This seasonal winter warming stew is white, in body, unlike most gravy based stews.

The cider adds a fantastic, flavoursome zing, we recommend a good, dry cider like Westons or Henney’s Dry Cider.

Squash, as you will know, is in season and a fantastically versatile vegetable that adds a sweet balance to the cider making this one-pot dish a full-bodied, tasty and nutritious meal.

 Ingredients:

• I squash, peeled, deseeded and cubed
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 3 large carrots, thickly sliced
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
• Herbs to season (dill and oregano work particularly well)
• 1 cup of flour
• 1-2 bottles of chosen cider
• Glug of olive oil, or knob of butter

 In a large stew pot add in your squash once you have peeled off the tough outer skin and deseeded the fist-sized pulp in the centre.

Add in the onion, potato, carrot and your herbs of choice. Cover in a generous glug of olive oil and stir until all the vegetables are lightly covered and continue to fry until the onion starts to soften.

Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and continue to stir.

The flour will stick to the oil and the natural juices of the vegetables, once the flour starts to brown and the mixture turns claggy it is time to add in your cider.

Depending on the amount of vegetables or your desired thickness of the stew, maybe save half the 2^nd bottle to dilute later.

Bring the stew to the boil then reduce to a simmer.

All the alcohol will boil off leaving just the fantastic flavour.

If the stew is too thick, add in a cup of water.

Add the last cider in roughly half an hour. After one hour the vegetables will be softened through and the meal is ready to serve.

Recommended to serve with a good, crusty granary bread or seeded loaf, dig in with a spoon and enjoy!