It’s horribly cold here at Castle Farm, deep in the depths of Somerset. The wind is battering the house and however many pairs of socks I put on and however close I snuggle to the AGA I am still freezing. One might argue that this is just the time to turn up the thermostat but I am blessed with oil central heating.  

Back when I lived in civilisation and had gas gushing into the house I would happily switch the boiler onto constant and revel in the warmth not thinking for one moment about the bill coming my way. Now I have an oil tank that I have to refill I can see the levels dropping day after day as we literally burn through the cash.  This motivates you to hardiness, to eating your lunch in your coat and sleeping in two jumpers.

As energy prices rise I am rather thankful for my oil tank.  Not only are you more cautious about using energy but each time you fill the tank you can haggle and barter yourself to a good deal by playing the local suppliers off against each other. If only it were this easy to drive a deal with the Big 6 we would all have a lot more money in our pockets.  The Blonde and I have quite heated debates about the rights and wrongs of privatisation of the energy supply market but rather than bore you all with that here, can I offer another suggestion of how to keep warm as toast as we march into winter?

Cassoulet is rich and warming comfort food at it’s very best.  Originating in Southern France this delicious sausage delight is named after the pan it was traditionally cooked in. After a long hard day beating off the cold in the garden this is the perfect treat for all the family.  It’s best eaten with chunks of home-made bread, perfect to dip into the steaming sauce.

Ingredients

• 250g of mixed beans
• 800g of tinned chopped tomatoes
• 2 onions
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 4 bay leaves
• 400g of sausages
• a good squeeze of tomato purée
• 1/4 pint of stock
• 2 teaspoons of Herbes de Provence
• salt (to taste)
• pepper (to taste)
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• splash of vegetable oil

Method

1. Soak the beans in water overnight.  Drain and then boil vigorously for 10 minutes.  Drain and set aside.
2. Chop the onions and garlic
3. Melt the butter with a splash of oil in a medium sized casserole dish on the hob.
4. Fry off the onions and brown the sausages in the casserole.
5. Add the garlic and fry off but don’t let it burn.
6. Add all of the remaining ingredients.
7. Bring the Cassoulet to the boil and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
8. Transfer to a medium oven and cook for at least 75 minutes.

PS – I nicked this photo from Delia as I’d eaten ours before I remembered to take a picture!