Bonfire night recipes to keep you warm Bonfire night is one of my favourite nights of the year. The novelty of cold evenings and crisp mornings hasn't yet faded, so you can get properly wrapped up and appreciate the new chill in the air. Then there's the smell of the fireworks, the excitement, the cold ears compensated for by warm hands clutching a cup of hot mulled wine. It's a good thing bonfire night isn't in February, when the charm of hanging around outside in the cold has long worn off. I've always been much happier with a bonfire in a wheelbarrow, a wonky sparkler or two and a sputtering Catherine wheel that doesn't quite work than an all-singing, all-dancing city centre display; and the bonus of staying at home is that I get to cook. Actually, I often cook even when I'm visiting other people, but I'm not complaining. Beef cheeks are delicious and cheap. This slow-cooked beef cheeks recipe serves six, but because it is so simple it is not much more work to double or even treble it. The cheeks need a long slow cook: too fast or too hot will mean they end up tough or stringy rather than the sticky, delicious wonders they should be. This version is full of intense flavours from the anchovies, tomatoes, red wine and spices. I'm a huge fan of the humble baked potato. The mother of one of my childhood friends had a trick of scooping out the inside of a baked potato and mixing it with fried bacon, cheese and butter, then putting the mixture back into the skins and baking again. Genius. I often do this at home, varying what I add to the mixture. These bone marrow versions are distinctly grown-up - a little fiddly, but worth the hassle if, like me, you are a marrow enthusiast. I love ginger and this ginger cake recipe is the best I've found. It's at its most delicious a little warm but keeps incredibly well in a cake tin - not that it would get the chance in my house. Bonfire night is a great chance to cook tasty, warming and real food, and that kind of opportunity I will never pass up.