The other night as I was preparing this risotto for our dinner, my daughter took off into the garden and returned with a handful of sage leaves which she carefully fried in butter and arranged for us on a plate to garnish our meal. This unfolding love of food is such a gift to witness and one I will naturally continue to foster! Recipe, styling & photos Emma Boyd

Serves 6–8, Prep Time 20 minutes, Cook Time 45–60 minutes

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 700 g pumpkin, skin removed, cut into 1 cm cubes
• 1 tbsp rosemary
• 1⅔ cups grains (I used a mix of quinoa, buckwheat
  and brown rice)
• 6–7 cups hot stock
• 85 g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• ¼ cup crème fraîche
• pinch nutmeg
• 90 g butter
• ½ cup sage leaves
• 75 g hazelnuts, toasted, skins removed, roughly chopped

Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over a medium-high heat, then cook the onion and garlic until soft and translucent. Add in the pumpkin and rosemary and continue to cook for a further 5 minutes before adding in the grains and cooking for a further two, stirring constantly. Add in the stock, ladle by ladle, waiting for the stock to be absorbed before you add in the next lot. Again, stir continuously to avoid the grains sticking to the bottom of the pot. Continue like this until the grains are cooked through, adding more stock if required.

Once cooked, remove from the heat and stir through the cheese, crème fraîche and nutmeg.

Heat the butter in a heavy-bottomed frying pan over a medium-high heat, add in the sage leaves and fry until crispy. Serve the risotto with the sage leaves, brown butter and the hazelnuts.