Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C/gas 7. Mix the aubergines, tomatoes, their vines and the onion in a roasting tin with 1 tablespoon of the oil, the sea salt and half the herbs. Move the vegetables to leave space for the ricotta in the centre, then upend the ricotta from its tub into the gap.

Drizzle the ricotta with the remaining oil, scatter everything including the ricotta with the rest of the herbs and another pinch of salt, then transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the extra virgin olive oil and lemon zest and juice together.

After 20 minutes, the vegetables should be cooked through and nicely charred. Take the tin out of the oven, dress everything with the oil and lemon mixture, scatter a good pinch of salt over everything and serve with some really good focaccia or olive bread.

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas 6. Put the gnocchi into a large bowl, pour over a kettleful of boiling water and leave it to sit for 2 minutes.

Drain the gnocchi well, tip it into a roasting tin large enough to hold it all snugly in a single layer, then stir through the crème fraîche. Season with salt and some freshly ground black pepper.

Scatter over the torn dolcelatte and quartered figs, then squeeze the barest drop of honey on to each fig quarter: it’ll improve the flavour no end. (If you don’t have a squeezy bottle, use a spoon to put tiny drops on instead.) Scatter with the hazelnuts, then transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Once the gnocchi has had 30 minutes, dress the watercress with the lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Scatter a few watercress leaves over the top of the gnocchi just before serving and serve the rest of the salad alongside.

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas 6. Pop the sliced leeks into a bowl and pour over a kettleful of boiling water. Leave them to sit for 2 minutes, then drain well and tip into a medium-sized roasting tin or ceramic lasagne dish. Season with the sea salt and a good grind of black pepper.

Arrange the scallops over the leeks, then scatter over the chorizo and pour the double cream evenly over everything.

Mix the finely chopped parsley with the panko breadcrumbs, parmesan and lemon zest, then scatter this over the dish. Drizzle over the olive oil, then transfer to the oven to bake for 20–25 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and crunchy and the scallops cooked through.

Leave it to cool down for 5 minutes, before serving hot with the bread and butter.

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas 6. Blitz the pine nuts, parsley, water, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of sea salt flakes in a high-speed blender until you have a thick, smooth green paste. It should look like very thick green hummus. Set aside.

Oil and line a 24–25cm pie dish or small roasting tin with baking paper. Lay over a sheet of filo pastry, brush it with oil, then lay another on it at a 90° angle. You’ll have a lot of overhang, but don’t worry about this yet. Repeat, so you have 4 layers of oiled pastry, then fold the overhang back to form the tart edges, scrumpling it a little if you wish.

Spread the pine nut mixture over the pastry base. Toss the mushrooms with the chopped sage, rosemary, oil and another teaspoon of sea salt, then scatter them evenly over the tart. Transfer to the oven and bake for 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.

Squeeze over the lemon juice, scatter over a pinch of sea salt flakes and a little flat-leaf parsley, grind over a generous amount of black pepper, and serve with a light lemon-dressed spinach salad (see page 30).

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas 6. Tip the vegetables, beans, olive oil, 1 teaspoon of sea salt and a good grind of black pepper into a roasting tin and mix well.

Rub the rack of lamb with the remaining teaspoon of sea salt, then lay it on top of the vegetables and spread the top and sides with the mustard. Scatter the pistachios evenly over the top and gently press them down.

Transfer the tin to the oven and cook for 20–30 minutes depending on whether you prefer lamb rare or well done (I like 25 minutes).

Remove the tin from the oven, and put the lamb on to a board to rest for 10 minutes. This is really important for the texture, so don’t skip it. Meanwhile, dress the vegetables with the mint, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, then taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Once the lamb has rested, use a sharp knife to slice it into neat medallions (do this at a slight angle to cut between the bones) and arrange them over the vegetables in the tin. Pour any juices from the chopping board over the lamb, then serve immediately.

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas 6. Tip the pak choi and spring onions into a roasting tin large enough to hold the veg and the fish in a single layer, and mix with ½ tablespoon of the oil.

Mix the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil with the turmeric, ½ tablespoon of the fish sauce, a pinch of sea salt, the garlic and ginger and use this mixture to coat the fish. Gently lay the fish over the vegetables and pour any extra mixture over the veg.

Scatter the dill thickly over the fish, then transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the fish is just cooked through.

While the fish and veg is cooking, mix the lime juice, remaining 1 tablespoon fish sauce, the water and sugar together. Pour the dressing over the cooked fish and vegetables, scatter everything with the coriander, chilli and peanuts and serve with vermicelli rice noodles or rice.

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas 6. Tip the bulgur, stock and ginger into a medium-sized roasting tin, then scatter over the grated beetroot, the chopped stems and leaves and the sliced leek. Drizzle with the olive oil.

Season the duck breasts all over with the sea salt and pop them into the tin on top of the leeks. Stir the walnuts, pomegranate molasses and 1 tablespoon of the parsley together, then pat this mixture evenly over both.

Transfer to the oven and cook for 25–30 minutes, until the duck is cooked through to your liking.

Remove the duck from the tin and let it rest on a board for at least 5 minutes (this is really important for texture) while you stir half the pomegranate seeds, the rest of the parsley, the spinach, mint, lime zest and juice and extra virgin olive oil through the bulgur. Taste and adjust the salt and lime juice as needed.

To plate, slice the duck breasts and arrange them over the tabbouleh. Scatter with the remaining pomegranate seeds and the reserved parsley and mint before serving, along with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses.

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas 6. Mix the shallots with the olive oil and sea salt in a roasting tin, making sure the shallots are arranged cut sides facing upwards, then put the salmon steaks alongside.

Spread the top of the salmon fillets with the mustard. Mix the chopped pine nuts and parsley together (I sometimes just do this on the chopping board), then press the mixture over the mustard.

Transfer the tin to the oven and cook for 20–25 minutes, until the salmon is just cooked through (thicker pieces will take 25 minutes, thinner 20).

Remove the salmon fillets from the tin, then mix the Puy lentils, watercress, extra virgin olive oil and half the lemon juice through the shallots. Stir in the single cream, if using, then taste and adjust the lemon juice, salt and pepper as needed. Serve alongside the salmon.

NOTE: This is a dish where it’s worth thinking about warming your plates through. See the note on plating on page 218.

Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/180°C/gas 4. Tip the farro or spelt and stock into a large roasting tin, then lay over the cherry tomatoes with their vines and the halved shallots.

Mix the hazelnuts, rosemary, softened butter and sea salt (use less sea salt if using salted butter) and spread this mixture gently over the cod fillets. Place them on top of the vegetables in the tin, cover the tin tightly with foil, then transfer to the oven and cook for 25 minutes, until the spelt is cooked but al dente and the fish is cooked through.

Remove the cod fillets from the tin and stir the artichokes, rocket and lemon juice into the spelt. Add a little extra oil from the jarred artichokes if needed, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve alongside the cod.

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas 6. Cut 2 rectangles of puff pastry the right length and width to hold your asparagus spears with a 1½ cm border on each side, as here. (You will have a fair bit of leftover pastry, see the note below for ideas on what to do with it.)

Spread your 2 pastry rectangles with the vegan pesto, leaving that 1½ cm border, then lay the asparagus over the top. Brush the spears with the olive oil, scatter over the sea salt, then cover thickly with a blanket of chopped pine nuts.

Transfer to the oven and bake for 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and risen. Scatter over the pomegranate seeds, squeeze over the lemon juice and serve with the spinach salad alongside.

NOTE: Things to do with leftover puff pastry: cut into small rectangles, roll up with chopped dark chocolate inside and bake as mini pain au chocolat. Cut into small squares, add a spoonful of jam, then pinch together for jam puffs. Or follow Laura Goodman’s recipe for lime pickle cheese straws from her fabulous book Carbs.