What I thought: Ginger and dates are two of my favourite things, so this sticky gingerbread really leapt off the page at me. What I thought: Since my dad found out he was coeliac a few years ago, it’s been difficult finding him a cake that doesn’t fall apart when you pick up a slice, taste distinctly gritty, or replace 90% of the ingredients with sugar. Keeping with her ethos of 'minimum effort, maximum flavour', Rukmini Iyer's one-tin bakes are simple to prep, but still offer great-tasting results.

Meanwhile, mix the chilli, ginger, garlic, lime zest and juice, soy sauce, sesame oil and spring onions together.

Also there’s something particularly autumnal about sticky ginger cakes, so this seemed like the perfect warming treat for colder, darker days. Here at The Happy Foodie, we were particularly excited to discover a whole host of festive recipes infused with deeply wintry flavours – perfect for the Christmas season. The steps are very easy, mixing wet and dry ingredients separately and then together before dividing into muffin cases in the tin.

From dense fruit cakes and spiced bakes to coconut burfi for Diwali, Rukmini suggests recipes for high days and holidays. These fudgy miniature puddings make excellent substitutes, with sweet, spicy stem ginger and tangy clementine. In her latest cookbook, The Sweet Roasting Tin, this ethos endures as Rukmini ventures into the wonderful world of baking. There have been several iterations of this recipe throughout the Roasting Tin series, but we especially love this version with roast peppers, rosemary, and ricotta.The book also contains indispensable “base” recipes, which encourage readers to customise their bakes and create their own unique flavour combinations. An infinitely flexible and adaptable recipe, this cake can be adjusted according to your own preferences.

The preparation took no more than 15 minutes, and that was with me slowing the whole thing down by eating the odd date as I went along.They were so easy to make (definitely do not skip the salting of the courgettes and squeezing the moisture out of them), and kept well over the next few days as a great addition to my back-to-the-office lunch boxes. Perfect for busy midweek evenings when you don’t have the time or energy to spend hours cooped up in the kitchen, simply assemble the ingredients in your trusty roasting tin and let the magic happen while you enjoy your evening. Tip the cubed sweet potatoes into a roasting tin large enough to hold everything in a single layer, mix them with the oil, cumin and salt, then transfer to the oven and roast for 10 minutes. For gluten-free: substitute the flour with 75g ground almonds and 75g gluten-free flour (I like the brand Freee, from Doves Farm). Muffins are also great because they’re easy to take to a picnic, the office, or to slip into your bag as an ‘emergency’ snack.