At the moment I am travelling around the county filming for the RTÉ series that will be on your screens in January and February next year. I am having a very interesting time meeting food producers and chefs.

I visited Comeragh Mountain Lamb in Waterford recently where William and Bridget Drohan produce fantastic lamb. It is never frozen and goes from dry ageing to many of our best chefs. William is the sixth generation to farm on that land.

From there we went to cook with John Wyer, a fantastic chef in Dublin 4. He and his wife Sandy opened Forest Avenue in Sussex Terrace in 2013 and it has gained a great reputation. I never stop learning in this job.

This cumin roasted lamb is very tasty. Pumpkin is a bit bland so you need to put lots of flavour in. It is important to use fresh spices in this recipe, not ones that have been opened for a couple of months. As I always say, buy your spices in small quantities.

The citrus cake is a treat this time of the year. Instead of orange, you might like to try lemon or lime. It is worth buying the coconut sugar. You will use it. It keeps the cake moist and is delicious in cup cakes.

Happy cooking.

Cumin roasted lamb with pumpkin mash

Serves six

2 x 400g (14oz) lamb racks (French trimmed)

2 tsp Rapeseed oil

1 tsp ground cumin

Pumpkin mash:

1kg (2 1/2lb) small whole pumpkin, peeled, seeded and chopped

500g (1 1/4lb) potatoes, peeled & chopped

50g (2oz) butter

3 tbsp creme fraiche

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground coriander

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steamed long green beans, to serve

Lemon wedges, to garnish

  • 1 Preheat the oven to 190oC (375oF/ gas mark 5). Brush the lamb racks with the olive oil and rub the ground cumin all over, then season with salt and pepper. Place the lamb in a roasting tin and cook for 20 to 25 minutes for medium-rare or leave in for longer until cooked to your liking. Remove from the oven and cover loosely with foil. Set aside in a warm place to rest for 15 minutes.
  • 2 Meanwhile, make the pumpkin mash. Place the pumpkin and potato in a large pan of cold salted water over a high heat. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and return to the pan. Put back on the heat for one to two minutes to dry out, then add the butter, creme fraiche, cumin, and coriander. Mash until smooth and then season to taste. Keep warm until needed.
  • 3 Carve the lamb into individual cutlets. Divide the pumpkin mash on to plates and top with the lamb cutlets. Add some green beans to each plate and garnish with the lemon wedges.

    • Sticky orange upside down cake

    Serves six to eight

    4 eggs

    200g (7oz) coconut sugar

    1 vanilla pod, split in half and seeds removed

    ½ tsp ground cinnamon

    150g (5oz) self-raising flour

    150g (5oz) butter, melted

    125g (4 1/2oz) ground almonds

    Sticky orange topping:

    150g (5oz) honey

    5 tbsp water

    1 vanilla pod, split in half and seeds removed

    1 orange, very thinly sliced (skin on and all pips removed)

    4 whole star anise

    1/2 tsp freshly grated root ginger

    Thick Greek yoghurt, to serve

  • 1 Preheat the oven to 160oC (325oF/gas mark 3). To make the sticky orange topping, place the honey, water, vanilla, star anise and grated ginger in an ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat. Stir until the honey is dissolved and then add the orange slices and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the orange slices are soft. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool down completely.
  • 2 Lightly grease and base line a 20cm (8in) spring-form cake tin with parchment paper. Arrange the orange slices in an even layer on the bottom and reserve any excess syrup for later use.
  • 3 Place the eggs, coconut sugar, vanilla seeds and cinnamon in a bowl of a standalone electric mixer and whisk for eight to 10 minutes or until the mixture is thick, pale and tripled in volume. Sieve the flour over the egg mixture and gently fold through. Fold through the butter and almonds. Pour the mixture over the orange slices and bake for 50 minutes or until the cake is cooked through when tested with a skewer. Turn out on to a platter and spoon over the reserved orange syrup. Cut into slices on plates with dollops of yoghurt.