Food writer Sophie Hansen and her mum Annie know the kitchen table is the beating heart of any home. Here are some mother-daughter recipes, perfect for chillier March evenings.

Slow-cooked beans with ham hock

Serves 6 | Prep 20 mins | Cooking 6¼ hours (slow cooker)

• 2 1/2 cups (500g) dried white beans, soaked overnight in cold water OR 2–3 400g tins of white beans
• 1 smoked ham hock
• 2 brown onions, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1cm rounds
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 400g tin cherry tomatoes
• 2 cups (500ml) tomato passata (puréed tomatoes)
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp pomegranate molasses (optional)

If using dried beans: Drain the beans and place them in a large saucepan of water. Bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 1 hour or until the beans are tender and cooked through.

Turn the slow cooker to high. Drain the beans and tip them into the slow cooker. Tinned beans can simply be drained, rinsed, and added.

Put the ham hock in the saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the ham hock and place it on top of the beans in the slow cooker.

Add the onion, carrot, thyme, tomatoes and passata. Pour in 1 cup water, or enough to just cover the beans and ham hock. Gently stir in the vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, and pomegranate molasses, if using.

Cover and cook on low for 5 hours (or for up to 7 hours if that suits you – perhaps add a little more liquid towards the end as those beans can get thirsty!).

Remove the ham hock and shred the meat from the bone, then return the meat to the beans and gently stir.

Plum and almond cake

Serves 6-8 | Prep 15 mins | Cooking 30 mins

• 8–10 plums
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup (125ml) milk
• 1/4 cup (60g) butter, melted
• 1 cup (100g) almond meal
• 1/2 cup (110g) caster (superfine) sugar
• 1/3 cup (50g) plain all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• A pinch of salt
• Thick (double) cream, to serve

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 20–24cm spring-form cake tin with baking paper.

Halve the plums, removing the stones, then slice them into quarters or eighths, depending on the size. Scatter the plums over the base of the cake tin.

Add the eggs, milk and melted butter to a bowl and whisk to combine.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl, then pour in the egg mixture and mix until you have a smooth batter. Pour the batter over the plums and smooth the top.

Bake the cake for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top and cooked through. Serve warm with some lovely thick cream.

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