Nici Wickes’ warming winter recipes

It wins people over, does this pie! The leeks, celery and corn make for a magical trio and somehow tastes like the most comforting bowl of chicken soup. Photography by Todd Eyre.

This baked lamb shanks recipe combines all those great curry flavours with apples and sultanas for a surprise burst of sweetness

Pot-roasted beef with lots of herbs and spices in a rich, red wine gravy makes for a stunning meal. Throw in freshly baked Yorkshire puddings and it can’t be beaten.

To make a really stunning mac ‘n’ cheese – one that deserves to be served with Champagne and serviettes – I add wine to the cheese sauce and chilli to the breadcrumb topping.

Pork and sage are old friends and any dish that uses both becomes a firm favourite in my kitchen. Shoulder chops need more cooking than loin chops, so keeping them moist in the oven with cider and chunks of Granny Smith apple seems like a good idea to me. The result is a dish of tender sage-scented pork that falls apart at the touch of a fork. This is pure comfort food for a winter’s night.

This roasted parsnip recipe is taken to new heights with the addition of pear, blue cheese and walnuts

This vegetarian curry recipe combines many of the spices grown around Kerala, South India. There might be a long list of ingredients but this is easy to make

Here’s a meal that is truly elegant and satisfying. It’s quick and easy to put together but the flavour is one of pure sophistication. The gentleness of the tarragon, a most subtly flavoured herb, balances the richness of the creamy white wine sauce.

This is the easiest of family meals and is very forgiving. Cooked my mum’s way, your lamb will not be pink and rare, but will be tasty, tender and falling-off-the-bone delicious!

What could be better than a perfectly roasted chicken imbued with fantastically aromatic spices from Morocco? This is a simple and easy roast that will take your taste buds on a magical journey.

This nutritious warm beetroot salad makes for a simple but filling mid-week meal, or omit the bacon for a tasty side dish to accompany a steak dinner

Roasting a cauliflower whole helps bring out its nutty flavour. Add an aromatic herb rub and creamy cheese sauce to the mix, and it becomes a truly magnificent dish! Taking it out of the oven all golden and bubbling will also help to bring a sense of theatre to your table.

A classic dinner recipe which slowly cooks lamb shanks with red wine and rosemary until wonderfully tender. Served with mashed potato or roast pumpkin, this dish is ideal for dinner parties

A strudel made from a mix of earthy Portobello, brown and white button mushrooms, and slender straw and oyster mushrooms. Whatever funghi you can lay your hands on will make a delightful filling when bound in a sauce scented with red wine and rosemary, then encased in a thin shell of crispy pastry.

White fish, scallops, mussels and salmon all feature in this delicious seafood bake by Nici Wickes, which is topped with golden breadcrumbs and parsley

You might call this shepherd’s pie or cottage pie, but we named it hash. In the old days, there always seemed to be leftover meat, not so these days! Photography by Todd Eyre.

Nici Wickes’ Spanish-inspired baked chicken infuses orange with rosemary and garlic. Serve over mashed potatoes or rice.

Winter is perfect for a hearty moussaka, but sometimes you’re just not in the mood for all those steps and dishes. This quick recipe has all the key elements and flavours, but without the fuss.

Shoulder chops make for an economical lamb meal and, if you slow cook them, you get tender, succulent meat every time. The lemons and capers provide a great foil for any fattiness in the lamb