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Colourful, vibrant and jam-packed with flavour, my harissa roast chicken traybake couldn’t be easier to rattle out. It’s also perfect for using up any leftover veg you’ve got hanging around in the fridge. Simply chuck everything in one tray and let the oven do all the hard work – big win!

Serves 4
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

½ a butternut squash (750g) / 2 red onions / 2 carrots / 2 mixed-colour peppers / 1 lemon / 1 bulb of garlic / Olive oil / 2 tablespoons ras el hanout / 1 x 1.6kg free-range chicken / 1 tablespoon rose harissa / 1 x 700g jar chickpeas / Couscous, to serve / Natural yoghurt, to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
2. Deseed the squash and carefully cut into large 4cm chunks, peel and quarter the onions, peel and roughly chop the carrots, deseed the peppers and tear into big chunks, and cut the lemon in half.
3. Place it all in a 30cm x 40cm roasting tray with the whole unpeeled bulb of garlic, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the ras el hanout. Toss it all together with a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
4. Add the chicken to the tray, skin side up, and season with sea salt and black pepper. Spoon over the harissa and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toss well, making sure you get into all the nooks and crannies of the meat. Roast for 1 hour, then tip in the chickpeas, juice and all, and roast for a final 20 minutes, or until gnarly and cooked through.
5. Remove the tray from the oven. Mash the soft garlic cloves into the tray juices, discarding the skins, and squeeze over the jammy lemon. Delicious with fluffy couscous and a dollop of natural yoghurt.

Nutrition:
499kcals, 19g fat (4g saturated), 49g protein, 34.4g carbs, 13.4g sugar, 9.6g fibre, 1.3g salt / Weight of portion: 277.3g / Special diet tags: NA / Everyday: Y

This beautiful couscous number is just bursting with flavour. Piled high with roasted veg, feta, pomegranate and fresh herbs, it’s a joy to eat both hot and cold.

Serves 4
Total time: 40 minutes, plus rehydrating

700g ripe mixed-colour tomatoes / 1 clove of garlic / 1 bunch of fresh mint (30g) / Red wine vinegar / 1 mug of couscous (300g) / 1 aubergine / 1 courgette / 1 large red onion / 2 Romano peppers / Olive oil / 125g feta cheese / 2 sprigs of oregano / 2 teaspoons runny honey / 1 bunch of fresh soft herbs, such as flat-leaf parsley, mint, basil (30g) / ½ a pomegranate / 30g unsalted shelled pistachios / Optional: extra virgin oil

1. Roughly chop the tomatoes, peel the garlic and place in a blender. Tear in the mint, reserving a handful of nice baby leaves. Add 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon of water and a pinch of sea salt, then blitz until smooth (work in batches, if needed). Pour the mixture through a coarse sieve into a deep enamel tray or bowl. Season to perfection, tasting and tweaking, then stir in the couscous, cover, and leave to rehydrate in the fridge for 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Trim and cut the aubergine and courgette into 8 lengthways, peel and cut the onion into quarters, deseed the peppers and cut into quarters lengthways. Place it all in a large roasting tray, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil, lightly season and toss together.
3. Rub the feta with a little oil, strip over the oregano leaves, drizzle with the honey, then place in the centre of the tray and roast for 30 minutes, or until everything is lightly golden.
4. Pick and finely chop the soft herbs, reserving a few small leaves for garnish, toss through the couscous with the roasted veg, then crumble over the feta.
5. Hold the pomegranate half cut-side down in your fingers and bash the back of it with a spoon so the seeds tumble over the couscous. Scatter over the reserved herb leaves, then bash and sprinkle over the pistachios. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, if you like, then tuck in!

Nutrition:
522kcals, 16.1g fat (5.7g saturated), 18.4g protein, 81.9g carbs, 19.5g sugar, 11g fibre, 1.6g salt / Weight of portion: 488.2g / Special diet tags: Vegetarian / Everyday: Y

With salmon, beets & asparagus

This giant traybaked Yorkie is a really impressive thing to have in your repertoire. Served with delicate salmon, zingy asparagus and sweet beetroot, this is a real treat!

Serves: 8
Total time: 30 minutes, plus resting
MEGA YORKSHIRE PUD
150g plain flour / 150ml whole milk / 4 large free-range eggs / Vegetable oil / 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary / 180g quality smoked salmon, from sustainable sources, or Jamie’s Salmon gravadlax
BEETS & ASPARAGUS
2 bunches of asparagus (600g) / 500g vac-packed cooked beetroot / 8 tablespoons balsamic vinegar / 2 heaped teaspoons runny honey or maple syrup / 4 punnets of cress / 4 sprigs of fresh basil / 1 lemon
DRESSING
3 heaped tablespoons fat-free natural yoghurt / 2 heaped tablespoons jarred grated horseradish / 1 lemon

1. Place the flour, milk and a pinch of sea salt into a bowl, crack in the eggs, add 50ml of cold water and whisk vigorously to a smooth batter. Pour into a jug and place in the fridge to relax until needed (I like to make mine the day before).
2. When you’re almost ready to cook, preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6.
3. Drizzle 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil into a 35cm x 25cm roasting tray, pick in the rosemary leaves and place in the oven to get hot (make sure that the shelf is lowered so the Yorkshire has room to rise).
4. Quickly but carefully remove the oiled tray from the oven, spread out the rosemary, then pour in the batter and return to the oven to cook for 25 minutes, or until puffed up and golden – don’t be tempted to open the oven door during that time!
5. Meanwhile, put a griddle pan on a high heat. Trim the asparagus, place in the pan and dry fry, turning until nicely charred on all sides, then transfer to a bowl and season with lemon juice, salt and black pepper.
6. Drain and slice or dice the beetroot, then place in a casserole pan with the balsamic and honey and cook until sticky, stirring regularly.
7. Mix the yoghurt and horseradish in a bowl, then season to taste with salt, black pepper and lemon juice. Snip the cress onto a nice serving board, spoon the beetroot on top, then pick over the basil leaves. Pile the asparagus on the board.
8. Once cooked, slide the Yorkie on to the board, then roll the salmon into roses and place on top. Serve straight away with lemon wedges on the side.

Beetroot, horseradish, vodka & dill

Serves: 10
Total time: 20 minutes plus curing

200g raw beets / 100g rock salt / 50g demerara sugar / 50ml vodka / 1 big bunch of fresh dill (60g) / 1 lemon / 50g fresh or jarred grated horseradish / 1 x 700g side of salmon, skin on, scaled, pin-boned, from sustainable sources

1. Peel and trim the beets and place in a food processor with the salt, sugar, vodka and dill.
2. Finely grate in the lemon zest, add the horseradish, finely grating it if fresh, then blitz until combined.
3. Rub a little mixture onto the salmon skin, then place the salmon on a large tray, skin side down, and pat the remaining mixture all over it so that the flesh is completely covered.
4. Cover the tray tightly with clingfilm. Pop a weight on top to help pack everything down evenly, then put the whole thing into the fridge for 36 hours. Please use your instincts here – if you have a particularly chunky side of salmon you may want to leave it for up to 48 hours to allow for proper penetration.
5. Once cured, unwrap the fish, then, holding the fillet in place, pour the juices down the sink and rub away all the salty topping (it’s messy, so you might want to wear gloves).
6. Pat the fillet dry with kitchen paper, then tightly wrap in clingfilm (sometimes I like to cover the salmon with freshly picked dill before wrapping, for bonus flavour). Put back into the fridge until needed, where it will keep happily for up to 2 weeks.
7. To serve, use a long sharp knife to slice the salmon thinly at an angle and, as the knife touches the skin each time, kink it off, lifting away the salmon.
8. Arrange the slices on a board or platter as you go. Delicious with a simple salad and good wholemeal sourdough, as part of a seafood platter, served up at a party or even as part of a festive brekkie spread.