It is always a pleasure to go to Kilkenny and I had a great time at Savour last weekend. This festival goes from strength to strength and it was great to meet so many old friends. Every year I discover new producers and get to try out their wares. And my brother Kenneth is with me on these events as he has the stage and all the equipment for chefs to do their demos. He does a great job.

You don’t need me to tell you that it is the time of year for comfort food. And that is what these stews are. The beef and chestnut hotpot is a twist on the classic French boeuf bourguignon, which was one the first things I learned to cook. A great thing about this recipe is that you can use up other vegetables that you may have to hand. The alcohol gives flavour but will be cooked off and alcohol-free when you are serving.

Pork shoulder is underused and is also lovely slow roasted. We tend to forget lesser-used cuts like shoulder of lamb and pork, but we should use them more. Keep a look out for a local cider. There are great producers now up and down the country. In the restaurant we often use Stonewell, which is made in Kinsale. Excellent.

Happy cooking.

Braised pork shoulder with

root vegetables

Serves four to six

1kg (2 1/4lb) pork shoulder, trimmed and diced (bones removed)

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

2 onions, sliced

2 celery sticks, sliced

3 carrots, cut into chunks

2 parsnips, cut into chunks

1 tbsp chopped fresh sage

2 bay leaves

2 tbsp plain flour

330ml bottle cider

850ml (1 pint 9fl oz) chicken stock

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

Creamy mashed potato and steamed long stem broccoli, to serve (optional)

1 Preheat the oven to 180oC, (350oF/gas mark 4). Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish with a lid and quickly brown the pork in batches and then set it aside on a plate.

2 Add the onions, celery, carrots and parsnips to the casserole dish with the sage and bay leaves and sauté for 10 minutes until golden brown. Sprinkle over the flour and give everything a good stir, then add back in the sealed pork with any juices.

3 Pour the cider and stock into the pan, ensuring that the pork and vegetables are covered. Season to taste and bring to a simmer, then transfer to the oven for two hours or until the pork is meltingly tender.

4 Scatter over the parsley and bring straight to the table. Have separate bowls of mashed potato and steamed long stemmed broccoli to serve, if liked.

Beef & chestnut mushrooms hotpot

Serves four to six

25g (1oz) butter

2 tbsp Rapeseed oil

350g (12oz) small shallots, peeled

100g (4oz) pancetta or rindless streaky bacon, cut into small thin lardons

675g (1 1/2lb) chuck steak, cut into bite-sized pieces

50g (2oz) seasoned flour

1 bottle red Burgundy red wine

150ml (1/4 pint) beef stock

2 carrots, chopped

2 celery sticks, chopped

2 bay leaves

2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

225g (8oz) small chestnut mushrooms, trimmed

2 tbsp brandy

1kg (2 1/2lb) potatoes, peeled (similar size)

25g (1oz) butter, melted

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Preheat the oven to 170oC, (325F/gas mark 3). Heat half of the butter and oil in a large frying pan. Add the shallots and fry until they are just beginning to brown, then tip in the pancetta and fry until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon.

2 Place the beef pieces in a polythene bag with the seasoned flour. Shake until well coated, then remove, shaking off any excess. Add to the frying pan and fry until lightly golden on all sides. Transfer to a casserole dish with a lid.

3 Add a little of the red wine to the frying pan and, scraping the bottom to remove any sediment, pour in on top of the beef with the rest of the red wine, the stock, carrots, celery, bay leaves and thyme. Add the sautéed shallots and pancetta and season to taste. Stir to combine, then cover and place in the oven for two hours or until the meat is tender but still holding its shape.

4 Halfway through cooking, heat the remaining oil and butter in a large pan and cook the mushrooms until just tender and lightly browned, stirring. Add the brandy and cook for another few minutes, then stir into the casserole dish and return to the oven for the remaining cooking time. Remove from the oven and leave to cool and settle.

5 Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling salted water for 10 minutes, then drain and leave until cool enough to handle. Cut into 1cm (½in) slices and arrange a nice overlapping layer on top of the stew. Brush with the melted butter and season lightly with salt and pepper.

6 Cook in the oven for about 40 minutes until bubbling and golden brown in colour. Serve straight to the table. CL