If I had to pick just one reason why I love this time of year, it would be tomatoes. They are perfect at the moment – sweet, juicy and not rock hard like the rest of the year. You can get some pretty decent tomatoes in local markets at this time of year but when The Tomato Stall offered to send me some tomatoes, I jumped at the chance as I knew they would be even better as they are grown on the Isle of Wight, where is it warmer, which equals better tomatoes.

I got sent a 2kg box of mixed speciality tomatoes and I have never had so many tomatoes in my kitchen at once. I have also never eaten so many different types and colours of tomatoes. As soon as I opened the box, I grabbed one, washed it, and ate it like an apple. It was perfect. I then set out planning what I was going to do with the rest of them and I knew making a tomato pasta sauce had to be the first thing.

I also got sent some of their tomato juice (which is one of my favourite drinks, despite most people thinking I am strange for it), some tomato pesto which we mixed into some ground turkey and make some awesome burgers with and some oak roasted tomatoes which we put on top of the burgers. It was a bit of a tomato-fest, but that is fine with me.

The price of the tomato boxes are really, really good. I worked it out and it is pretty much the same as buying them in the supermarket, but the quality is so much better. If you love tomatoes, but get frustrated with the quality of the ones in the shops, try ordering from The Tomato Stall.

This tomato pasta sauce is so simple to make. Don’t be put off of the cooking time, as you literally just throw everything into a low pan and let it do its thing. You can make this much quicker on a higher heat, but I wanted to cook it low and slow to bring out all the amazing flavours and the wait definitely paid off. This is is best pasta sauce I have ever made and I wish I had of made even more. Next time I have going to make 4 times as much and then freeze it so I always have some. I can’t believe I ever used to buy pasta sauce in a jar all those years ago.

Ingredients – Serves 4:

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 12 medium tomatoes, I used roma, quarterd

- 1 large onion, diced

- 10 basil leaves, chopped

- 4 garlic cloves, crushed

- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

- A pinch of sea salt and black pepper

1) Heat the oil in a large pan and then add all the ingredients.

2) Turn down to a simmer and cook for 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Half way through cooking, use the back of a wooden spoon to mash the tomatoes

3) This step is optional and depends on how you like your tomato sauce. I like mine fairly smooth, which just a few chunks in it, so once it is cooked I blend mine.

4) Serve with pasta.

Nutritional Information – Per person for just the sauce:

Calories: 140

Fat: 3.5

Carbs: 17

Protein: 3.5

Fibre: 4

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It is now that time of the year that summer salads start becoming a distant memory, we pull our big jumpers out from the storage under the bed, we keep our feet warm with fluffy socks and we rescue our casserole dishes from the back of the cupboard. For some people that would make them a little sad, but not me – I love autumn! I love all the seasonal produce and the thought of finishing work and being greeted by a hearty and warming casserole or soup puts a smile on my face.

Risotto is a great way to use up vegetables from your fridge and use whatever meat is on offer to make it budget friendly. I made this with minced turkey breast as it is lean and the flavour is not too overpowering, but you could use beef, pork, lamb or chicken. Sometimes I like to chop up sausages and add those instead. Instead of peppers and onions I have used leeks, carrots and parsnips. This dish really is adaptable. You can make it vegetarian by adding beans instead of meat.

Risotto shouldn’t be dry, but that is where a lot of people go wrong. I have taken this risotto one step further and added extra liquid to it so it is more of a soup. You could add less stock if you wanted to, or if you wanted to make it more of a soup, use extra liquid. But this was the perfect balance for me.

Ingredients – Serves 4:

- 450g/15oz Turkey breast mince

- 1 large red pepper

- 1 large white onion

- 4tbsp fresh curly parsley

- 200g/1 cup risotto rice (you can use brown rice to make it healthier)

- 1 tin (400g) chopped tomatoes

- 1.5L/6 cups boiling water

- Pinch of sea salt and black pepper

- 1 tsp smoked paprika

- 4 tomatoes

- 30g/10z grated parmesan

1) Divide the turkey mince in to 15 pieces and then roll them in to balls.

2) Add some olive oil to a large pan and once hot, add the turkey meatballs and cook for 3-4 minutes, turning frequently so they don’t burn. Remove them from the pan and put to one side.

3) Dice the red pepper and onion and add to the pan with a little more oil and cook for 3 minutes.

4) Add the rice, tin of tomatoes and dice the 4 tomatoes and add them too. Pour in 3/4 of the boiling water, the paprika, chopped parsley and salt and pepper and stir well. Cover and simmer for 12 minutes.

5) Take the lid off and add the remaining boiling water and the turkey meatballs and cook for 5 more minutes. You may need to add a little more water if it becomes too dry.

6) Divide between bowls, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve with broccoli.

 What is your favourite warming winter meal? Leave a comment below.

Nutritional Information – Per person:

Calories: 416

Fat: 4

Carbs: 49

Protein: 45

Fibre: 3

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