The start of autumn is the perfect time to turn to retro comfort food

It’s also the kind of meal that feels apt for the change of season, for the first weeks back at school or work, when everyone’s finding their feet and wants something easy and familiar. Thomasina Miers’ fish fingers and mushy peas fit the bill, too, as does Rowley Leigh’s fish pie and Tim Hayward’s nan’s corned beef, with yet more chips and peas. If all that’s too much of a good thing, my own corned beef hash might appeal instead? For a more specifically Scottish take on that combination, I love Colman Andrews’ idea of adding black pudding to classic mince and tatties (Rachel Roddy’s hearty cheese and chip omelette, meanwhile, would have been brilliant if we’d actually had any chips left over – time may move on, but teenagers don’t change).

In the same vein, Angela Hartnett’s take on sausage and beans has a bit more of an Italian feel than the kind we used to eat from a tin, and Rachel’s rich sausage ragu looks a cut above our own 1990s spag bol; also on the Italian theme, Stanley Tucci’s father’s eggs in tomato sauce (pictured top). But he and Rachel may wish to look away at the mention of Chris Russell’s 1960s-style spaghetti with fried eggs; perhaps a little less authentic, but no less delicious.

Although Chinese restaurants were an occasional treat, I’m not sure we ever ate fried rice at home, but Allegra McEvedy’s versatile recipe feels cut from the same simple, satisfying cloth. As does Kay Plunkett-Hogge’s pad krapow moo and Meera Sodha’s buttery mustard greens with corn roti. Likewise, though it didn’t feature in my childhood, Jacob Kenedy’s grandmother’s recipe for sauerkraut and pork bake sounds intriguing enough to become part of my adult repertoire.

We had rhubarb crumble for pudding on that Sunday, but on a weekday, you might prefer a quick and easy bowl of sliced bananas and cold custard. That said, if you have more time on your hands, Ruby Tandoh has a rather fancy baked version, or you could even – whisper it – opt for a dish of butterscotch Angel Delight. Sadly, it seems we don’t have a recipe for a homemade version of the latter (though Claire Ptak’s butterscotch cream looks like a rather decadent substitute) – once I’ve unpacked from my trip, it might well prove a new project for a new term. Watch this space.

My week in food

Takes the biscuit | Iced shortbread sandwiches, or empire biscuits, are rarely seen outside Scotland, despite the fact that these cousins of the linzer cookie were known throughout the UK as German biscuits until the outbreak of the first world war (and continue to carry that name in Northern Ireland, or so I’m told). If they’ve been renamed once, it seems reasonable to suggest that they might be so again … In any case, I had such an enjoyable example from the Boardwalk Beach Club at Silverknowes, in Edinburgh, that I’m determined to have a go myself.