Nigel Slater’s recipes for roast vegetables with burrata, and marmalade pears

A fragrant winter feast of caramelised pears and slow roasted veg with creamy cheese

The oven is on, the scent of thyme, rosemary and garlic beckons. There are vegetables roasting – parsnips, carrots and beetroots; red and golden roots to be served straight from the oven with a cold, milk burrata to ooze over them.

I put a shallow pan on the hob, a little butter and olive oil, then toss in a few handfuls of soft, white breadcrumbs. They sizzle and soak up the butter and oil, and I stir them as they slowly turn crisp and golden. The crumbs, hot from the pan, will be stirred with chopped parsley and scattered over the melting burrata. Sometimes I put lemon zest or a chopped anchovy in, too, but not today. This time, there is pumpkin, cut thickly and mixed with the roots, adding another level of sweetness, but also bringing a soft and fudgy quality. Short of a pumpkin, sweet potato is a first-class contender.

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