Spreading the love

Ken, Central Scotland A MATT SAYS These situations seem to be more frequent across the country these days. Happily, many of the willows and dogwoods with colourful winter stems cope well with intermit

& WHERE TO FIND THEM

Tuck into these fresh takes on much-loved comfort foods. Like a hug in a bowl, they’ll bring joy on cold or cloudy days

Want this to be the year you step out of your kitchen comfort zone? Lisa Harris discovers 20 new ingredients, cooking techniques and global cuisines that will help transform your cooking

■ Serves 4 ■ Prep 5 mins ■ Cook 20 mins sauce only 500g lean beef mince (we used 5% fat) handful of sliced mushrooms2 garlic cloves, crushed3 tbsp sundried tomato purée400g can chopped tomatoes glass

A few clever new tricks can make all the difference