There’s something endearing about a grandmother’s culinary concoctions. Whether it was a fresh batch of baked goods or a cosy meal of slow-cooked lamb, it was like they were gifted with the ability to impart that extra special ingredient into anything their hands could make. No restaurant could replicate that feeling — that sensation of a warm hug with each spoonful of food.

Last Christmas, I was paging through old scrapbooks and faded memories etched in ink and paper, and an old recipe caught my eye: a cosy one-pot spring chicken dish. It brought me back to the days when life seemed more colourful — when, on chilly days and winter nights, she would whip up this warm and flavourful dish for the few of us who braved the cold to arrive at her doorstep for dinner.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 500g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 300g small potatoes
• 425ml low-salt vegetable stock
• 350g broccoli, cut into small pieces
• 350g cabbage
• 140g peas
• Bunch of shallots, sliced
• 2 tbsp pesto

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion, gently fry for 5 mins until softened. Add the chicken and cook until slightly golden. Add the potatoes, stock and plenty of freshly ground black pepper,
2. then bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked.
3. Add the broccoli, cabbage, peas and shallots, stir well, then return to the boil. Cover, then cook for 5 minutes more, stir in the pesto and heat through.
4. Serve and enjoy!