Method

• 1

  First make the nut roast's risotto base. Soak the dried porcini in a little boiling water. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pan over a low heat. Add the celery and onion and cook for 10 minutes, until soft and sweet. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two. Turn up the heat and add the rice. Cook for a minute or so until you hear it snap, crackle and pop, then add the wine and stir until absorbed.

• 2

  Drain the porcini, sieve any grit from the liquid and add this to the risotto pan, stirring until absorbed. Finely chop the porcini and add to the pan.

• 3

  Add the hot stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring each one in until completely absorbed (about 20 minutes). Stir as much as you can - this will make it creamy. Once the rice is al dente (when you break into a grain, it should be almost cooked through but still have a white fleck in the middle), tranfer to a bowl to cool.

• 4

  Preheat the oven to 190C/gas 5. Fry the wild mushrooms in a little olive oil over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until they just start to crisp. Bash the nuts into coarse pieces, or quickly pulse in a food precessor.

• 5

  Once the risotto is cool, add all the ingredients except the sugar and cranberries, season, and mix well.

• 6

  Butter a 27cm (10 3/4 in) loaf tin and line the bottom with greaseproof paper. Cook the sugar and the cranberries in a pan over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes, then tip into the tin and spread evenly. Pile on the nut roast mixture and pack it down with the back of a spoon. Cover the whole thing with foil and bake for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and cook for a further 15 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

• 7

  Remove the nut roast from the oven and leave to settle for 10 minutes. Use a knife to loosen the tin, then place your serving platter or board on top. Cover your hand with a tea towel and flip the whole lot over, then carefully lift the tin off. Serve with all your favourite trimmings.