
After a long day at work nothing hits the spot better than comfort food. I firmly believe that everyone has at least one dish they turn to to lift their mood. One of my favourites, is the good old British classic, cottage pie. But in the absence of potatoes and a lack of motivation to fetch some, I created a delicious new topping for this staple dish.
Substituting potatoes for butternut squash and cauliflower mash, created a delicious dish, that wasn’t quite as heavy as the traditional potato topping. Simply mash the vegetables with a tablespoon of thyme, a drizzle of olive oil and plenty of seasoning and you are ready to bake as normal.
The heart shaped dish is of course optional. This beautiful Le Creuset number was an engagement present that I was desperate to use. I was also so desperate to eat it, I didn’t bother to smarten up the dish before we took these photographs. Aesthetically pleasing? Perhaps not, but I can tell you it tasted really good, and was every bit the comfort food hit I was in desperate need of.

I don’t really do dinner parties as such. I do, however, have friends round for dinner. The idea of throwing a dinner party brings out the anxious cook in me, who worries about etiquette, matching crockery and whether or not the sorbet course is absolutely necessary.













