This is a slightly sweet Anglo-Indian soup, and one that I always loved as a child. The nice thing for me is that although has very little beef in it, the little it has makes all the difference. The quick-cook rice is good because it softens nicely as the rest of the soup cooks.

Ingredients: 120g minced beef, 1 eating apple, 2tsp mild curry powder, 1tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, pinch of black pepper, 1 beef stock cube, 500ml carton of tomato passata, 50g quick-cook white rice, 600ml water, 1 heaped tsp cornflour, 1 heaped tsp flour/GF flour, olive oil

Method: In a lidded saucepan, brown the beef, breaking it up. Peel, core and finely dice the apple, then add and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the curry powder, stir and fry for a minute, then add the salt, sugar, pepper, crumbled stock cube, tomato passata, rice and water. Stir the flours with a splash of water until smooth, then add to pan, stirring. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the rice is cooked and the soup has thickened.

Notes: I make this and keep it in the fridge for a weekday lunch for the family, to serve with bread, toast, oat cakes, or even just on its own.

This is a fast go-to when we want something tasty midweek, as it can be made largely with cupboard ingredients with whatever veg happen to be knocking around in the fridge on the side (we always keep a few blocks of extra firm tofu in the fridge).

Ingredients: 1 tin coconut milk, 150ml water, 2 tbsp cashews, knob of ginger, 4 garlic cloves, 2 tbsp tomato puree, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tbsp curry powder, 2 tsp fenugreek leaves (optional), 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp maple syrup, 1 block extra-firm tofu, 1 tbsp olive oil

Method: Mix all ingredients except tofu in a blender till smooth, then warm through in a lidded pan. Meanwhile, fry tofu cubes in olive oil, tossing until browned. Add tofu to sauce, replace lid, and simmer for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Notes: I like to serve this with plain brown basmati rice, and a vegetable - boiled green beans, or maybe a big spoonful of homemade pickled red cabbage.

Ingredients: 1kg potatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks, 25og nuts (pine nuts, walnuts or hazelnuts), 250g parmesan, 2 large bunches fresh basil leaves, 2 cloves garlic, 400ml extra virgin olive oil, juice of a lemon, salt & pepper

Method: Toss potatoes in oil and salt and air fry for 35-40 minutes till crisp and tender, shaking every now and then. Meanwhile, put everything else in a blender and process until quite smooth. Check seasoning. Toss half the pesto through the cooked potatoes and serve (save the other half in an airtight container in the fridge for something else).

Notes: You can spoon the pesto over the potatoes if you like, it keeps them crispier. The pesto works well with pasta, and is nice cold as a salad too, or can be spread over cooked fish etc.

Ingredients: 1kg of potatoes, two red or yellow peppers, half a small jar of harissa, half a jar of sun-dried tomatoes in their oil (about 175g), 2 cloves of garlic, salt

Method: Cut clean but unpeeled potatoes into bite-sized chunks, toss with olive oil and salt and air fry until cooked and crispy, 40-45 minutes. Meanwhile in a blender, blend all the other ingredients to a smooth sauce. Pour half over the potatoes, or toss them in it (save the other half for another day). Serve.

Notes: The sauce works well stirred through pasta, too.

I tried these having learned that pinole is a nutritious complex carb, so is great for running fuel. They last 4-5 days in an airtight container. This is adapted from a recipe found in the book Born To Run 2, which in turn borrowed it from a trail runner called Andrew Olson.

Ingredients: 2 tsp chia seeds, 300g pinole, 100g dates, 2-3 tbsp honey/maple syrup, 150ml water

Method: Preheat over to 200°C. Process all the ingredients until they form a thick paste. Divide and shape into 6 cookies on greaseproof paper on an oven tray. Score with the prongs of a fork. Bake for 10-15 minutes until starting to crack and colour.

Notes: These are good to eat before a run, and are also great the minute you return for immediate calories. They’re even beter when spread with crunchy peanut butter.

Ingredients: 1 onion, 1 pepper, 1 carrot, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 mug dried beans, soaked overnight (mix of kidney, black & mung), 1 tin chopped tomatoes, 1 tablespoon tomato puree, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika. 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder, 1 teaspoon miso paste (optional), 1 square dark chocolate

Method: Chop and fry onion, pepper, carrot, garlic together. Stir in all other ingredients except chocolate plus a mug of water and some salt and pepper. Pressure cook for 35 minutes, natural release. Stir through dark chocolate and simmer for a few minutes to thicken up if necessary.

Notes: Kidney beans give it that chilli look, black beans help to darken it, mung beans collapse and give a chilli-like texture to avoid it feeling like a baked bean recipe. I serve it with brown basmati rice, chopped coriander, chopped fresh chilli pepper, home-made guacamole (mashed avocado, salt, lemon juice, crushed garlic, pinch of cumin), and sometimes some soured cream or thick Greek yogurt on the side.

Leftovers: Mix leftover chilli and rice together, add a small can of sweetcorn, reheat and use in wraps with more guacamole, soured cream, some grated cheese and some chopped salad (lettuce, cucumber, red onion etc.).

Ingredients: 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 tin full-fat coconut milk, 4 tablespoons peanut butter, 2 tablespoons tomato puree, 2 tins chickpeas (drained), 1 veg stock cube, 1 lime

Method: Finely chop onion and garlic and fry till soft, stir in curry powder, then add all other ingredients except lime juice. Bring to simmer and cook for 5-6 minutes until starting to thicken, remove from heat and stir the juice of the lime. Season to taste.

Notes: I usually serve with brown basmati rice and a green vegetable, plus chopped coriander and chilli peppers. Crunchy or smooth peanut butter are both good, but go for one that’s just peanuts (or just peanuts and salt) - no palm oil or sugar. Any curry powder will do, mild, medium or hot, to taste. Lemon could be used instead of lime.

Ingredients: 1 onion, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 medium red pepper, 1 medium sweet potato, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 mug red lentils, 1 tin chopped tomatoes, 1 tin coconut milk. Optional: Small bunch of coriander, thumb of ginger, 1 tsp nigella seeds, juice of half a lemon.

Method: Chop all veg up small, then fry in stove top pressure cooker for a few minutes. No need to peel the sweet potato. Stir in the stalks of the coriander and the ginger, both chopped, plus the nigella seeds, if using. Add curry powder and stir. Stir in the lentils and tin of coconut milk, plus a mug of water. Bring to boil,stirring. Pour the chopped tomatoes on top. Add lid, bring up to pressure and cook for two minutes. Drop pressure naturally. Season to taste. Stir in the lemon juice and some of the chopped coriander leaves, if using - sprinkle the rest over the top to serve.

Notes: If cooking at home I usually add the optional ingredients, I don’t bother in the van. Serve with chopped chillies, and maybe extras like mango chutney and lime pickle. We always have this with brown basmati rice and maybe a green veg.

Ingredients: 1 small onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1.5 mugs any short-grain rice, large splash of white wine (optional), 4 mugs water, 2 veg stock cubes, 250g mushrooms, 2 large handfuls spinach, 1/2 mug grated parmesan, big knob of butter (optional)

Method: Chop and fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes. Stir in the rice, then if using the wine, stir that in and reduce for a minute or so. Crumble in and stir through the stock cubes, then chop/slice and add the mushrooms, along with the water. Stir, boil, close the lid and bring to pressure for 6 minutes, leaving to stand for 1-2 minutes minutes before quick releasing the remaining pressure. Stir through half of the parmesan, the spinach and the butter, keep stirring until the spinach has wilted. Season to taste, then serve with the rest of the parmesan sprinkled over, and pepper to grind over the top.

Notes: If kids ‘don’t like’ mushrooms, chop them tiny so they disappear. Rice quantity isn’t vital, it’s just that the ratio of rice to added water must be kept the same.

• We cook what we eat - Just following this simple rule removes so many of the pitfalls of modern diets, because we actually know what we’re putting in our bodies. When we know something, we naturally take more notice.
• We try to buy real ingredients - The odd jar, packet or tin is fine, but it’s best to cook from scratch with food that’s come from the ground, not a factory.
• We mainly eat whole carbs - Brown rice, whole potatoes, oats, wheat, home-made brown bread (bread machine), brown pasta.
• We also eat lots of other plant-based foods - Nuts, seeds, fruit, all colours of veg, salad etc.
• We sometimes eat meat fish, dairy, eggs - However, not at every meal, and not as the basis of our meals.
• We don’t fret about any of this - 80/20, what’s life without white rice, chips and the odd chocolate cake?

The recipes we cook tend to use short-cuts - I love our pressure cooker, food processor/liquidiser, air fryer, rice & bread machines etc - but many are easy to cook in the campervan too, especially as we have a small portable pressure cooker with us. Finally, we eat a LOT - I guess that comes from running a lot.

Oh, and coffee. Lots of coffee. Coffee is a non-negotiable.