Pear and chocolate is a combination from heavy. These delicious cake pots are a great dessert and will impress your friends, even though they are simple to make.

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

3 oz butter
3 oz caster sugar
2 eggs
1 oz cocoa
3 oz all purpose flour
¼ tsp baking powder
4 small pears, peeled but stalk left on
2 tsp runny honey
Icing sugar for dusting

METHOD:

Heat oven to 350F/180C/Gas Mark 4.

Lightly butter four ramekins. Cream together butter and sugar until blended. Beat in the eggs vigorously. Add cocoa and beat again.

Quickly fold in flour and baking powder. Divide mixture between the four ramekins.

Cut base off each pear, making it stable. Press a pear into the middle of each ramekin and bake in the oven for 16 minutes. Serve drizzled with a little honey and a dusting of icing sugar.

Try this easy cheesecake with lime juice to quickly set the creamy filling and topped with peaches and summer berries!

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Chill Time: 2 hours or more

INGREDIENTS:

4½ oz low fat digestive biscuits, crushed
1 oz butter, melted
11 oz light cream cheese
7 oz Condensed Milk
Zest and juice of 3 limes
4 peaches, sliced
Fresh berries such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackcurrants

METHOD:

Crush the biscuits into crumbs then tip into a bowl and mix with the butter. Mix well. Spread the crumbs over the base of a greased loose-bottomed baking tin and press down firmly.

Beat the cream cheese and condensed milk together until smooth. Add the zest and juice of the limes, which will thicken the mixture. Spoon over the crumbs and chill until set.

To serve, put the peach slices around the edge of the biscuit base, fill the center with berries and put back into the fridge until ready to serve. When ready to serve, push the base of the tin up and remove the cheesecake.

A classic Malaysian or Indonesian dish, quite spicy but with a hint of sweetness. Commonly served with green beans or snake beans and steamed coconut rice. Ordinary rice would be fine to use. Accompany this dish with a sweet but hot dipping sauce, made from the same marinade.

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10-15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

For the chicken
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs or 4 chicken breasts cut in half

For the marinade and sauce
2 tbsp sriracha chili sauce
2 tbsp ketjap manis (sweet soy sauce)
4 tbsp soft brown sugar
4 tbsp rice wine vinegar or if not, use mirin or sherry vinegar
1 lime, juice and grated zest
1 tsp ground coriander
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed

METHOD:

First make the marinade by combining all the ingredients, apart from the garlic. Leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or even better, overnight.

Using half the marinade, add the minced garlic, mix to combine and toss the chicken so that it is really well coated.

Drizzle either a frying pan, chargrill pan or barbecue with a little oil. Grill the chicken or pan fry until it is cooked through and a glorious color on the outside. Remove the dip from the fridge.

Steam the green beans and rice to your liking, serve with the dipping sauce to one side.

This quick meal for one is the perfect way to warm up an autumn or winter evening.

Serves: 1
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 8 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

2 tsp oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 spring onion, finely chopped
2 tsp finely chopped fresh root ginger
1 green chili, deseeded and finely chopped
Juice from ½ lime
3½ oz raw prawns, any size
6 oz can coconut milk
3½ oz chicken or vegetable stock
3½ oz dried egg noodles
Chopped coriander, to serve

METHOD:

Heat the oil in a large pan or wok. When hot, throw in the garlic, spring onion, ginger and green chili. Cook on a medium heat for 3-4 mins, then squeeze in your lime juice.

Stir in the prawns, then add in the coconut milk and stock. Simmer gently for 5 mins on a low heat until the prawns are pink.

Meanwhile, cook your egg noodles in a pan of boiling water for 4 mins until soft. Drain, then tip into the laksa pan. Season to taste, then serve in a bowl, topped with coriander.

Soft, sweet scallops, the ‘Queen of the Sea’ are cooked and on the table very quickly. It is important not to overcook these delicious morsels, as they become a little rubbery and chewy. By making the dressing first, it only takes a couple of minutes to flash the scallops in the pan.

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

16 large sea scallops 
2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small glass dry white wine
3 tbsp capers, drained and chopped
1 tbsp cornichons, finely chopped
Small handful fresh basil, shredded
A few grinds of black pepper for seasoning

METHOD:

Make sure you dry the scallops well by patting with kitchen paper. Season a little on both sides and leave ready to cook.

Make the dressing by lightly ‘sweating’ the garlic in a skillet or frying pan (needs to be large if you are cooking the scallops all at the same time).  Add the wine, capers, cornichons and reduce slightly. Pour off the sauce into another pan and add the shredded basil.

In the same frying pan as the sauce, cook the scallops, 2 minutes each side, trying to make sure they are slightly caramelized on the outside.

Serve the scallops on to the plates with the warm dressing and a side salad or roasted baby tomatoes. Grind a little pepper over the platter.

If you like mussels, this a lovely aromatic dish that does not affect the wonderful taste of the sea from the mussels. Add garlic, different herbs, a touch of cream, all of these will develop the dish even more. Some crusty bread to mop up the juices – delicious!

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10-12 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

3 lbs mussels
3 tbsp butter
12 rashers smoked bacon, chopped into small pieces
3 small leeks, sliced diagonally, or one white onion finely diced
handful thyme sprigs (or oregano, or freshly chopped parsley)
2 small glasses cider

METHOD:

Warm a big bowl or dish (enough to house the mussels). Keep warm.

Clean all the mussels, removing the beards and ensuring they are all closed. Discard any open mussels.

Heat a pan and melt the butter. Sweat the bacon for 2 minutes in the pan, then turn up the heat to crisp it up a little. Add the leeks or onions and continue to fry on a low heat until soft. Add the cider and mussels, cover with a lid and cook for approximately 4 minutes, until the mussels have opened. Any unopened mussels should be thrown away.

Remove the mussels and place in the warmed dish. Boil up the juices that remain in the pan for about a minute, pour over the mussels and serve accompanied, if required, with a green salad.

Quick and easy potato recipe!

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb new potatoes
3 large fennel bulbs
2 tbsp olive oil
1 pkg cherry tomatoes, halved
1 can small black olives

METHOD:

Boil potatoes until tender, about 15 mins.

Heat oven to 340F/170C fan/gas 5. Halve and quarter the fennel through the root, then trim off the hard core. Slice the fennel and tip into a roasting tin with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss the fennel in the oil until it is fully coated and shiny. Roast for 20-25 mins, until starting to soften.

Add tomatoes, olives and potatoes and stir well. Return to the oven for 10-15 mins until the fennel is tender, but still with a little bite to it. Tip into a warm dish to serve, maybe with some crusty Italian bread.

This is a wonderful curry dish, either as a side dish or as a main dish – vegetarians will particularly love this. It is commonly served in India and the Far East, and is known as ‘aloo dum’.

Serves: 4-6
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

2 lb 4 oz potatoes, peeled and cut into small to medium sized chunks
4 tbsp mustard oil or vegetable oil
1 tsp ground turmeric
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, very finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely crushed
2 inch piece fresh ginger, finely grated
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp mango chutney or mango powder
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp salt
1 red chili, finely chopped (omit if you don’t like fresh chili)
5½ oz frozen peas
1 tsp garam masala
4 tbsp tomato paste or passata
handful chopped coriander leaves, to sprinkle over the top
4 or 5 medium red onions, cut into wedges
2 tbsp ground cumin

METHOD:

Heat oven to 350°F/180°C.

Toss the onions in some mustard oil and the cumin until coated. Place in a roasting tray and roast in the oven for 40-45 minutes until soft, but not mushy.

Boil the potatoes in a pan for 8-10 minutes until just tender, then drain, ensuring that the potatoes are as dry as possible.

Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan, add the potatoes and fry for five minutes, or until golden-brown. Add the turmeric, toss the potatoes and cook for a further minute. Remove from the heat.

For the sauce, heat the oil in another pan over a medium-high heat.  Add the onion and fry for five minutes; then add the garlic and ginger and fry until softened and lightly golden-brown (about 5 minutes).

Add the chili powder, cumin, coriander, turmeric and salt and fry for one minute, then add the tomato passata, chili, mango chutney and a little water and stir together. Add the fried potatoes, reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes, adding a little more water if the mix begins to dry out or stick. This should not however, be too wet as a curry.

Add the peas and garam masala and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the peas are cooked through. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve with the roasted onions around the plate.

A wonderful combination of smoked salmon and crispy zucchini fritters, topped off with a zingy beetroot relish – a great partner to smoked salmon and a real livener for the fritters.

Serves:  1 or 2 depending how hungry you are!

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium sized zucchini
1 egg
Small handful chives, finely chopped
¼ C all purpose flour
1tbsp oil
3 slices smoked salmon
1tbsp beetroot relish (you can buy this in most supermarkets or delis, get sugar-free if possible)
Seasoning to taste (easy on the salt, there is plenty in the smoked salmon)
Lemon quarters to garnish

METHOD:

Grate the zucchini. Squeeze out some of the moisture as it could be too wet otherwise.

Mix the zucchini with egg, chopped chives, and flour.

Heat a frying pan with the coconut oil and pan fry dollops of the zucchini batter, until both sides are crispy and golden brown.

Serve on a plate with the smoked salmon and beetroot relish, lemon wedges to the side.

Full of Omega 3 healthy fats and deep in flavor. You can also use white fish such as cod, and you can even try monkfish.

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10-15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

4 x 6 oz salmon fillets
2 large zucchini, sliced lengthwise on a mandolin or vegetable cutter
Zest of 1 lemon
1½ tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
1 generous pinch ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

For the dressing
3 tbsp olive oil
Small bunch fresh chives, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

Heat oven to 350°F/170°C/Gas Mark 4.

Make the dressing first by combining all the ingredients together and place in the fridge until required. If you want, you can remove some of the chives by straining through a sieve before serving.

Place a little olive oil, lemon zest, oregano and seasoning in a flat dish and mix together. Lay the zucchini slices in and toss to coat. Leave for 10 minutes to absorb flavor.

Using a board, lay out 4 slices of zucchini flat overlapping slightly along the length. Place a salmon fillet at one end then roll until it is completely wrapped. Continue with the remaining fish fillets.

Roast in a baking dish for 10 minutes, test with a skewer and remove or leave in the oven according to readiness.

If ready, tip over the chive oil evenly and serve.

Al dente broccoli is perfect with this dish, or wilted spinach or seared greens.