Elly Pear's Let's Eat: Simple, delicious food for everyone, every day

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We meandered all over the part of Devon that sits to the south and southeast of Dartmoor National Park, spending time in towns, villages and on beaches, in woodland and coves, travelling on foot, by car and even steam train. It was the perfect mini break and I want to share some of my favourite finds with you… Restaurants Emilia, Ashburton Meanwhile, prepare the veg for the noodles. Cut a small slice off the base of the pak choi to separate the leaves. Wash and shake dry. Leave smaller leaves whole and slice the bigger leaves widthways into 2cm-wide pieces. Thinly slice the red pepper. When the tofu is close to the endof its cooking time, place a wok over a high heat until very hot, drizzle in the oil, add the prepared vegetables and toss for 2 minutes or until slightly softened but still retaining a bit of bite. Many people are put off cooking aubergine as the salting process can seem too much like hard work. The good news is, most mass produced aubergines available in the UK have had the bitterness bred out of them, so the salting becomes null and void. If you’re using heirloom or organic varieties, the general rule is if they are very seedy inside, they may benefit from a bit of salting to tease out any bitterness (taste first) but adding salt after cooking can also provide a counter to this – so don’t sweat it.

Preheat the grill. Wipe the frying pan with kitchen paper, then heat ½ tablespoon oil over a low-medium heat. When hot, pour in the egg mixture and swirl around to evenly distribute it. Using a heatproof rubber spatula, draw the edges in from the side of the pan, tip the pan and let the liquid egg flow into the gaps. This helps the whole thing set, rather than just the bottom of the frittata. Do this for 5 minutes, until almost set.

There will be exciting news coming from Elly regarding her brand and future projects in the coming months and she looks forward to sharing her future successes with all those that have got her where she is today. It’s really very easy to spend your time and money with small, independent businesses in this part of the world, and I love it for that, and so many more reasons. Elly is a Columnist for Waitrose Weekend, where her recipe column appears monthly. She has also contributed to a wide range of publications both online and in print, including Waitrose Food Magazine, Olive Magazine, Stella Magazine, Sunday Times Magazine, Delicious, Sainsbury’s Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Root and Bone and The Pool and was the food columnist for Instyle Magazine for over a year. She has also contributed recipes to both Cook For Syria charity books and produced two e-books, Let’s Eat: Elly Pear’s Home Fridge Deli and Elly Pear’s Fast Days and Feast Days: Tips and recipes to reset your diet for the New Year. Pour the olive oil into a large ovenproof dish or roasting tray and heat in the oven for 5–10 minutes. Carefully add the aubergine cubes to the hot oil. Season well with salt and pepper, add the diluted rose harissa and toss everything together. Place the dish or tray in the hot oven, setting the timer for 15 minutes. When the timer sounds and 15 minutes has passed, stir to make sure all sides of the aubergine cubes are roasting. Set the timer again for another 15 minutes.

Festival appearances have included Abergavenny, River Cottage and BBC Countryfile and this year she is also appearing at Yeo Valley’s Valley Fest and Ludlow Food Festival. She is also a regular tutor at Divertimenti Cookery School in Knightsbridge. If spending a few hours meditatively rolling up little aubergine parcels sounds like your idea of heaven, come hither. These rolls, also known as involtini di melanzane alla parmigiana, are as pleasing to make as they are to eat. Which variety? Globe aubergines will give you the best envelopes for your aubergine parcels in this recipe. Recipes to prep at the weekend for the week ahead – again, a really practical approach based on how we really live our busy lives.Next, cut out decorations from the pastry scraps. (I like holly leaves and berries, but be creative!) Brush the parcels all over with the remaining egg wash and add the pastry decorations. Brush again with more egg wash. Bake in the hot oven for 30–40 minutes or until the pastry is shiny and golden. Clients for recipe development work include Tio Pepe, Sarsons, Bonne Maman, MacSween, Strong Roots and Peter’s Yard.

No rushing around. That was the promise I made myself before planning the trip. Just three nights away with my mate, Soph, exploring Devon, getting some fresh air, eating delicious food, and resting. What I thought: Like everyone else I know, I struggle to keep coming up with simple but tasty midweek meal ideas, so I was instantly drawn to the Weekday section of Elly Pear’s book. I love the concept of her Freezer Food recipes. You make one base dish in a quantity big enough to allow you to freeze some of it. Then there are various ways to use that base dish to whip up enticing but incredibly easy meals when you get home from work and don’t have the time or energy to cook something complicated. I love this approach as it fits perfectly with our busy family schedule. What do you get if you combine an aubergine parmigiana with everyone’s favourite Calabrian hot and spicy sausage paste? This aubergine al forno with ‘nduja! It’s clever: the milky mozzarella cools the hot and intense sausage beautifully. Aubergine in a stew is a wonderful thing. Here, Antonio Carluccio’s caponata brings out the vegetable’s naturally meatiness – it’s paired with its favourite Mediterranean bedfellows, onions and tomatoes and is brought to life with capers, olives and white wine vinegar. Enjoy room temperature or cold for optimum flavour.It’s one of the most popular dips in a mezze for a reason! Aubergine loves a bit of char, and cooking aubergines directly over a flame imparts a smokiness which takes the vegetable to new levels. Put the porcini in a large heatproof jug, pour over 1 litre just-boiled water and soak for 30 minutes. Which variety? This recipe will work with any variety of aubergine, but skinny Indian aubergines or the regular globe variety will keep things budget.