Comfort food to fuel the family and keep them warm and healthy thanks to recipes and tips from Mrs Crunch

STAVE off the colder weather and bring the family together with the tastiest comfort food.

Enjoy succulent pies, saucy stews, devilish desserts, or – with the Christmas calorie-fest just a few weeks away – try winter warmers that pack a healthier punch.

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Stir up Sunday

THIS Sunday marks the traditional day to mix up your Christmas pudding.

It’s the last Sunday before Advent when, traditionally, families would take turns to stir the Christmas pudding mix and make a wish for the coming year.

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Gather the ingredients with these great deals.

Buy two for £3 on Whitworths Juicy Raisins, 325g, Juicy Sultanas, 325g, and Flaked Almonds, 150g, all £2 each from Morrisons. Morrisons Ground Mixed Spice, 28g, 67p.

Save 50p on Homepride plain flour, 1kg, at Waitrose until December 6, now £1.

Save £1.50 on Three Barrels French Brandy VSOP, 35cl, £8 until December 6, also at Waitrose.

Tesco Light Muscovado Sugar 500g, £1.49. Their Dried Mixed Fruit, 1kg, is £2.20.

Sainsbury’s Glace Cherries, 200g, £1.40.

Calorie-conscious comfort

SWAP chips for sweet potatoes, £1.50 for 1.25kg at Waitrose, sprinkled with olive oil, cinnamon and smoked paprika and roasted.

Get 25 per cent off Yorkshire ­Provender soups, down from £2.50 to £1.87, including their Tomato & Red Pepper soup, 600g, at Waitrose.

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If you want comfort food without carbs, try Sainsbury’s Butternut Squash Noodles, 300g, £1.25.

No time to cook? Save 50p on Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference ­Butternut Squash Risotto with Roasted Mushrooms, 400g, now £3.

Swap battered fish for Young’s ­Gastro Limited Edition 2 Lemon and Herb Basa Fillets, 320g, half-price, now £2, at Iceland. For all the comfort but fewer calories try Tesco Apples with Blackberry & Cinnamon in a Vanilla Syrup, 300g, £2.

The ultimate cheap comfort dish is a fluffy baked potato.

Get a four-pack of Morrisons ­baking potatoes for 64p, saving 36p. Great for tasty soups, vegetable ­curries and a roasted side dish, ­Morrisons Butternut Squash was 76p, now 64p.

A steaming bowl is a real winter soup-er food – and you can get five cans of Heinz Classic soups for £3, or 95p each at Morrisons.

Cook up a tasty casserole with ­Morrisons Best British Braising Steak down to £8 from £9.97.

Wicked winter warmers

ADD value with two for £3 on ­Waitrose puddings, including two Waitrose Apple Crumbles, £1.99 per pack.

Tuck into Charlie Bigham’s Meatballs Al Forno, 325g, down from £4.50 to £3.60 until December 6, also at Waitrose. Save 50p Aunt Bessie’s Toad in the Hole, 190g, now £1 until December 6.

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Vegetarians will love Asda’s Extra Special Goats Cheese, Butternut Squash and Spinach Pie for £3.

It’s the perfect time of year for a Morrisons Shortcrust Steak Pie or Puff Pastry Steak & Ale Pie, both down from £3.48 to £2. Morrisons Really Good Puds Sticky Toffee Pudding (2x110g), a true winter warmer, was £1.62 now £1. Morrisons Ready to Eat Custard Pot, 150g, 50p or buy five for £2 – serve on its own or as a ­scrumptious addition.

Enjoy homemade grub without the hassle with Tesco Bramley Apple & Blackberry Crumble Kit, 490g, £3.

Enjoy a comforting crumble with 75p off ­Sainsbury’s Bramley Apple Crumble, 500g, now £2, and serve with Sainsbury’s ­Custard, 500g, 50p off, now £1.

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Cash in

World's most expensive beef for £3 and a whole LOBSTER for £6... here's how to pick up Christmas bargains at Tesco

TROLLEY DASH

Here's when Aldi is open over the New Year

Seasons eating

Wetherspoons has scrapped its Xmas dinner...and this is what’s on their festive menu instead

Back gammon

Mrs Crunch has the best recipes to help you turn tasty gammon into a festive treat for all the family

Cassoulet

Serves four

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YOU NEED:

Drizzle of olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 celery sticks, diced

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 leek, trimmed and sliced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

3 tbsp tomato purée

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

400g tin chopped tomatoes

100g cherry tomatoes, halved

400ml vegetable stock

1 bay leaf

1 sprig thyme

salt and pepper

1 tin cannellini beans (drained weight 240g)

1 tin butter beans (drained weight 240g)

2 large handfuls basil, roughly chopped.

TO MAKE: Drizzle a little olive oil in a large saucepan.

Add the diced onion, celery, carrot and leek. Sauté for five minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a minute.

Add the tomato purée and balsamic vinegar and cook for a further minute.

Add the chopped tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, vegetable stock, bay leaf and thyme. Season well and stir to combine.

Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, remove the bay leaf and thyme. Add the cannellini and butter beans. Stir to combine and simmer for a further five minutes.

Season to taste. Add chopped basil and stir.

Suitable for vegans and vegetarians.

Fruity Brioche & Butter Pudding

Serves four

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YOU NEED

4 brioche buns, thinly sliced

150g no-soak dried ­apricots, chopped

100g dried ­cranberries;

5 eggs

75g light soft brown sugar

300ml double cream

500ml full-fat milk

½ tsp ground ­nutmeg

TO MAKE: Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3.

Arrange the ­brioche slices into a 1.5-litre baking dish and scatter over the dried ­apricots and cranberries. Whisk together the eggs and sugar until creamy then add the cream and milk and stir well.

Pour over the brioche slices and then allow to soak for around ten minutes.

Sprinkle with nutmeg and bake for 50 minutes until the egg mixture has set and the pudding has become golden brown.

Serve warm.