I've never had meatloaf before. It's a dish that you know about because it's often mentioned on American sitcoms. But I've never actually tasted it (or even seen it!) before. It was the perfect dish for a cold winter's evening.

This is the last recipe I'll be sharing from Jamie's Ministry of Food. The book has been a winner so far. I'm really looking forward to cooking more recipes from this cookbook. I think it's a great addition to any cookbook collection.

Pot-roast Meatloaf
Serves 4-6 (this was 2 meals for Andrew and me)

2 medium onions olive oil sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 level teaspoon ground cumin 1 heaped teaspoon ground coriander 12 Jacob's cream crackers (like Sao's) 2 teaspoons dried oregano 2 heaped teaspoons Dijon mustard 500g good-quality minced beef 1 large egg, preferably free-range or organic 2 cloves of garlic ½ - 1 fresh red chilli, to your taste 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary 12 slices of smoked bacon or pancetta, preferably free-range or organic 1 lemon

To make your meatloaf:
Preheat the oven to full whack. Peel and finely chop one of the onions - don't worry about technique, just chop away until fine. Place in a large frying pan on a medium high heat with 2 lugs of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the ground cumin and coriander. Fry and stir every 30 seconds for 7 minutes or until softened and lightly golden, then put into a large bowl to cool. Wrap the crackers in a tea towel and smash up until fine, breaking up any big bits with your hands. Add to the bowl of cooled onions with the oregano, mustard and minced beef. Crack in the egg and add another good pinch of salt and pepper. With clean hands, scrunch and mix up well. Move the meat mixture to a board, then pat and mould it into a large, rugby ball shape. Rub it with a little oil. You can either cook it straight away or put it on a plate, cover and place in the fridge until needed. Place the meatloaf in a casserole-type pan or baking dish, put it into the preheated oven and turn down the temperature immediately to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Bake for half an hour.

To make your meatloaf sauce:
Peel the other onion and chop into 1cm pieces. Peel and slice the garlic. Finely slice the red chilli. Place the onion, garlic and chilli in a large pan on a medium high heat with 2 lugs of olive oil, the paprika and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for around 7 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until softened and lightly golden. Add the Worcestershire sauce, chickpeas, tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and let it slowly simmer for 10 minutes. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper if needed.

To finish off and serve your meatloaf:
Pick the rosemary leaves off the woody stalks and put them into a little bowl. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and pour all the fat from the pan over the rosemary leaves and mix up well. Spoon your sauce around the meatloaf. Lay the slices of bacon or pancetta over the top of the meatloaf and sauce. Scatter over the rosemary leaves. Put the pan back into the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until the bacon turns golden and the sauce is bubbling and delicious. Serve with a mixed leaf salad and some wedges of lemon for squeezing over - this will add a nice sharp tang.

This week's recipe was brought to you by wine, cream and butter. How can you go wrong? It was in the twenty-minute meals chapter and is supposed to take you 19 minutes to cook. I think it took me around 25 minutes including preparation time. Not bad for such a tasty meal.

Chicken and Leek Stroganoff
Serves 2 (this was 1.5 meals for Andrew and me with a little bit of extra rice)

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 150g long-grain or basmati rice 1 large leek a big handful of chestnut or oyster mushrooms 2 chicken breasts, preferably free-range or organic olive oil a knob of butter a glass of white wine a bunch of fresh parsley 285ml single cream 1 lemon

Pour boiling water from the kettle into a large pan, place on a high heat and add a pinch of salt. Add your rice, bring back to the boil, then turn the heat down slightly. Cook for the length of time given in the packet instructions. Cut both ends off the leek, quarter length ways slice across thinly, then wash well under running water. Slice the mushrooms. Slice the chicken breasts into little-finger size pieces.

Put a large frying pan on high heat and add a good lug of olive oil and a knob of butter. Add the leek to the pan with the white wine, a small glass of water and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Let it bubble away for 5 minutes, covered loosely with a piece of foil. Meanwhile finely chop the parsley, stalks and all. Remove the foil and add the chicken strips, most of the parsley, the cream and the mushrooms. Stir, bring back to the boil, then turn the heat down to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain your rice. Just before serving cut your lemon in half and squeeze the juice of one half into the stroganoff. Season to taste.

Spoon some rice on to each plate and top with the stroganoff. Scatter with the rest of the chopped parsley. Serve with the other lemon half, cut into wedges.

This is the recipe that featured in last Wednesday's Days vs Night post. A steaming bowl of mac and cheese is the perfect fodder for a cold Winter's evening.

As a novice chef, I had a bit of trouble with the whole melting the cheese / creme fraiche in a bowl over the saucepan. I ended up sticking the mixture into the microwave and microwaving it on high for 30 seconds at a time until it had melted. I added a little bit of water at the end to make the consistency a little bit more runny. Maybe you'll have better luck with the recipe's method. I'll give it another go next time.

The sauce is very hard to clean off once it has dried. If you're not going to do the washing up straight away, I'd recommend soaking pans and dishes in hot water. Wiping down the pans and dishes with a sponge when you're finished is also a good idea.

Macaroni Cauliflower Cheese Bake
serves 4 - 6 (this was 4 meals for Andrew and me. Jamie's portions are generous.)

1/2 a head cauliflower 200g Cheddar cheese 100g Parmesan cheese a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley sea salt 400g dried macaroni 200g creme fraiche

To prepare your pasta:
Remove the outer green leaves from the cauliflower and discard. Slice the end off the cauliflower stalk. Cut the head into small florets. Halve the thick stalk length ways, then slice thinly. Grate the Cheddar and Parmesan into a large heatproof bowl. Finely chop the parsley stalks and leaves.

To cook your pasta:
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the macaroni and all your cauliflower and cook according to the macaroni packet instructions. While the pasta is cooking, place the bowl of cheese over the saucepan and add the creme fraiche. Carefully stir every so often until the cheese is smooth and melted. If the water boils up beneath the bowl, just turn the heat down slightly. Add all the chopped parsley to the melted cheese and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Carefully remove the bowl of cheese using a towel or oven gloves and put aside. Drain the macaroni in a colander over a bowl, reserving the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pan, pour in the melted cheese and stir. It should have a lovely, silky consistency, but if it's too thick for you, add a splash of your cooking water to thin it out a bit. At this point you can either serve the macaroni as is, or finish it under the grill to make it crispy and golden on top. To do this, preheat your grill to a medium to high heat. Add 150ml of the reserved cooking water to the macaroni, stir in, then transfer to a baking dish. Place under the grill until golden and bubbling.

To serve your pasta:
Divide the pasta between plates or bowls, or place the baking dish in the middle of the table next to a nice green salad and let everyone help themselves.

Jamie's new book, The Ministry of Food, was prompted by the rising levels of obesity in Britain (now the highest in Europe). Jamie realised that there are so many people who don't know how to cook a proper, healthy meal for their family. Britain is the home of the pre-packaged meal (the Brits consume 50% of all pre-packaged meals in Europe). Despite their convenience - you can just whack them in the microwave - pre-packaged meals aren't all that good for you.

Jamie wants to teach England to cook good, honest, affordable food. To do this, he's asking everyone to pass it on. He wants us to learn one recipe from each chapter of his new book, master the recipes and then teach them to at least two people. This is my way of passing it on. I'm going to be sharing the recipes I try on FuShMuSh.

First up, Sweet Potato and Chorizo Soup. I've never made a soup before. Who knew making soup was as easy as just chopping stuff up, throwing it in a pan and cooking it for a while. I'm already learning from Ministry of Food.

Sweet Potato and Chorizo Soup
Serves 6 - 8 (it was 3 meals for Andrew and me)

2 carrots 2 sticks of celery 2 medium onions 2 cloves of garlic 800g sweet potatoes 200g chorizo sausage a small bunch of fresh parsley olive oil 1 heaped teaspoon curry powder 2 chicken or vegetable stock cubes, preferably organic sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 fresh red chili

To make your soup:
Peel and roughly slice the carrots. Slice the celery. Peel and roughly chop the onions. Peel and slice the garlic. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes. Slice the chorizo. Finely chop the parsley leaves and stalks.

Put a large pan on a high heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add all your chopped and sliced ingredients with curry powder and mix together with a wooden spoon. Cook for around 10 minutes with the lid askew, until the carrots have softened but are still holding their shape, and the onion is lightly golden.

Put the stock cubes into a jug or pan and pour in 1.8 litres of boiling water from the kettle. Stir until the stock cubes are dissolved, then add to the vegetables. Give the soup a good stir and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until the sweet potato is cooked through.

To serve your soup:
Season with salt and pepper. Using a hand blender, pulse the soup until smooth and scatter over a little finely chopped chili. Divide between your serving bowls and tuck in.