The Best Comfort Foods for a Cosy Night-In

Share now or save for later

From pie and mash to Welsh Lamb cawl, discover my favourite comfort foods for the ultimate cosy night-in this autumn.

Cold days and colder, darker nights. Crunchy golden leaves, cwtchy jumpers and crackling wood fires aside, autumn makes me want to crawl under a duvet and hibernate for the next few months.

As sleeping through the rest of 2019 sadly simply isn’t an option, however, I get by in the only way I know how. I don every single jumper I own, crank up the heating, glue myself to my hot water bottle and gorge on food so hearty, it feels like it’s wrapping me up in a warm embrace.

With National Comfort Food Day coming up in just a few weeks’ time on 5th December, I’m excited to be partnering with Holland’s Pies to share my thoughts on my favourite comfort foods for a cosy night-in this autumn. So, make yourself a hot chocolate, snuggle up under the warmest blanket you can find and read on for some autumnal meal planning inspiration.

5 Comfort Foods for a Cosy Night-In

1) Pie and mash

When I’m craving stodgy comfort food, there’s a strong chance I’ll be lusting after pie and mash drowned in rich, thick gravy. I love a good steak pie if the meat is of a high quality but more often these days, I find myself opting for meat-free choices.

Lancashire-based Holland’s Pies has just launched a new Wyke Farms Deep Fill Mature Cheddar Cheese and Onion pie crammed with rich, creamy Red Leicester, mature Cheddar and tangy onions in a crumbly shortcrust pastry. It’s much tastier than similar products I’ve sampled previously from other brands and as it can be cooked in either the oven or the microwave, it’s ideal for speedy suppers in a hurry.

Other pies in the new range include a Cheese and Veg pie and vegetarian Mince and Gravy Pie. You can find the range in leading supermarkets and select fish and chip shops UK-wide. Check out the Holland’s Pies website to find your closest retailer.

2) Fish and chips

Who could possibly resist the quintessentially British dish of fish and chips? Fresh, flaky fish in crispy, bubbly batter with chunky, golden chips, sprinkled with sea salt and malt vinegar; I really am drooling at the thought.

Although it’s not the healthiest of comfort foods, it’s one of my favourite by far. If anything, the high calorie and fat content makes it all the more enjoyable – a real guilty pleasure.

Eating fish and chips also brings back lots of nostalgic family memories for me. I picture myself sitting on the sand with my family at Barry Island beach scoffing cones of chips, popping to the local chippy with my Mum every week after Brownies for chips and curry sauce, and even embarrassedly dashing in once to ask for the scraps (the crispy morsels of batter at the bottom of the fryer, traditionally given away for free) after a cheeky dare from my Mum.

3) Welsh Lamb cawl

Widely regarded as the national dish of Wales, cawl is the ideal dish to sate your appetite on a cosy night-in this autumn. Once you’ve tasted it for yourself, you’ll realise why we love it so much!

Packed with tender slow-cooked Welsh Lamb and root veg, this nourishing stew is usually served with hunks of crusty bread and a wedge of Welsh cheese on the side (Hafod or Caerphilly works particularly well). Once you’ve prepared the cawl, you can leave it bubbling away on the stove or in the oven for the next couple of hours, leaving you free to enjoy a cosy night-in.

Check out my Welsh Lamb cawl recipe and make a batch for yourself – you can freeze any leftovers so you’ll have another autumnal Welsh comfort food meal to look forward to in the future.

4) Welsh rarebit

Sticking with the Welsh theme, if you’re looking for simple yet satisfying autumn comfort food that’ll be on the table in around 10 minutes, you can’t go wrong with Welsh rarebit.

This popular Welsh dish is often likened to glorified cheese on toast, but there’s actually a little more to it than that. Grated cheese (often Cheddar or Caerphilly) is mixed with beer, ale or stout, mustard, melted butter and Worcestershire sauce, then spread over lightly toasted bread and placed under a hot grill to melt. Some recipes also call for the addition of eggs and/or egg yolks too.

Simple yet scrumptious, once you’ve tried Welsh rarebit once, you’ll want to eat it again and again. Don’t just take my word for it; my Welsh rarebit recipe is my most popular blog post of all-time!

5) Mac n’ cheese

Hot, cheesy and gooey, baked mac n’cheese was made for autumn.

If you’re feeling lazy then you can buy a pre-made version, but nothing compares to the taste of homemade mac n’cheese. This quick and easy dish is also very cheap to prepare, making it perfect for a budget midweek meal.

Experiment with adding different ingredients and toppings like ham, peas, shredded pork or even lobster.

What’s your favourite comfort food for a cosy night-in? Share your thoughts below.

If you love comfort food, here are some recipes I think you’ll fall in love with!

• Nacho Burger
• Venison and Red Wine Sausage Rolls
• Greek Spetzofai

Share now or save for later