one of my particular favourites which, as my other half keeps telling me, is a bit strange considering I’m not a dedicated fish eater.

Then for ‘afters’ there’s a magic lemon pudding. It will look a horrid curdled mess when you’re making it, but the magic comes when you cook it, as it separates and puffs up into a lovely light lemony sponge with a lemon sauce underneath.

Sausages and lentils

(Serves 4)

Olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 large carrots, halved lengthways and sliced
200g Puy lentils, rinsed and drained
250ml white wine
750ml chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp chopped parsley
Ground black pepper
2 medium Maltese sausages, about 250g
12 small pork sausages
6 thin slices hot chorizo sausage, shredded
A good handful of frozen peas

Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large pan and fry the onion and celery until starting to soften. Add the garlic and fry for a minute more, then stir in the carrots and lentils. Pour in the wine and chicken stock, add the bay leaves and parsley and season with black pepper. Bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer gently for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the lentils are cooking, cut the Maltese sausages into chunks and twist the pork sausages in two. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan and fry both sausages until browned all over.

Give the lentils a stir and then add the sausages, chorizo and peas. Cover the pan and continue to simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape and the sausages are cooked through, adding a little more stock if it begins to look dry.

Fish out the bay leaves, then serve in warm bowls with lots of crusty bread.

Fisherman’s pie

(Serves 4)

500g salmon fillet
500g ċerna fillet
500ml milk
2 slices each lemon and onion
2 bay leaves and a few parsley stalks
3 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
1 tbsp chopped parsley
2 heaped tbsp capers
Salt and pepper
40g butter
30g flour
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 kg potatoes, boiled and mashed with butter, milk and seasoning

Put the fish into a frying pan with a lid, pour on the milk and add the lemon and onion slices, bay leaves and parsley stalks. Bring to the boil, cover the pan and simmer for three minutes, then let the fish cool in the milk.

Preheat the oven to 200˚C. Transfer the fish to a plate and strain the milk into a jug, discarding the flavourings. Flake the fish into chunks, removing any skin and bones, and arrange it in a well-buttered baking dish. Scatter over the hard-boiled eggs, parsley and capers and season with salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour. Cook for two minutes, blend in the poaching milk and bring to the boil, whisking all the time. Reduce the heat to low and cook for five minutes more, adding a little extra milk if it looks too thick.

Beat in the mayonnaise, season well with salt and pepper and pour the sauce over the fish, forking it gently through.

Spread the mashed potato on top and rough it up with a fork, then dot with a little extra butter and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the potato is crusty and brown.

Chunky pork chilli

(Serves 4 to 6)

Olive oil
1 kilo pork shoulder, cut into chunks
2 onions, halved and thickly sliced
2 red peppers, deseeded and sliced, skinned if preferred
3 red chillies, deseeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
400g can chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tbsp balsamic or sherry vinegar
2 tsps ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cinnamon
10g dark chocolate, grated
Salt and ground black pepper
Beef stock
2 x 400g cans butter or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
Chopped fresh coriander, sour cream and warm tortillas to serve

Preheat the oven to 170˚C. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Working in batches, brown the pork and transfer it to a casserole. Add the onions to the pan and fry until they are just starting to soften, then add the peppers, chillies and garlic and fry for a few minutes more.

Add the tomatoes, brown sugar, vinegar, spices and chocolate, season with salt and pepper and simmer for two minutes, then add the mixture to the casserole, giving it a good stir.

Pour on enough hot beef stock to barely cover the meat. Cover the casserole with foil and a lid, put the dish in the oven and bake for one-and-a-half hours, adding the drained beans for the last 10 minutes.

Sprinkle with chopped coriander and serve with plain rice, sour cream and warm tortillas to mop up the juices.

Magic lemon pudding

(Serves 4)

90g butter, softened
175g sugar
90g plain flour, sifted
Finely grated rind and juice of 1 large lemon
3 eggs, separated
375ml milk
Icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180˚C and butter a 1.5-litre baking dish.

Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and creamy. Sift over the flour then stir it in, together with the lemon rind and juice. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then gradually add the milk. The mixture will curdle and look terrible, but don’t worry about that.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff and then gently fold them into the sponge mixture. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and bake in the centre of the oven for 40 minutes.

Dust the top with icing sugar and serve warm.