This barley, beetroot and beef pie—easily turned vegan or vegetarian—comes from the most easterly region of Germany near the Czech border. Steeped in the delicious flavours of celery, mushrooms, spinach, curly leaf parsley and caraway seeds, it's notable for having both a summer style and a winter one. Either is delicious. Furthermore, it freezes very well if you make a number of pies with these quantities.

This linguine with crab, peas and lemon, and more besides, is the perfect dish for hot weather. With its notes of fresh herbs and healthy ingredients, it's fully satisfying yet easily digested. And, it is also both quick and easy to make when temperatures mean the last thing you want is to spend time slaving over a hot stove.

My father chanced upon this spicy Sicilian spaghetti with scallops in Palermo in the 1960s and it's been a family favourite ever since. It's brimming with flavours—scallops, anchovies, peperoncino, capers, shallots, and more—but takes less than 30 minutes to make. Above all, good quality olive oil is the star. It's a healthy, easy option perfect for hot weather.

My Dublin coddle recipe is a personal take on a dishes considered their signature dish by many natives of the capital of the Republic of Ireland. Like so much in Irish culture, its story is complex. Nonetheless, its core ingredients of carrots, potatoes, bacon and sausages are the stuff of comfort food in many cultures. Easy-to-cook, I have alway found it a crowd-pleaser, particularly among crowds of diminutives. Yes, kids like it.

Italian mascarpone cake is a personal favourite. It's flexible and the perfect option for those who don't like overly sweet things. Easy-to-make, it can be made with many different combinations of berries, citrus zest and spices. I'm doing it here with my favourite combination—blueberries, orange zest and nutmeg—but you can adapt it to your own personal preferences.

Recently, people have asked me if I have any child-friendly recipes. This chicken, bacon, mushroom and asparagus bake takes me back to when I had to think up healthy dishes that would go down with kids of differing preparedness to try anything adventurous. This easy recipe has consistently proved popular with kids and adults alike.

This pasta with creamy asparagus and smoked salmon is one of my favourite summer dishes for when you're hungry but want something a little refreshing. It's certainly filling, but it is also light with the flavours of warm weather; citrus and green things. Better still, it takes very little effort to cook.

A chorizo and chickpea stew (potaje) from the north of Spain full of vegetable goodness. In addition to the core ingredients, it includes shallots, sweet peppers, tomatoes, broad beans and a plethora of leafy green herbs.

A Namibian German recipe for duck with kumquats served with spätzle with beetroot and horseradish. It's incredibly easy to cook. All it takes are good quality ingredients and a little patience to end up with a restaurant-quality dish.

Bacon and seafood pie is a dish that's perfect for spring, unexpectedly inspired by Kylie Minogue Signature Rosé. Easy, filling and refreshing, my annual riff on the supposedly British institution of fish pie. This year's version includes Italian and Asian Flavours. Spring remains its guiding palate.

A tarragon chicken pie made with puff pasty; a fancy version of chicken and mushroom pie. Chicken, shallots, mushrooms, celery and lardons all infused with booze and tarragon in a creamy sauce

Haddock with anchovy caper cream - a light dish served with celeriac remoulade, puy lentils and a classic cold sauce. Hearty but healthy

A riff on traditional British shepherd's pie with a distinctly Greek nod to moussaka, this fusion crowd-pleaser is a hearty winter warmer.

Creamy chicken and asparagus eintopf is a traditional North German dish. It's rich and filling which makes it an ideal winter warmer

A season-agnostic treat; bacon and butternut squash risotto is brimming with sweet and green flavours

This recipe for pasta in a Roman-style cream sauce with peas, broad beans and spinach is incredibly quick and easy; perfect for summer

Mustard chicken with beetroot soured cream spätzle is a gorgeous combination of North German Baltic flavours

Tuscan pasta with fennel —and sausage for those who eat meat—is another dish that can be readily be vegetarian or not.

Duck with plums and smoked peppers, an entirely new recipe inspired by a single spice—Piment du Béarn fumé.

Roast chicken stuffed with haggis—vegetarian haggis in this case—and prunes is hardly a traditional dish. But, it's what I whimsically...