Ginger-spiced pears

Recipe: Mary Cadogan (Check out Good Food Nov '12 issue for the recipe)

Gingerbread houses

Recipe >>> here <<<

Shot for BBC Good Food Magazine, December '11 issue

Recipe/food styling: Sarah Cook

Prop styling: Tony Hutchinson

Rhubarb crumble

Whenever I read the term 'forced rhubarb', I get a picture in my head of an unruly pink stalk wriggling around like an eel as a farmer tries to cram it into a veg box. Anyway, it's in season now, and there's nothing better on a dark winter night than a rhubarb crumble served with rivers of thick custard.

400g Rhubarb
150g Light muscovado sugar
1tbsp Honey
A thumb sized piece of root ginger, grated
100g Self-raising flour
100g Butter
50g Porridge oats
1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cut the rhubarb into thumb-sized pieces, then transfer into a saucepan with the ginger, honey, a splash of water and 100g of the sugar. Simmer on a medium heat until the sugar has melted and the rhubarb has softened slightly. Take of the heat and pour into an oven proof dish.

To make the crumble topping, sieve the flour into a mixing bowl with the cinnamon, add the remaining 50g sugar and grate the butter in (or chop it into small cubes, it just makes it a bit easier to work with). Use your fingertips and to rub everything together, it takes a bit of time but you should end up with a coarse, breadcrumb-like mix. Stir in the porridge oats then scatter on top of the rhubarb. Bake for approx. 30 mins until golden.

Spicy pumpkin soup

A medium sized pumpkin, deseeded, peeled and roughly chopped

1 Tbsp Sesame oil

A thumb-sized piece of root ginger, finely chopped

1 Red chilli, chopped

1 Lemongrass, chopped

1 Large onion

1 1/2 pints Vegetable stock

1 Tbsp mango chutney

Salt and pepper

Heat the sesame oil in a pan before adding the ginger, lemongrass and

chilli. After a few minutes, stir in the onion, softening slightly

before adding the pumpkin. Pour in the stock and simmer gently for 10

minutes or so; after which the pumpkin should squish easily. Transfer

everything into a blender and blitz to a smooth consistency; pour back

into the pan and season. Spoon in the mango chutney and leave to

bubble on a low heat for a few minutes. Serve with chopped chilli,

ginger matchsticks and fresh coriander.