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Hi and welcome to the best day of the week. My friend Warren has started the Scottish Italian Awards of which I am head judge, so I’ve been in Scotland tasting pasta and pizza while on a

mission to find the best Italian chef in the country. And now to another Scottish chef with this week’s book, Kitchin Suppers, by one of my favourites, Tom Kitchin. Everything he cooks has

so much flavour, including the lamb, a firm favourite in the Zilli household.  I am planning to try the French toast with roasted figs, which sounds really tasty – I love figs in any form.

So, thank you, Tom, and keep cooking fab food. One of the highlights of my trip to Glasgow was the discovery of the deli, Eusebi, run by Giovanna Eusebi. This gem serves some of the best

Italy has to offer, from cured ham with a melon jam, to focaccia with Italian sausage and potatoes and a fab calamari fritti. Arrivederci! ROAST LEG OF LAMB WITH RATATOUILLE-STUFFED TOMATOES

INGREDIENTS: 1.2kg boned and rolled leg of lamb 5 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped Handful of rosemary sprigs, leaves only, roughly chopped 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp fennel seeds Sea salt

and freshly ground black pepper 250ml lamb stock  50g butter FOR THE TOMATOES: 3 large tomatoes on the vine  Olive oil for cooking 1 onion, peeled and diced 3 garlic cloves, peeled and

finely chopped 1 tbsp dried herbes de Provence 1 courgette, diced 1 aubergine, diced 1 red pepper, cored, deseeded and diced SERVES: 4  PREPARATION: 20 MINUTES COOKING TIME: 50 MINUTES (PLUS

10 MINUTES RESTING) Put the lamb on a board. Combine the garlic, rosemary, cumin and fennel seeds. With a sharp knife, make little slits all over the surface of the lamb and push in the

rosemary and spice mixture. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Put to one side. Snip the tomatoes off the vine, leaving the stalks intact. Cut a slice – about a quarter – from the top of

each tomato and reserve. Scoop the juice and seeds from the tomatoes, leaving the shells intact. Heat a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat and add a little olive oil. Cook the onion

slowly for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and dried herbs, turn up the heat and add the courgette and aubergine and season. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes – you may need to add

more oil as aubergine is so absorbent. Add the red pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check the seasoning and remove from the heat. Heat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F/gas

mark 4. Put a heavy-based ovenproof pan over a medium-high heat and add a little olive oil. Brown the lamb on all sides for 3-4 minutes. Transfer to the oven and roast for 15 minutes. Fill

the tomatoes with the ratatouille and top with the lids. Stand them in a small roasting tray. Add the stock, butter and a drizzle of olive oil. Reduce the oven setting to 160°C/320°F/gas

mark 3 and put in the tomatoes. Roast for 20 minutes, basting the tomatoes occasionally with the pan juices. Rest the lamb in a warm place for 10 minutes. Slice and serve with the tomatoes

with the pan juices spooned over. FRENCH TOAST WITH ROASTED FIGS INGREDIENTS: 40ml runny honey 20g unsalted butter Juice of ½ orange Pinch of ground cinnamon 8 ripe figs FOR THE FRENCH

TOAST: 4 free-range large eggs 275ml milk (or half milk, half cream) 2 tbsp caster sugar 4 tbsp runny honey Finely grated zest of ½ orange 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped ½ tsp ground

cinnamon 4 slices of white bread 1 tbsp vegetable oil 20g unsalted butter Icing sugar for dusting  TO FINISH (OPTIONAL): Handful of toasted almonds SERVES: 4  PREPARATION: 10 MINUTES

COOKING TIME: 25 MINUTES Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Put the honey, butter, orange juice and cinnamon in a small saucepan and heat gently until melted and combined. Place the

figs on a baking tray and spoon the honey and orange mixture over them. Roast, basting frequently with the juices,for 10-15 minutes until the figs are tender. With a slotted spoon, transfer

the figs to a dish. Pour the honey and orange sauce from the tray into a small pan and bubble until thickened slightly. Halve the figs and spoon over the sauce. Lower the oven setting to

120°C/250°F/gas mark 1⁄2.  Whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, 1 tbsp of honey, the orange zest, vanilla seeds and cinnamon. Pour into a deep plate or shallow dish. In batches if

necessary, lay the bread slices in the egg mixture  and leave to soak for 2-3 minutes, turning once. Meanwhile, in a non-stick frying pan, heat the oil and butter until hot. Add the soaked

bread slices and fry for about 2-3 minutes, turning once, until golden brown on both sides. Transfer to a plate or baking tray to keep warm while you fry the rest. To serve, dust the French

toast with icing sugar, put on warm plates and top with the roasted figs and sauce. Drizzle with the remaining honey and scatter over a few toasted almonds.  Serve at once. _RECIPES TAKEN

FROM KITCHIN SUPPERS BY TOM KITCHIN, PHOTOGRAPHER LAURA EDWARDS, PUBLISHED BY QUADRILLE, £12.99._ _ TO ORDER YOUR COPY, CALL THE EXPRESS BOOKSHOP ON 01872 562310, SEND A CHEQUE OR POSTAL

ORDER, MADE PAYABLE TO THE EXPRESS BOOKSHOP TO EXPRESS BOOKSHOP, PO BOX 200, FALMOUTH, CORNWALL TR11 4WJ, OR ORDER ONLINE AT EXPRESSBOOKSHOP.COM. _