MyDish.co.uk

With Autum well on the way, we're switching from salads to hearty, warming foods. And Jonathan Ansell has a great story attached to his favourite comfort recipe.. "I love all sorts of food and enjoy eating in as well as going out to restaurants. I also like experimenting in the kitchen and coming up with new recipes.

I like to eat healthy food, although I would have to say my absolute favourite food is toad in the hole. Perhaps not the healthiest dish but it’s really tasty!

My mum and dad used to make toad in the hole as a special dish when me and my brother were little.

I stared singing when I was really young and my brother used to compete in a lot of swimming galas. If I had performed well at a concert and my bother had won his race in the pool, my family used to get together over a meal to celebrate.

Toad in the hole was always seen as a bit of a treat and recognition of doing something really good. We also used to get toad in the whole if we had done well at school or been well behaved. More than that, it was a time for us all to talk about what each other had been doing. Everyone was really busy in the family so those meal celebrations were the times when we used to catch up on what was happening in the family.

We also used to have special roast dinners as family celebrations. My brother and I always knew it was a good sign if we got beef instead of chicken. That was usually an indication mum and dad were proud, especially if they gave me a big chunk of beef!"