Our recipe tells you how to make a Victoria sponge the old-fashioned way – mixing all the ingredients by hand. But you can make a good version in a food processor...

This must be the ultimate trencherman’s winter warmer. You don’t have to pre-cook the filling – there are many recipes for this dish that instruct you to put raw meat into the pudding and steam it for up to 5 hours. But I prefer this method, as you can get the gravy and seasonings just how you like them, and it also saves on cooking time...

A kale and potato soup, originally Portuguese, served with chorizo.

This is more or less the classic procedure for steak au poivre but using venison rather than beef, as I think the robust flavour of venison supports the rich and piquant sauce rather better. It’s a delightful dish that takes less than 15 minutes from start to finish.

I’ve always loved toad in the hole and have always felt that, on the whole(!), the meat-baked-in-batter concept is under-explored. This recipe aims to glamorise the dish a touch, while in no way compromising its earthy, trencherman appeal.

This is a hearty soup/stew with a thin but very tasty juice. Bolstered with macaroni, and eaten in a bowl to catch plenty of the well-flavoured liquor, it makes a perfect winter supper.

Thanks to the school version (out of an enormous tin, I suspect), I used to hate rice pudding. Only recently did I discover how sublime it can be. It’s easy, too, the secret being in the occasional stir that helps separate the grains, and the half and half mix of milk and cream.

A good Welsh rarebit is so much more than cheese on toast. It’s quick-fix comfort food of the highest order, and a great dish with which to confront a cold snap. It’s an easy recipe to improvise once you get the knack, but worth having fixed quantities to get you started.

It’s amazing what you can do with a few potatoes and a tin of anchovies. Maybe a bit of cream … This is a classic Swedish dish and a great winter warmer.

Featured on the second programme from the "Beyond River Cottage" series, this recipe is taken from Hugh's latest River Cottage Meat Book.

A lovely winter side-dish that is quick and easy to make.

This very simple tart is a combination of one of my favourite local cheeses - and probably one of my favourite vegetables. I used to make hundreds of these before I joined RCHQ – and they have continued to prove very popular at our seasonal feasts.