Last updated 09:30, Saturday, 18 October 2008

As the days grow darker and colder it’s time to swap salads for stews, braises, pies and curries.

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Top cut: “Good meat is not cheap, but it should not break the bank either,” says John Torode

The cheapest cuts of meat make the tastiest meals (your butcher will happily tell you which is the best cut for what sort of meal), the secret is allowing a long time for the flavours to stew together and work their magic.

Stews, curries and soups usually taste better on their second, or even third day.

And they don’t need to have many more calories than a salad!

Trim any meat of as much fat as possible and go easy on the cream and butter used in your mashed potato.

Grating a bit of cheese into the mash is a well-known way of making it tastier, or boil a clove or two of garlic with the spuds and mash that in with some olive oil.

Sweet potatoes don’t need much adding to make a fantastically smooth and colourful mash, or whizz up some parsley or sage with milk in a blender and add that to your usual spuds for a colourful alternative.

And many of the key ingredients of a stew or a hearty soup – onions, carrots, garlic and celery – are fantastic for fighting off cold and flu bugs.

Grating a little dark chocolate into the gravy adds depth to lamb and beef stews.

Herbs can add a huge lift to a stew or a soup.

Thyme and rosemary are perfect for beef and lamb, while oregano is also a great match for lamb.

Mushrooms can work just as well as an alternative to meat, but fry them first with a little butter to brown them and bring their full flavour out, otherwise they just look and taste grey and dull.

And if you can brown your onions first, you get a deeper, richer flavour and a thicker sauce.

Masterchef judge and restaurateur John Torode’s new book, Beef, covers everything from the most succulent steak to offal and other cuts that have fallen from favour in recent years.

The Australian chef, who has lived in the UK for more than 25 years, says he felt compelled to write the book after realising that many people felt confused about what cuts of beef to buy – and how to get the best out of them.

“So much of what I have read about beef is aimed at the select and lucky few, who have bags of cash and can afford to spend huge swathes of money.

“Good meat is not cheap, but it should not break the bank either, and there are plenty of butchers who are more than willing to give you sound advice.”

“I know full well that most people do go to the supermarket, and the majority of Britons do most of their weekly shop in big stores.

“So I’m happy to tell you that one thing the supermarkets do really well is cuts for stewing and braising.”

But he does want to encourage people to find a local butcher, who they can get to know and trust.

“This really helps when buying any type of meat. As you build a relationship with them, they will point you towards the best cuts and specials in any given season,” he says

nJohn Torode’s Beef - And Other Bovine Matters is published by Quadrille, priced £20.