This recipe is way more than the sum of its parts. It is a great veggie (or vegan) starter; the rich mushroomy taste, with a hint of herbs and a hint of lemon, is just delicious. It is quite literally a moveable feast - we have it for breakfast served on toast, Nik makes cheese and tomato sarnies liberally spread with it to bring into work, and we've even brought it into the countryside to have with a picnic lunch. You can adjust the balance of herbs according to season and availability. We make the full amount and freeze it in two batches. The truffle oil and booze aren't essential, but it does rich up the flavour beautifully.

70g walnuts, halved

70g cashews

5g finely chopped porcini mushrooms, soaked for 15 minutes in 3 tbsp boiling water

2 tbsp olive oil

20g unsalted butter (or more olive oil for a vegan version)

1 small onion peeled and diced

1 banana shallot peeled and diced

1 bay leaf

1 tbspn snipped chives

200g button mushrooms, thinly sliced (we use button chestnut mushrooms)

250 cooked puy lentils – we use ready-cooked sachets by Waitrose

1-3 tbspn freshly squeezed lemon juice (to taste) + a 3 x 2cm zest shaving

1 tbspn soy sauce

1 tbspn fresh thyme, finely chopped

2 tbspn flat leaf parsley

1 tbspn Cognac or Marsala (optional)

1 tspn cayenne pepper

1 tspn truffle oil (optional)

salt and freshly ground black pepper (smoked salt works well)

• First dry fry the nuts until they release their oils, but be very careful not to burn them. Blitz them to a fine powder and set aside

• Heat the olive oil and butter in a wide saucepan. Add the onion, shallot, bay leaf and chives, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions become translucent, for 10 minutes. Add the fresh and dried mushrooms, and lemon zest along with the soaking water and cook gently, stirring occasionally, until they’re soft and cooked through, another 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and take out the bay leaf

• Blitz together the nuts with the cooked lentils, lemon juice, soy sauce, thyme, parsley, Cognac, and cayenne. Scrape in the cooked mushroom mixture and process until fairly smooth. Taste, and add salt, pepper, and additional cognac (if using), soy sauce, and lemon juice, if it needs balancing. Finally add the truffle oil if using

• Scrape the pâté into a lidded container and refrigerate for a few hours, until firm