Stephanie King's Chunky Chilli

Nothing Stephanie King likes better than a hot and spicy chilli, and for once, she has given herself permission to stop work, and relax. The Evie Clarke case (in And So It Begins) has been relentless, and she's decided to treat herself: her favourite winter chilli made from chunks of beef - not mince - and filling her home with that deep, slow-cooked smell, a long scented bath waiting once it had done its time in the oven.

Then the doorbell rang. Through the frosted glass, those unmistakable wide shoulders.

Gus Brodie's first words on stepping inside were: "What is that delicious smell?" He stayed, of course. And the conversation that followed — long overdue, and nothing to do with work — turned out to matter far more than the bath she never got around to.

The chilli, apparently, was exceptional. He ate half of it.

This is the recipe that earned that reaction at the door. Stephanie's Chunky Chilli is exactly what it sounds like — deep, warming, built for a slow afternoon in the kitchen and a cold evening on the sofa. Comfort food with conviction.

Find the recipe here.