“I have a new girlfriend who is very into horses and the countryside and I want to impress her. I thought she’d appreciate me cooking her a meal with food that is in season. What do you recommend I cook? I’m an ambitious cook and can handle three – maybe even four – courses. Neither of us are vegetarians and we both like good wine, so if you can recommend anything to accompany your advice that would be appreciated too. We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks and I’m very keen!” Matthew Cosby

H&C blogger and game chef Jose L Souto replies: "Hi Matthew, I think when you are trying to impress with a dinner it's best keep things simple. Here are my suggestions:

Start with a soup, this does not have to be a great big plate of soup but can be what we call an 'amuse bouche'. This is a course right at the beginning of a meal to amuse the tastebuds and can be served in a small espresso coffee cup. For this course, I suggest a soup I have used many a time and is a sure winner:

Amuse bouche: Spicy butternut squash soup with lemon cream and toasted pumpkin seeds
This is very simple to make. If you cannot get butternut squash, use pumpkin as that works just as well.
1. Dice peel, deseed and dice one squash
2. Peel and dice finely half an onion
3. Deseed and finely dice half a red chilli
4. Peel and finely dice one clove of garlic
5. Add some olive oil to a pan and sweat off the onion. Give this two to three minutes, then add the chilli and garlic give this a further two to three minutes before adding the squash
6. Sweat all ingredients for another four minutes, then add a sprinkle of flour (about 25g) and stir in well
7. Pour in hot chicken stock, stirring as you go
8. Allow to come to the boil and then simmer until the squash is falling apart
9. Remove from the stove and put the soup through a liquidiser or use a hand blender until smooth
10. Take 100ml of double cream, add a teaspoon of lemon Juice and whisk until stiff - take care not to over-whip
11. Toast the pumpkin seeds in a pan with a little olive oil - just to give a little colour - then place onto kitchen paper to drain the oil
12. To serve, make sure it is warm and not too hot, then place the soup in coffee cups. Take a teaspoon, dip it into some hot water and then take a small amount of the cream (the water will help the cream drop off the spoon) drop it into each of the soups
13. Sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds and some chopped coriander. I also add a couple of small drops of truffle oil just to finish the amuse bouche off.

Starter: Scottish smoked salmon and trout tartar
1. Finely dice the smoked salmon (about 50g per person) and place in a bowl. Flake the trout (again, about 50g per person) and add to the salmon
2. De-seed and skin a large tomato, skin and de-seed 20g of cucumber. Dice both into small cubes and add to the salmon
3. Finely chop some coriander and add this to the salmon
4. Take a dessert spoon full of crème fraiche and the juice of half a lemon and use this to bind the salmon mix
5. Season the mix to taste, then using a small metal cutter as a mould, place it on the plate and fill the mould with enough mix to the top before scraping the top flat with a pallet knife
6. Garnish with a dressed baby leaf salad.

Main course: Pan fried venison steak with a porcini mushroom cream jus
1. Soak some dried porcini mushrooms in a little boiling water for 30 minutes
2. Buy some good quality brown veal or chicken stock or make you own. Reduce this by two thirds, add the mushrooms and the water the mushrooms have been soaking in and then reduce again by two thirds
3. Remove the sauce from the heat and add a little double cream. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon
4. Season the steak and cook on a hot griddle to required degree
5. Once the steak is cooked, allow it to rest for five minutes then serve with sauce, potatoes and vegetables of your choice or even a salad if the weather is good.

Dessert: Autumn berry soup with crème fraiche
1. Buy an 800g selection of fresh berries and split into two
2. Take one half and place it in a sauce pan with some caster sugar and a little water. Bring this to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes and remove from the stove to cool for five minutes
3. Place the rest of the fruit in a bowl. Any large berries need to be cut in half to a comfortable mouthful size
4. Once the berries have cooled for five minutes, but are still warm, liquidize them using a hand blender and pass through a sieve to get rid of any pips
5. Taste the berry sauce and add a little more sugar if needed, then pour over the whole fruit and allow to cool. The hot sauce will break down the whole fruits and allow them to release their flavours into the sauce
6. Place the mix into the fridge to chill for at least two hours or, for the best results, overnight
7. Serve in a wide brimmed soup bowl, piling the fruit up in the middle and spooning some of the sauce over the top. Finishing with a quenelle of crème fraiche and some mint.

I hope these recipes help you or even inspire you. Good luck with your dinner and let us know how you get on.

Jose."