I cannot tell you how many times I've sat across the table from my vegetarian friends and witnessed them sigh with thinly veiled anger over a meal at this time of year.

While it's true that many restaurants and pubs have been pushing the envelope on plant-based cooking recently, it almost seems, when it gets to autumn, like they run out of inspiration. Gone are the interesting salads freckled with seeds and homemade pickles, with the almost ubiquitous wild mushroom risotto, beetroot risotto or uninspiring plate of 'posh' mac and cheese being ushered in.

'If I have to eat one more bloody mushroom risotto I'm going to lose it,' one of my mates threatened, fork in hand, last autumn. Where was the bounty of the harvest? Leeks, peppers, marrows, squash, beans?

The thing most meat-eaters miss when they shift to a plant-based diet, probably without even realising it, is umami. That savoury, moreish essence – usually attributed to roasted meat.

You can, though, achieve a similar effect using just veg. Loads of plants contain glutamates, which act as a kind of natural flavour enhancer. The longer you cook them, and more care you take, the more likely it is you can draw this superpower out of them.

This stew is a cracker. It has a rich, earthy, deeply savoury taste from roasting glutamate-filled mushrooms and onions with celeriac. I honestly don’t think I miss the meat when I eat this one.

Mushroom, ale and celeriac stew

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

1 celeriac (peeled and cut into 2cm pieces)

400g mushrooms, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 large onions, peeled and quartered

1.5tbsps cornflour

2tbsps soy sauce

250ml ale

1.5tsps garlic powder

1tbsp tomato paste

500ml vegetable stock

1tsp fresh thyme leaves

Seasoning

1tbsp malt barley extract

Oil for cooking

Method

Place the celeriac in a steamer for 15 minutes until softening.

Pour the celeriac into a large (stove top friendly) roasting tin with the onions and mushrooms. Drizzle with oil and toss to coat. Bake at 200C for 45 minutes, stirring halfway. It should look golden in places and smell amazing when you take it out of the oven.

Place the tin on the hob on a medium heat. Add the cornflour and stir to cover the vegetables. Now add the soy sauce, ale, garlic powder and tomato paste. Stir to coat, picking up all the sticky bits out of the pan. It will begin to thicken. Now add the stock and thyme leaves. Stir well and leave to simmer until it’s the thickness you like. Add the barley extract at the end to make it nice and glossy, and season to taste. I serve with mashed potatoes and garlic croutons.