I love Bonfire Night, perhaps because it’s one of the few occasions when it is OK to indulge our child-like fascination with fire – from barbecues to bonfires to magnificent fireworks. The food has to be the kind of comforting, unfussy nosh that requires no garnishes or table manners. So I’m offering up three recipes for a very casual gathering. Forget cutlery: I’d suggest serving the soup in mugs into which you can dunk the garlic bread, and eat the sticky chicken legs with your fingers. And for heaven’s sake, don’t go nuts if you find parkin crumbs all over the kitchen floor… it’s a party!

Curried Parsnip and Apple Soup with Garlic Bread

Serves 6-8

Soups, especially curried soups, instantly give you that warming feeling that you crave after a night of mischief out in the cold. My children don’t mind a little spice, but you can leave out the curry powder if you have to cater for milder palates.

For the soup
50g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
700g parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 medium Bramley apple, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp runny honey
1.5 litres vegetable or chicken stock

For the garlic bread
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped parsley
100g butter, softened
1 ciabatta loaf, sliced in half horizontally, then cut into thick slices

1 Heat the oven to 200C/Gas 6. Heat the butter and oil in a large heavy-based pan until the butter begins to foam. Stir in the onions and garlic and cook for 2 minutes to soften.

2 Dry-toast the cumin seeds until brown and fragrant. Grind in a pestle and mortar with a pinch of sea salt. Mix in the curry powder and ground ginger, then stir into the onions.

3 Add the parsnips, apple and honey and cook for a few minutes. Pour in the stock, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer for 20 minutes until the parsnips are cooked.

4 Meanwhile, make the garlic bread. Stir the garlic and chopped parsley into the softened butter and spread onto each slice of bread. Reassemble the buttered loaf and wrap tightly in tin foil. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown and crisp at the edges.

5 In batches, whiz the soup in a blender until smooth and return to the pan. Season to taste and reheat before serving with the garlic bread.

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