After teaming up with Daylesford Farm for our Advent competition this year, we wanted to delve further into their recipe archive for comforting and wholesome selections. Here is a unique dish to experiment with this winter.

“Bold enough to be served as a standalone lunch or supper dish, this recipe is also a great accompaniment to roast chicken, pork or lamb. Although we use butternut in this recipe, it will work beautifully with any variety of sweet autumn squash or pumpkin.”

Preheat the oven to 200ºC.

Halve the squash lengthways and cut into slices about ½ an inch thick. Toss in a little oil, salt and pepper and roast on a tray for 20-25 minutes until just tender.

Next, start to make your sauce. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the sliced onion. Cook gently for 2 minutes before adding the crushed garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Sweat gently for a further 10 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent. Pour in the wine and reduce by until syrupy. Pour in the stock and reduce by half and then finally pour in the double cream. Simmer for 2-3 minutes to thicken the sauce, stirring to stop the sauce sticking or burning. Season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice and set aside.

To make the crumble topping, simply combine the oats, chopped nuts and seeds in a bowl. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper, add the honey and mix together well with your hands.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and blanch the cavalo nero. Drain well, squeeze out any excess water, and roughly chop.

Once the squash is tender, tip it into an ovenproof dish or skillet, along with the chopped cavalo nero, distributing evenly in the dish. Spoon the onion sauce over the squash, stirring a little to cover everything evenly. Scatter over the crumbled Adlestrop cheese, followed by the crumble topping.

Bake in the oven at 190ºC for 20 minutes until piping hot and lightly golden brown on top.