countdown to the perfect, hearty, winter dish

Well by crikey, as you know my last few weeks have been wildly, crazily busy…but so bloody good, I feel like I need to pinch myself to make sure it is all real. I am writing this in the office of my new home, music playing, sun filtering in the window and I can’t get the smile off my face. Today I went into Dish in the morning, then was joined at home in the afternoon by Claire Aldous, the food editor, laden down with this beautifully prepared meal for me to style and photograph for you. In the midst of moving house, heading to and from Welly to see Hoob graduate and starting as editor at Dish, I was presented with the opportunity to do this collab with the team at Countdown, showcasing a selection of their own-brand range. Given I could barely remember where I put my toothbrush lately, Claire came to the rescue with the recipe – and here we are: with a beautifully comforting, nourishing dish packed with smoky bacon, hearty sausage and chicken with sweet onion and soft white beans all slathered in a dreamy tomato sauce. Serve it as I have plain, with greens mixed through at the last minute, or feel free to stir through pasta, or load it onto your creamiest potato mash or soft polenta. Even though it is designed as a family dish, I would have no hesitation serving this up to mates with a glass or two of red. As alluded above, almost every ingredient in this recipe is from the own-brand range at Countdown, and frankly Claire and I were gob-smacked by their quality and affordability.

So – here I am, feeling unbelievable after all that has happened lately. Yesterday was my first official day as editor (after zooming in and out ad hoc), and oh my God, it is actually my dream job…I’m like a kid in a candy store! The Dish squad has been incredibly welcoming, and even though we are shortly heading to the design stage of the winter issue, I don’t feel overwhelmed – I feel energized and pretty much on fire with enthusiasm (long may it last!). It is a miracle given the energy and effort required to move house – Hoob and my dear nephew Will were a massive help, and it was a huge treat to have Rich here for actual moving day. Meanwhile Pog is having his wisdom teeth out at the end of next week so will come and stay here for his recovery…so both of the gorgeous men/boys will have seen the house all put-together – hurrah! Any waaaay, it’s been a while so I obviously have a lot of words, however…time to wade through some emails and let you get to the recipe, see you again soon.