Smoked haddock, baked gammon: Nigel Slater’s winter recipes that make the most of your oven

Energy consumption will be more important than ever this winter. These dishes are heat-efficient – and delicious

The oven has always been at the heart of this kitchen. The glow from its glass door fills the space with a sense of warmth and hospitality. There are opportunities an oven can provide that are different from cooking over a naked flame, the roasty-toasty-crusty elements that make baking and roasting so welcome at the table and unlike anything you can produce with a pan on the hob. That said, we have to think carefully about how often we switch on the oven and for how long we use it.

Energy consumption now figures in our cooking more than ever before. I find myself batch baking several things at once, just as my grandmother did. The days of baking a single potato or pizza for supper are long gone. I make cakes that last for several days, popping a tray of baked apples in at the same time as the gingerbread. I bake a piece of gammon that will be served both hot and, later, as cold cuts. I bake fish for eating with mashed potatoes and cream, but make sure I cook enough to use tomorrow in a different recipe. Good old-fashioned home economics, updated for today’s eating conditions.

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