Some squash are still appearing in the shops which is very heartening

This is heartening as they’re lovely vegetables and very versatile.

Butternut squash is now a staple but there’s a whole big world of gourds out there that deserve to be used all year round and not just for one night.

Every year I go to Slemish Market Garden in Ballymena and buy a few squash – Crown Prince is my favourite with its duck egg blue coloured exterior that belies an inside of intense orange, sweet flesh.

If you store them in a cool place the squash will keep for a few months.

You can cut them into wedges, drizzle with oil and roast, whizz them into a gratin with nutmeg, cream and onions or make them into a soup.

The soup recipe here is quite simple – some aromatics, pumpkin and stock.

Cook until the pumpkin is soft and then blend. You could just have it like that but I like different textures in a soup and sometimes a pureed soup can be one dimensional and a bit like baby food.

Here the soup is topped with a cheesey toast that has sage, rosemary, parmesan, cheddar and an egg yolk to make it glaze.

Toast the bread, spread with the cheese and place on top of the soup in heat proof bowls.

Grill until the cheese is golden and bubbling and enjoy.

As someone who was practically reared on shin broth, it still has a special place in my heart.

What could be more tasty and comforting than slowly cooked beef with vegetables and barley?

One of the things that appeals to me about this kind of soup is its structure. If you can stand your spoon in the soup, you’re on the right track.

I’ve taken the elements of the broth of my childhood and given it a bit of an Italian vibe.

Shin is cooked with vegetables and then some lentils added at the end of cooking.

When the cooked beef is fork tender, rest it, shred it and add it back to the pan with a tin of borlotti beans and a load of parsley.

While this soup would be just fine on its own I’ve added a recipe for tear and share bread to have with it.

Rich, unctuous soup, with warm garlicky, cheesy bread to dip in?

That would warm the cockles of your heart…..