Bean & sausage hotpot

Warm up after work with this ultimate comfort food dish, just add a buttery dollop of mash

Serves 4

Ingredients

8 large sausages (course-cut ones like Toulouse or Cumberland are ideal)

¼ quantity tomato sauce (see below or you could buy a ready made sauce)

3 x 400g/14oz cans butter beans or use an assortment of beans to your taste.

1 tbsp black treacle or muscovado sugar

1 tsp English mustard

Method

In a large casserole, fry the sausages until brown all over – about 10 mins.

Add the tomato sauce, stirring well, then stir in the beans, treacle or sugar and mustard. Bring to the simmer, cover and cook for 30 mins. Great served with crusty bread or rice.

Tomato sauce makes 8 portions enough for 2 meals

A good tomato sauce has countless uses. Make a big batch, then use in other dishes throughout the week

Ingredients

4 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

2 celery sticks, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 bay leaves

1 tsp sugar

4 x 400g/14oz cans chopped tomatoes

Method

Heat the oil in a pan and add the vegetables and bay leaf. Stir in the sugar with some salt. Gently cook for 10-15 mins until the veg is tender. Stir in the tomatoes and 150ml water. Simmer very gently for 30 mins until the sauce has reduced by two-thirds and is very thick. (If you have doubled or tripled the quantities, this may take up to 1 hr.)

Stir occasionally, particularly towards the end of the cooking time, so that the sauce doesn’t catch on the bottom. If you like your sauce a little thinner, add a splash of water. Serve half with pasta and chill or freeze other half in 1-2 batches for later use .