A deliciously light healthy meal is what Maria Cachia, a Sixth Form teacher, wanted to create when dreaming up something different to offer friends at Christmas this season.

She succeeded in delighting them with this gluten- and dairy-free three-course meal with stunningly vibrant flavours and colours to tickle the taste buds and tempt the senses.

The starter, a delicate pumpkin soup which may be served either hot or cold with Parmesan shavings is the perfect comfort food especially coming in after the cold and rain.

With Dean Martin’s let it snow, let it snow, let it snow, softly playing in the background we moved onto the main course, tuna steaks marinated in a mustard sauce which went perfectly with the roasted green and orange peppers offering a balance between the two.

To finish off the great evening, the dessert, a wonderful apple crumble with vanilla pods and small blobs of custard was the perfect end to the dinner, without leaving you feeling too full or bloated but comfortably satisfied.

Pumpkin soup

serves 4

600g pumpkin, peeled and diced

100g red lentils

some fresh thyme

a couple of large Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed

1 onion, finely chopped

chicken stock

Parmesan shavings to garnish

In a large pan, slowly sauté the onion. Once it turns translucent add all other ingredients and sauté for about 5 minutes. Gradually add some of the stock until the soup has a thick consistency. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and the lentils mushy. Blitz the soup in a food processor; either all or just two-thirds of it for those who prefer a chunkier soup. Garnish with Parmesan shavings and a drizzle of olive oil infused with parsley.

serves 4

1 kilo of fresh tuna, either left whole or cut into large chunks

For the marinade:

2-3 teaspoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

A couple of bay leaves, crushed

A generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Warm the oven to about 250°C. Mix the ingredients of the marinate and pour over the tuna. Leave to marinade for about one hour. Line a baking tray with baking paper and place the tuna. Chunks can be skewered onto a kebab stick. Bake chunks for eight minutes.

Roasted vegetables

serves 4

2 fennel bulbs, cut into quarters (remove the tougher core)

1 large onion, peeled and cut into quarters

1 medium sized aubergine, sliced

4 to 6 coloured peppers, cut into quarters

Courgettes, sliced

fresh marjoram

cherry tomatoes, cut into wedges

salad leaves

Warm the oven to 200 C. Blanch the fennel and onion for about three minutes and drain. Prepare the other vegetables and mix in with the onions and fennel. Drizzle some olive oil and season. Place vegetables on a tray and roast for 30-45 minutes, checking them and turning halfway through. (Ensure the vegetables are well spaced out on the roasting tray, if they rest on each other they might go soggy.)

Serve with salad leaves, fresh tomatoes and marjoram.

Makes 4 very generous portions or 6 medium portions

For the apples

1 kilo apples, peeled and quartered

30 g demerara sugar

A pinch of either cinnamon, ginger or nutmeg as preferred

2 tablespoons mincemeat

For the crumble

75g ice cold butter cut into small dice (can use goat’s butter for a dairy-free dessert)

100g crushed almonds

70g oats

50g ground almonds

A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

170g castor sugar

Warm the oven to 200°C. Mix apples, cinnamon, sugar and mincemeat and pour onto a dish. Mix the butter with the ground almonds, oats and sugar using the rubbing in method. Add the crushed almonds and nutmeg. Sprinkle over the apples. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Can be served warm with either custard or vanilla ice-cream.