At last, something I can write about with real confidence. Spaghetti Bolognaise. This is the best, most fool-proof recipe. 

For four people, you will need:

1 red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
Organic lean minced beef (ideally 5% fat)
4 large carrots
3 leeks
Vegetable stock
Dried herbs (about 1 tsp)
Olive oil
500g passata
Spaghetti

Cooking time: approx 1 hr 20 mins. 

Fry your finely chopped red onion with the crushed garlic in olive oil in a large saucepan.

Add the mince and flatten it / mash it down with a large spoon before roughly chopping into thin slices, and turn it over and over, and keep stirring on a low-medium heat at first.

Once it has browned all over, turn up the heat a little to give it a good frying (fry until it’s dry!) before pouring in some boiling water to cover the meat completely. Stir again.

Wash and peel your carrots, and then bring the peeler over to the saucepan and peel the entire carrot into long ribbons for a really sweet meaty sauce.

It will look like quite a lot of carrot but it will melt down. Add some extra water to cover the ingredients and a heaped tablespoon of good quality vegetable stock and the dried herbs, and stir.

Wash and finely chop your leeks and add them to the saucepan. Add some more boiling water (and maybe a little extra stock if necessary).

Cover with a lid and reduce to a medium heat for about an hour, stirring regularly. Top up with boiling water if you need to along the way to keep it nice and juicy.

Add some passata (I use this one which is the perfect amount!)

Stir away! Bring some water to the boil in another large saucepan and cook the spaghetti.

When the spaghetti is done, your bolognaise should be ready! Drain the spaghetti and plate up.

Top with your favourite cheese (cheddar!) and enjoy a melt-in-the-mouth spaghetti bolognaise.