Many areas in the UK have experienced freezing temperatures and snow this week, so this week I’m mixing recipes with rich, comforting ingredients and lighter bites.

Saturday:

Lunch: Peppers stuffed with apple and mascarpone – this pairing of peppers with apple is a little bit unusual, but it’s very fresh and delicious. If you’ve got any left over, it goes well with the recipe I’ve chosen for Saturday dinner!

Dinner: White fish fillets with mussel and saffron sauce – the combination of white fish and mussels is indulgent, and the saffron in this recipe gives it a gorgeous, sunset, saffron colour. It’s delicate and luscious at the same time.

Dessert: Poached plums with crème de cassis – these plums are delicious by themselves, or with other desserts. They certainly go well with  elegant Nutella cake, and they also go brilliantly and simply with dark crêpes dentelle and thick Greek yoghurt.

Sunday:

Lunch: Black olive and white fish open sandwich – this is a simple open sandwich, but it’s perfect for a lazy, relaxing weekend lunch. This recipe will also use up any leftover white fish from Saturday’s dinner.

Dinner: Chicken curry with coconut rice – curry is always a great Sunday-night dinner, as you can make it in the afternoon, and allow it to slow cook it until you’re ready to eat. Pair it with coconut rice, and you’ve got yourself a delicious and comforting meal.

Monday:

Dinner: Peppery mushroom and mustard salad – this is an unusual recipe of mushrooms and mustard which was inspired by a meal I had in Hamburg. I’ve added the Urfa pepper flakes and the sage, but aside from that this is a broadly faithful rendition.

Tuesday:

Dinner: Colcannon mash with sausages and apple sauce – colcannon is essentially spruced up mash, and it goes with anything that mash goes with! So of course, I’ve paired it with classic pork sausages.

Wednesday:

Dinner: Spicy salmon in ginger – nothing helps you warm up more than a spicy dish. Here I’ve paired salmon with a horseradish and ginger sauce, which will definitely pep you up. You do need to marinade the salmon, so I’d recommend putting it together on Tuesday night, and cooking it on the Wednesday.

Thursday:

Dinner: Peanut and papaya salad – this peanut and papaya salad is very pleasing. Although papayas come originally from Mexico, they are grown widely in Asia where they are often paired with peanuts, which give a happy textural contrast.

Friday:

Dinner: Gammon with damson sauce – this is an excellent way of cooking gammon, which uses red vermouth and damson jam. Serve also with new potatoes with butter and a few chopped chives.

Dessert: Chocolate and peanut butter fondant – it’s still chilly, so in my mind that means delicious, comforting chocolate puddings. This recipe is also incredibly quick – I challenge anyone to say they are too busy to make, or eat, this.

Cocktail: Irish coffee – and of course, every chilly week needs to end with a piping hot Irish coffee.