In the last couple of weeks, in anticipation of the imminent arrival of twins, I’ve been obsessing about stocking up the kitchen so that we don’t go hungry when life as we know it turns upside down for a while. As any parent knows, the sleep deprivation involved in the first few weeks of having a baby, let alone two, is vile. Being tired and eating badly would be intolerable. Where usually I’m happy for people to help themselves to food in the house, I’ve developed an unpleasant urge to guard the fridge and freezer like a lion, snarling at anyone who has the temerity to eat something that might be part of my long-term food plan. More than knowing I have nappies and moses baskets organised, having a rich oxtail and pearl barley stew in the freezer is a great comfort to me so woe betide anyone who gets in the way of my mission to stock-up.

Thankfully October comes to the rescue with some of the year’s best ingredients - it’s difficult to resist the season’s apples, pears, game and root vegetables and, as the weather turns chilly, it feels just right to be making soups, casseroles and bakes, all of which freeze and keep well. Unfortunately my capacity for stocking up is constrained by the size of my freezer - I find myself wistfully remembering my mother’s enormous chest freezer, the size of a small car,  when I was growing up.

So, for the most part these last weeks I’ve been buying and cooking less expensive cuts of meat - brisket, oxtail and ham hocks - and bulking these out in casseroles and soups with pulses, grains and plenty of vegetables. However, I’ve been unable to resist a more extravagant purchase of wild mallard at £5 a throw. I implore anyone who hasn’t eaten roast mallard to treat themselves and give its intense, rich flavour a go. One bird roasted will serve two (we had it last night with celariac mash and greens) and then leave the bones for an intense, gamey stock. I’m planning to use this as the basis for a root vegetable soup to which I’ll add a handful of macaroni and serve with a spoonful of pesto. I might even resist the urge to hoard and serve it tonight for supper.