by Sarah Burrows, front desk extraordinaire 

As the weather gets colder I love cooking comfort food. This Shepherds Pie from Deliciously Ella is one my favourites.

Ingredients

600g Sweet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes 

Small splash of almond milk 

230g black beans (drained weight), drained and washed 

230g red kidney beans (drained weight), drained and washed

1 x 400g tinned tomatoes 

150g button mushrooms 

4 spring onions, sliced 

1 large red onion, peeled and finely diced 

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely diced 

1 tablespoon maple syrup 

Handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped 1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika Juice of 1 lime Salt and pepper to taste Olive oil 

Method

Preheat the oven to 200c, grill setting. 

Boil the peeled sweet potatoes until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and leave to one-side. 

Fry the red onion, garlic and a pinch of salt, in a drizzle of olive oil over a medium heat for 5 minutes, until the onion softens. 

Add the paprika and spring onion, sauce for 2-3 minutes, ensuring they are coated in the paprika, before adding the mushrooms and mixing again. 

Add broth of the beans, coating them in the paprika, and sauté for a further 5 minutes. 

Then add the tinned tomatoes, maple syrup, lime juice, pepper and coriander, mixing everything through.

Once the sweet potatoes are soft, mash them with the almond milk and a pinch of salt. 

Spoon the bean mix at the bottom of a baking tray and top with the sweet potato mash. 

Place in the oven to grill until it starts to crips on the top, about 20 minutes.