Three comforting and light dishes that are full of colour

I always feel like working in kitchens speeds up the passing of the seasons, with the gentle turning of weeks transferring us from vibrant greens and yellows to darker colours and that wonderful shade of orange that symbolises the start of autumn.

Of course, it’s a little too early to be talking about pumpkins and squash, but that is just around the corner. It really does feel like as soon as the schools are back, chefs are already planning their Christmas menus (sorry to bring up the C-word), and sure after that, it is almost back to spring.

The start of autumn is when menus change from light and colourful to a little heavier and more warming. It is that in between part of a season where you get the best from vegetables that you might otherwise overlook. French onion soup is one of my all time favourite dishes. It is comforting, delicious, indulgent and light all at the same time. It is usually served with a Gruyère cheese toast, but I like to make a rarebit with Irish cheese on top, to give extra depth and creaminess. Onions are beautiful at this time of year, and work great as the star of a dish.

I remember in my very first job, when I was 17, I didn’t know what celeriac was and had certainly never tried eating one. I now love this vegetable, which I would describe as a mixture of cauliflower and turnip, flavour wise. This way of cooking it is very simple, and the brown butter amplifies the natural sweetness of the celeriac. Hazelnuts are a classic garnish, and this will work really well as a side dish for most meals, or even as a veggie main course – just add some lentils.

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Tartiflette is one of those dishes that you can eat a huge amount of, but will probably be wondering afterwards just how much dairy you have eaten. Rooster potatoes have the best flavour in my opinion. I spent a year researching different potatoes and their characteristics when cooked, and my findings showed that while Roosters had the sweetest flavour, their dry matter content meant that they could not be fried without going brown and soggy (it’s quite an interesting and long topic), but used in a dish such as tartiflette, the natural sweetness of the Roosters shines.

• Recipe: French onion soup with Cáis na Tíre rarebit
• Recipe: Whole roasted celeriac with brown butter and hazelnut
• Recipe: Rooster potato tartiflette with smoked bacon and Durrus cheese