Add the mushrooms and garlic, stir to combine and cook for a further 5 minutes until the mushrooms are tender.

Tip in the drained rice, pour in the stock and season well with salt and black pepper.

Cover the pan with a disc of baking paper, or half-cover with a lid, and simmer very gently for about 30 minutes until the rice is al dente and there is still a little stock remaining in the pan. Remove from heat and tip into a large bowl.

Add the chestnuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, cranberries, balsamic vinegar, parsley and thyme leaves to the rice. Use a spoon to scoop out the cooked flesh from the squash halves, keeping the skin intact and leaving a shell of about 1cm thick on all sides. Roughly chop the squash, add to the rice and season well.

Lay the bay leaves and rosemary sprigs in the roasting tin and place the butternut squash halves on top.

Spoon the rice mixture to fill each half – any leftover can be cooked alongside in another baking tin. Cover with foil and bake for 30 – 35 minutes until piping hot. Remove foil, scatter with breadcrumbs, cheese and a drizzle of olive oil and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes until crisp. Cut into slices and serve.

Extract credit: Eat More Vegan by Annie Rigg (Pavilion Books)