This one started life as an entirely vegetarian dish, which I found in that wonderful little book called Not Just a Load of Old Lentils by Rose Elliot. It can easily be returned to a strictly vegetarian dish by replacing the anchovy paste and worchester sauce (which contains fish) with a spoonful of Marmite.

Put a cup of orange split lentils (rinced) in a large saucepan. Add a cup of water and a cup of milk. Don't add any salt at this stage. Simmer for twenty minutes or so until the lentils are completely soft.

Meanwhile slice a large onion, and cook gently for ten minutes in another pan with a little olive oil. The onions should be very soft but not browned.

In a third pan, cook ten or so large mushrooms, cut into thick slices in a little more olive oil for ten minutes or so. Add plenty of freshly-ground black pepper. The mushrooms should be soft right the way through.

Add the onions to the cooked lentils, then add the juice of a lemon, a large spoonful of anchovy paste (or a couple of tinned anchovies chopped up), a couple of dashes of Worcester sauce (if you like) and lots of freshly-ground black pepper. I find that salt is not needed here, since the anchovies tend to be quite salty on their own. Stir well.

Spread the cooked mushrooms over the bottom of a wide shallow oven-proof dish (ceramic or pyrex). Cover with the lentil mixture, then sprinkle a little grated cheese over the top. A sprinkle of paprika will add colour, if you want.