Roast squash stuffed with lentils and herby veg, and butter beans baked in a north-African-style flavour bomb of fresh herbs, garlic, olive oil and lemon

Autumn is now well and truly here, and we find ourselves surrounded by squashes, root vegetables and dark-leaved greens. And, as the evenings draw in, what’s not to love about such warming, comforting ingredients? Pulses are a particularly good-value way to make any main meal go a long way. Earthy brown lentils are a great favourite tinned or dried, and even the dried ones don’t take that long to cook, especially if you soak them first. Butter beans, meanwhile, have so much texture and body that they are, to me, the king of the beans.