Once the lentils are fully cooked, take the pan off the heat and blend the soup with a hand-held blender. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your preference. Make the topping by rubbing the oats, almonds, butter, sugar, flour and salt together with your fingers. It will feel wetter than a crumble topping and you’ll be left with larger pieces of butter, but you should have a very rough crumbly dough after about 4 minutes. Chop the remaining prunes roughly and mix them through too. I find them just as tasty as the original (although they don't look as appetising in the pot before you microwave it).

A few years ago Malton Foods (not surprisingly based in Malton, Yorkshire) moved out of the canned goods market and at that time ceased production of Chesswood Creamed Mushrooms. Put the morels into a bowl, cover with the boiling water and leave to soak for at least 30 minutes. Lift out with a slotted spoon into a small saucepan, pop in the butter and add a little seasoning. Put to cook over a very low light, stirring together until the butter has melted and allow to stew for about 10 minutes, covered, really slowly. Heat 3 tablespoons light olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onions and fry for 10 minutes over a medium heat. Add the garlic, reduce the heat and cook for another few minutes.Za’atar is a Palestinian spice mix made from wild thyme, sesame and sumac that has an affinity with sweet root vegetables. Here it is used to make crunchy, tangy croutons to adorn an aromatic soup of roasted butternut squash and spiced lentils. Roasting the squash intensifies its flavour and sweetness, and gives the soup a glorious silky texture that perfectly contrasts with the crispy croutons. I have seen them available in Nisa stores (which are quite prevalent near me in the North West) but not sure about stores in other parts of the country. Meanwhile, toast the cumin and coriander seeds by stirring them in a dry pan over a low heat for a minute until their aromas are released. Grind the seeds in a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder, then add them and the cinnamon to the saucepan with the softened onions. Fry the spices for a few minutes.

When your apples are ready, mix them with the fruit and spices in the baking dish, then sprinkle over the topping. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, until deep golden. For those that are interested, the lowdown on Chesswood Creamed Mushrooms is yes they are still available but in a new form. A much loved recipe in our house, for when the nights start to draw in and the first Iranian quince appear in the shops. Originally from a lost newspaper cutting, and tweaked over the years.Minimum life based on 'use-by' date of product. Average life based on last week's deliveries. Life guarantee shown based on delivery tomorrow with the Life guarantee starting the following day.

Strain the morel-soaking liquid, using a tea strainer, into another small saucepan and add the sherry, vermouth, shallot and garlic. Simmer until reduced by about two-thirds. Meanwhile, roughly chop 50g of the prunes and all the figs, finely chop the ginger, and place the whole lot into the bottom of a 24cm round (or equivalently sized) baking dish. Grate over the lemon zest and add the juice of ½ the lemon, add the vanilla and spices and mix everything together. Cover the dish with a clean tea towel and leave to one side. Peel the apples and pears and roughly slice them. Toss them with the maple syrup in a roasting tray and cover the tray with foil. Roast for 15 minutes in the hot oven, then remove the foil and roast for a further 10 minutes until the edges catch and caramelise. Piedmontese tagliatelle, called tajarin, with butter and parmesan are one of the best ways to enjoy a white truffle because they do not interfere with its sensational aroma. The Piedmontese white truffles are the most prized and extremely expensive. They must be used very fresh as they lose their aroma at an accelerating pace – their season is between the end of September and mid January – or preserved in jars or tins, which are not quite as scented as fresh ones.Meanwhile, sieve the juices from the pot and reduce on the hob until syrupy, then reserve to serve with the roasted bird. Place the butternut squash on a baking tray and drizzle with light olive oil. Toss the chunks so they are evenly coated in the oil, then roast for 20-30 minutes, until they are soft. To make the croutons, roughly chop the bread into 3cm chunks. Heat 3 tablespoons light olive oil in a frying pan and, once it is very hot, add the bread and sprinkle over the za’atar. Fry the bread, stirring frequently, until it is toasted and crunchy. Place the croutons on some kitchen paper to soak up any excess oil. To serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls, top with the croutons and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of chopped herbs.