Oil an ovenproof dish, line with lettuce leaves and fine sliced onion, layer tomatoes, several slices lemon, season, lay 2 slices tuna (1½ lbs). Cover with layers in reverse order, thick layer of leaves (to burn). Pour over glass water, white wine, tablespoon brandy or so. Cook.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a casserole, add ½ the garlic and anchovies and stir well. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Add the chopped squid tentacles, cream and spinach, nutmeg, breadcrumbs, pepper. Stir and remove.
¾ fill the squid body pouches and sew them up with a needle and thread. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the casserole and fry the onion. When softened, add the second clove of garlic and tomato purée. Stir. Add the flour, cook for 3 minutes, mix in the wine, canned tomatoes, season, add a bouquet garni.
Add the squid, cover the pot and simmer for 30-45 minutes.
Serve on rice.

Peel and grate the pear. Melt the butter, stir in the flour, then the milk and make up a thick white sauce. Cool the mixture, stir in egg yolks and beat well.

Whisk the egg whites until stiff then fold into sauce mix with the grated pear. Season, pour into a greased dish. Bake in a hot oven til well risen and golden - around 30 minutes.
Serve at once.

Blend the buttermilk with the cornflour and heat, stirring occasionally. Don't overheat it. Add the yoghurt, capers, turmeric and season. Stir until the mixture thickens. Add the sour cream to thin down the sauce.

Cook the sausages in a large saucepan, over a medium heat until browned. Remove the sausages and place in a casserole dish. Add onion, garlic, carrots and turnip to remaining juices and sauté slightly. Then add the ale, stock, marjoram and seasoning. Bring to the boil, pour over the sausages. Cover and cook for 30 minutes ???

Meanwhile, make the scone topping:
Mix the flour, oats, baking powder and salt together and rub in the margarine. Add the milk to make a soft dough. Roll out, on a floured board, to a thickness of ½" (1 cm) and cut into ten rounds.
Remove the casserole from the oven and stir in the blended cornflour and button mushrooms. Increase the oven temperature to 400°F/200°C (Gas Mark 6). Arrange the scones on top of the casserole, brush with a little milk and sprinkle with poppy seeds.

Bake uncovered for a further ten 20 minutes until the scones have risen and are golden.
Serve with fresh seasonal vegetables.

Boil the sausages in the beer and onions for 10 minutes or so.
Now you can barbecue them.

Cook the broccoli florets in boiling water for 5 minutes. Melt the butter in a frying pan and cook the potatoes, Potatoes? What potatoes? You would probably need them par-cooked then. onions and celery for 3 minutes, turning occasionally. Stir in the broccoli and kidney beans and keep warm.
Place the blue Stilton, cream, egg yolk and lemon juice in a blender and process until smooth.
Pour into a saucepan and stir over moderate heat until thickened.
Serve, poured over the hot salad.

Cut the lamb into ¼"x½"x2" strips. Mix with the marinade and leave for between 15 minutes and 2 hours.
Trim the celery and cut into ¼" slices. Slit the chilli, discard the seeds then slice thinly with the garlic. Cover everything and set aside til ready to cook.
Drain the marinade from the meat and save it. Pat the meat dry. Heat the wok, swirl vegetable oil around it to coat evenly then add the celery, stirring and tossing constantly, for 1½ minutes until brown at the edges and ridges. Lift the celery out of the wok and set aside.
Allow 5 seconds for the wok to regain its lost heat the stir-fry the garlic and chilli for 10 seconds before adding the lamb. Stir-fry for 30-40 seconds, tip in the marinade and sesame oil, toss a couple of times then return the celery.
Stir-fry for a final 15 seconds or so to mix and heat through.
Serve immediately.

Wash and clean the ham with hot water. Place in boiling water and cook for ½ hour. Drain and remove bones. Cut into long slices. Arrange the better slices of ham around a bowl. Put the other pieces on top. Fill the bowl with boiling water and steam for 20 mins using stock. Wash and drain the lotus seeds, place on top of the ham. Place the mashed pineapple on the lotus seeds. Mix the sugar with the sherry, pour on top of pineapple. Put in a steamer to steam for 2 hours. To prepare a serving dish, overturn the steamed bowl and pour the ham into a platter. Drain. Pour honey on top and serve.

Cut the root off the leek and slice it in half length-ways down to the green part.
Slice up the white leek and wash thoroughly. Drain.
Grill a few bacon slices and break or chop them up into pieces. Or you can chop them and fry them if you like.
Chop the mushrooms into decent chunks.
Fry the leeks, throw in the mushrooms, bacon pieces and a crumbled vegetable stock cube I know. It's dirty.
Pour on generous cream and voilà: a tasty carbonara sauce.
Eat with pasta and grated strong cheddar, or a spoon.

Slice the leeks longways, then cut into slices (not too thinly). Wash thoroughly and drain.
Halve or quarter the mushrooms.
Chop the bacon.
Do something here to cook the chicken, if necessary.
Fry the leeks in olive oil or butter until starting to soften. Meanwhile, fry the bacon then add it to the leeks. Deglaze the frying pan with Jack Daniels and add to the leeks. Add the mushrooms to the leeks and stir through.
Add the shredded cooked chicken and single cream or double cream and stock.

Serve over pasta with a grating of smoked or goat's cheese.

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 8/450°F/230°C.

Pour 3 tablespoons of the olive oil into the shallow roasting tray and put it into the oven as it pre-heats. Then prepare all the vegetables as follows: scrub the carrots, turnips, and potatoes; top and tail the carrots and turnips, leaving the carrots whole but chopping the turnips (with skins left on) into quarters, and cut the potatoes length-ways into 4 pieces (unpeeled). Now peel the parsnips and cut them into halves; and finally peel the shallots but leave them whole.

Now dry the vegetables thoroughly in a clean tea cloth. When the oven is up to temperature, carefully remove the roasting tray, using an oven glove to protect your hands. Place this over a direct medium heat on the hob and spoon the prepared vegetables and the unpeeled garlic into the fat. Turn them over to make sure they are well coated and return the tray to the top shelf of the oven for 25-30 minutes, turning them over at half time so that they roast evenly. While they are in the oven, prepare the lamb by placing it in the roasting tin and rubbing the joint all over with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, some crushed sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper.

When the vegetables are nicely tinged brown at the edges, remove them from the oven and set aside. Place the roasting tin with the lamb in the oven, on the highest shelf that will take it, and let it start to roast for 30 minutes or until it has turned a good golden colour. Take the lamb out of the oven, then reduce the temperature to gas mark 3/325°F/170°C and spoon off any fat to use later. Place the roasting tin over a medium heat on top of the stove, pour in the Beaujolais and baste the meat with it. Then sprinkle with the chopped thyme and rosemary. As soon as the wine begins to bubble, turn off the heat and cover the whole tin with a tent of foil (without it touching the meat). Fold the foil tight under the rim of the tin and replace it in the oven — on the centre shelf this time — and let it continue cooking for 1½ hours.

When the time is up, remove the roasting tin from the oven and once again transfer it to direct heat. Carefully remove the foil and baste the meat well with the wine. Spoon the browned vegetables all around in the wine, season them with salt and freshly milled black pepper and pop in the sprigs of thyme and rosemary and the bay leaf. When it has come back to simmering point, replace the foil and cook for a further 1½ hours.

After that, remove the meat and vegetables to warmed serving dishes, discarding the sprigs of herbs, then cover to keep warm. Place the roasting tin over direct heat once more and let the sauce reduce. Squeeze the garlic pulp out of the skins into the sauce and whisk this in along with the redcurrant jelly. Taste and season the sauce with salt and freshly milled black pepper, then pour it into a warm serving jug. Sprinkle the lamb and vegetables with the parsley or thyme and serve.

First prepare the pesto: select a large pan that will hold the mussels comfortably, then in it heat a tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the walnuts in the hot oil to get them nicely toasted on all sides — this will take 1-2 minutes. Place the walnuts and any oil left in the pan into a blender or food processor, add the parsley and garlic, the remaining tablespoon of oil and seasoning, then blend everything to make a purée.

Next, you need to deal with the mussels: heat the olive oil in the same pan that you sautéed the walnuts in, add the shallot and chopped garlic and cook these over a medium heat for about 5 minutes or until they're just soft. Now turn the heat up high, tip in the prepared mussels and add the wine and some salt and pepper. Put on a close-fitting lid, turn the heat down to medium and cook the mussels for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice or until they have all opened. Discard any that remain closed.

During those 5 minutes bring another large pan of salted water up to the boil. Then, when the mussels are cooked, remove them from the heat and transfer them to a warm bowl using a slotted spoon and shaking each one well, so that no juice is left inside. Keep 8 mussels aside still in their shells, for a garnish. Then remove the rest from their shells and keep them warm, covered with foil in a low oven. Then place a sieve lined with muslin or gauze over a bowl and strain the mussel liquor through it. This is very important as it removes any bits of sand or grit that get lodged in the mussel shells.

Put your pasta into the boiling water for 8 minutes (or the time on the packet) Then pour the strained mussel liquor back into the original saucepan and fast-boil to reduce it by about one-third. After that turn the heat to low and stir in the pesto.

Now add the shelled mussels to the pesto sauce and remove it from the heat. As soon as the pasta is cooked, quickly strain it in a colander and divide it between two hot pasta bowls. Spoon the mussels and pesto over each portion, add the mussels in their shells and scatter over the parsley. Serve absolutely immediately with some well chilled white wine.

Our first attempt involved making caramel from sugar and water, and throwing in some boiled sweet potato cubes. This didn't work because of the amount of water which came off the potatoes and diluted the caramel.

The second attempt involved making caramel from heating pure sugar until it began to turn golden, stirring in some butter, and adding the potato cubes which had been previously roasted on a tray in the oven.
This was much better, and tasted very good, although the caramel was perhaps rather hard and didn't stick too well to the potatoes.
A similar recipe I found for ordinary potatoes suggested rinsing the cooked spuds in cold water to help the caramel to coat them more effectively.

It's worth mentioning that other recipes I've found reduce honey, rice vinegar, ground ginger, five-spice powder, and water with par-boiled yams gently for half an hour, but that sounds a bit savoury and I'm not sure that would produce the crispy coating that Mum was after.

Oil a large wok. Slit the sides of the chilli pods and remove the seeds if you don't want it too hot. Throw in the chilli pods and the chunked-up chicken and sizzle until brown. Fry the onion and the spices. Throw in julienne potatoes and vegetable ingredients and sizzle. Add soy sauce, Hoisin sauce or whatever liquid you prefer, a little water, cover and allow to steam until the chicken is cooked.

Soak the mushrooms for 20 minutes, cut off the stems and halve them. Save the water. Cut 2 of the scallions and save 2 whole.
Marinate the chicken in the wine and cut scallions for 15 minutes. Peel; cut the ginger into 4 pieces.
Heat the oil until just smoking then throw in the ginger, peppers, sugar, whole scallions and chicken mixture. Stir-fry for 30 seconds. Reduce the heat, add the anise and cook 5 minutes or so until chicken is done.
Add the potatoes. Add the wine and soy sauce to the pan, bring to the boil and cook on medium heat for 3 minutes. Now add the black mushrooms and their water and enough more water to cover the chicken.
Bring to the boil, lower the heat and cover the pan.
Let simmer for 1 hour.
Chicken should be soft, sauce reduced to half.
Add the tree ears, cook for 5 mins.
Add sesame oil and stir.

Pour some vinegar (rice-wine or wheat-bread vinegar preferably) over your noodles for that authentic Chinese flavour!

Sift 4 cups the flour into a bowl. Mix 3 tablespoons of warm water with a packet of dry yeast, a spoon of honey and some of the flour in a mould. Let rise for 15 min or until it bubbles. Add a teaspoon of salt 2 tblspoons of olive oil and 1 cup of warm water. Knead a nice smooth dough adding water or flour if necessary. Let rise for an hour in a warm spot. Make 4 focaccias or pizzas out of it.
Top with put whatever you like; for the focaccia sprinkle with lots of oregano and sprinkle plenty of olive oil after it comes out of the oven while it is still hot.
Bake at 400°F for 20-30 mins.

Begin the relish by heating the oil in a medium saucepan. When it's really hot, add the strips of pepper and toss them around, keeping them on the move so they get nicely toasted and browned at the edges. Then add the tomatoes, the whole garlic clove and the chopped anchovies. Give it all a good stir, put a lid on and, keeping the heat at its lowest possible setting, let the whole thing stew gently, stirring once or twice, for 25 minutes or until the peppers are soft.

Then whiz the whole lot to a coarse purée in a blender or food processor. Taste and season with salt and freshly milled pepper, then empty into a serving bowl and stir in the balsamic vinegar. It is now ready for serving and can be made in advance.

To cook the fish, first cut it into small rounds about ¾ inch (2 cm) thick. Mix the flour with the salt, then crush the peppercorns with a pestle and mortar — or using the end of a rolling pin in a small bowl — to a fairly coarse texture. Combine them with the seasoned flour.

Next, heat the oil until very hot in a good solid frying pan. Dip each piece of fish in the flour and peppercorn mixture, pressing them gently on all sides to get an even coating. Now fry the fish in two batches, for about 2-3 minutes on each side, until they're tinged nicely brown. Keep the first batch warm while you cook the second.

Serve, garnished with watercress or fresh coriander sprigs, and the sauce handed round separately.

This is the official recipe. You chop the ingredients up, shred the bread, mix together and fill a loaf tin, then bake at gas 5 for half an hour. It comes out as a fairly firm loaf.

Wash the mussels in several changes of water and scrub the shells thoroughly until clean. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil.
Add the mussels and cook over high heat just until they open. Drain thoroughly and discard any mussels which remain closed. Heat the oil in a wok and sauté the chopped garlic, red chilli, green pepper, shallot and tangerine peel over a high heat. Add the Chinese wine, black bean paste, stock, ginger powder, salt, sugar, chilli paste, oyster sauce and soy sauce, stirring all the time. Bring to the boil. Mix the cornflour with a little water until smooth, then mix into the stock and cook, stirring until thickened. Add the mussels and stir constantly for a few minutes until hot.
Serve at once, garnished with chopped spring onion.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok and sauté the noodles quickly. In more oil? Remove from the wok and keep warm. Heat the remaining oil and sauté the duck, prawns, onion, celery, beansprouts, carrot, chilli and green pepper over a high heat.
Return the noodles to the wok with the mixed pickle, salt, sugar and soy sauce and oyster sauce to taste. Sauté quickly until well heated.
Stir in the Chinese chives and serve at once, sprinkled with egg shreds and sesame seeds and garnished with fresh coriander leaves.

Chill fish in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. The idea is to firm it up, but not to freeze it - don't forget it's there. Slice very thinly across the grain. Brush with olive oil and arrange slices of fish on one large heatproof plate or four smaller ones, overlapping as little as possible. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep cool until needed.

To make the salsa, mix all the ingredients together. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Keep covered until needed.

Preheat the oven to its highest setting. When you are almost ready to eat, uncover fish and zip it into the oven for three minutes. Pour a little of the salsa over each plate for colour, and serve with remaining salsa.

In a pan large enough to accommodate the chicken breasts in one layer (a sauté pan is ideal), heat the oil over a low heat and cook the onion until transparent. Add the wine, stock, orange rind, pear slices and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer over a low heat until the pears are tender. (This could take up to 40 minutes - depending on the type of pear.) Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the pear slices to a heated dish, cover and keep warm. Mine took 10 minutes.

Push 3 whole cloves into the top of each fillet of chicken and arrange these in a single layer in the liquid in the pan. Cover and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken to the dish with the pears. Remove the cloves, cover and keep warm until required.

Off the heat, add the dissolved arrowroot and peppercorns to the sauce and heat gently, stirring until slightly thickened.

Place a piece of chicken and some slices of pear on each of 6 heated plates, pour over the sauce and serve with boiled rice (you can add lots of pepper and chopped fresh herbs to the rice, then lightly press each portion into a small mould before turning out onto plates) and fresh steamed or boiled seasonal vegetables.

Chop half the onion and one stick of celery, and put them with the washed, cleaned, bearded mussels in a large saucepan, cover with the wine, adding a sprig of parsley, the thyme and the bay leaf. Bring to simmering point, and cook a few minutes, until mussels open. Strain, reserving mussels and liquid. When cool, remove mussels from shells.

Roughly chop the celery, fennel, garlic and remaining onion, and sweat in a heavy pan in a little olive oil for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly, till vegetables are tender. Blend in a food processor, together with the mussels and their liquid, pressing through a sieve with a wooden spoon to extract all the juices. Add the cream, reserving a teaspoonful, to the mussel broth, and boil to reduce volume to two-thirds. Season with pepper (and salt if necessary), and whisk in last spoonful of cream before serving. Garnish with the finely chopped parsley.

The Renggli who? is to cool the broth, divide it between four soup bowls, and cover with circles of puff pastry. Chill 30 minutes more, then brush with egg wash (one egg yolk and one spoonful milk, beaten together) and bake in hot oven 10 minutes, then lower heat another 10 minutes till it browns. As you cut the crust at table the scent explodes in you face.

Cut a deep slit lengthwise down each aubergine, stopping short of top and base. Place in a bowl of very salty water for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a heavy pan, heat half the olive oil. Gently fry the onions with the green peppers and garlic until soft. Then combine them with the tomatoes, parsley, allspice (if used) and salt and black pepper to taste.

Drain the aubergines, gently squeeze out moisture with your hands, and dry with paper towels. Put the rest of the olive oil in the pan and fry the aubergines, gently turning several times (take care not to spoil the shape), until they begin to soften.

Take the pan off the heat and turn all the aubergines so the slit is facing upwards. If you prefer to bake them in the oven, you can transfer them to an oven-proof dish.

Force as much filling as possible into the slits, and put any that is left on top. Pour on the water go easy on it and lemon juice. Either cook on top of the stove at very gentle heat, or bake in the oven, preheated to 325°F/160°C/Gas Mark 3, for 45 minutes. Leave to cool at room temperature. Then chill, if you like. Best eaten cool or cold, and garnished with parsley.

In a mortar pound together the garlic, coriander root and peppercorns to form a paste. heat the oil, briefly fry the paste then add the other ingredients in turn, stirring constantly. Set aside. Cut the filo pastry sheets into eight short strips. Put a dab of mixture on the edge nearest you. Fold up an edge diagonally to form a triangle, then the other edges, dabbing cornflour paste on the final corner. Fold over to seal. Heat the oil and deep-fry the samosas until they are golden brown.

Soak the bread in a little water then squeeze it gently to remove excess water. Put the bread, garlic and vinegar in a liquidiser and blend well. With the machine running, add the oil slowly. Continue liquidising until the sauce is the consistency of mayonnaise. Season and set aside. Serve as an accompaniment to fried courgette and aubergine slices, sprinkled with parsley.

Cut the parsnips and yams into thin slices with a vegetable peeler, then deep-fry in hot oil for about 10 min or until golden brown.

Sauté red cabbage (~1 lb)
with sliced onion (~2)
in butter, add cider (dry, one glass)
& steam sealed with foil.

Mix together the saké, salt, spring onion, ginger and crushed peppercorns. Marinate the fish fillets in this mixture for about 30 minutes.
Line a wok with aluminium foil. Place the tea leaves, sugar and a sprinkling of water in the bottom of the wok. Sit a wire grid in the wok.
Remove excess marinade from the fish and place the fish on the wire grid. Cover the wok firmly with a lid and smoke over a high heat for about 4-5 min.
Meanwhile, place the vegetable strips, tomato dice, vinegar and fish stock in a pot and bring to the boil. Correct seasoning drain and add the chives.
Serve the fish on a bed of vegetables, garnished with chervil.

The key to this very tasty loaf is the large amount of olive oil, combined with delicate handling of he dough. It is not knocked down after the first rising like other doughs.

At the bakery, the yeast goes into the warm water to start it to work. The dry ingredients go into Mr Spickett's huge stainless steel mixers, followed by the yeast mixture as soon as it starts to froth. You can mix it with the dough hook on a Kenwood Chef, he suggests. Or you start to mix it in a bowl with a wooden spoon. Either way, you must put in the oil last, or it combines with the dry flour to make a tough glue. The oil turns a pleasant plastic dough into slippery soft putty.

If you are kneading by hand, make the dough into a ball, rolling it forward in the time-honoured way with the heels of your hands to make a long sausage. Turn it 90 degrees, roll it into another ball, rolling prevents the dough from sticking to the surface and continue in this way till it is springy and silky.

Shape into a round ball (or two), cover with a damp cloth, and leave for two hours. Don't put in an airing cupboard or a warm place, says Mr Spickett. It doesn't want to rise too fast.

Two hours later, the dough has risen into a lovely big white puffball. The next bit is critical, says Mr Spickett, so pay attention. He picks up the ball with two hands and stretches the sides downwards gently, tucking them underneath and pressing them upwards into the centre of the ball. He repeats this a few times, as if caressing the dough, before pinching the loose ends together. He places the creased side down on a board thickly dusted with flour, leaving it to rise for a further 30 minutes covered with a cloth. He turns on the oven to preheat it to very hot (240°C, 475°F, Gas 9), putting an oven tray inside.

Half an hour later, the dough has swollen beautifully. He turns it over gently, and places it on the hot oven tray, the creased side uppermost to allow the bread to expand and stretch. He bakes it for 50 minutes to one hour (35-40 minutes for two small loaves). A delicious fragrance announces that it is nearly done. The sure test is to tap it with you knuckle, and if it sounds hollow it's done, he adds.
You should find you've made a masterly loaf, almost as good as one form the La Fornaia bakery. A proud achievement. Eat it as soon as possible, because it is not designed to keep for weeks. But it does make good toast when no longer fresh.

Chop up the strawberries, add stock, herbs, salt, pepper and ginger. Simmer gently for five minutes. With a wooden spoon, press pulp through a sieve. When cool beat in yoghurt till smooth. Chill in suitable container. Serve garnished with the chives.

Heat the oil, fry onion and garlic garlic gently on a low heat until transparent. Add everything except the spare ribs. Cook for about 10 minutes until it's like thick, red paint. Remove clove. Pour into a bowl so it's easy to get at. Smear ribs with sauce and grill gently for about 40 minutes. Grill them over a drip tray so when they're done you can add the juices to the leftover sauce. Baste and turn occasionally. Serve with sauce.

For the sauce
Combine the egg yolks, vinegar, water and mustard in the top of a double boiler. Whisk vigorously over simmering water until it is extremely thick. Remove from the heat and whisk in the warm bacon fat. Stir in the sour cream, chopped bacon and spring onions. Season with Tabasco and freshly ground pepper.
For the oysters
Shell the oysters raw if you can, or grill/steam them open.
Dissolve 1 oz (30g) of the flour in the milk to make a smooth, thin paste. Season with a pinch of cayenne and salt. Stir in the oysters and set aside.

In a second bowl combine the remaining flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper. One by one, remove the oysters from the milk mixture and coat evenly in the cornmeal mixture. Set aside on a piece of parchment paper. Heat the oil in a fryer to 375°F/190°C not too hot. Fry the oysters in batches until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Drain on kitchen paper and season again.

To serve, place 6 reserved oyster shells on each of 4 plates. Settle them on a bed of rock salt or salad greens. Spoon one tablespoon of warm dressing into each shell and place an oyster on top. Serve with lemon wedges.

Fry chops, remove from pan and add 1 tbsp oil. Fry 1 red, green and yellow pepper, seeded and chopped, for 5 mins. Add 1 tbsp tomato purée and 1x400g/14 oz can chopped tomatoes. Return chops and simmer for 5 mins. Sprinkle with toasted flaked almonds.

Spread 2 tsp pesto sauce over cooked chops. Top with 100g/4oz sliced mozzarella. Cut 2 bacon rashers into strips and arrange in a lattice on cheese with a halved black olive and basil sprig. Grill for 3 mins. Serve with green salad and tomatoes.

Fry 1 chopped onion in 1 tbsp oil and 25g/1 oz butter for 3 mins. Stir in 75g/3oz jumbo oats and 1½ tbsp chopped fresh sage, cook for 3 mins. Top cooked chops with oat mixture and grill for 3 mins. Put 150ml/¼ pint pork stock in a pan, add 3 tbsp double cream, 2 tbsp redcurrant jelly, ½ tsp French mustard, pepper and 1 tbsp cornflour dissolved in a little water. Bring to boil, simmer 1 min. serve chops with sauce, sauté potatoes and sticks of courgette and carrot.

Mix 4 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp dry sherry, 4 tbsp water, 1 tbsp groundnut oil 2 tsp soft brown sugar and 2 tsp Chinese five-spice. Pour over chops and marinate for 2 hours. Grill or fry. Reserve marinade and mix with 2 tsp arrowroot. Add 4 tbsp chicken stock, bring to boil and simmer 1 min. Pour over chops. Serve with egg noodles mixed with sliced spring onions, and baby corn.
Garnish chops with curls of spring onion and red chilli.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add 100g/4oz sliced mushrooms and fry 5 mins. Add 2 tbsp curry paste and cook 1 min. Stir in 150ml/¼ pint plain yoghurt, 50g/2oz chopped creamed coconut and 4 tbsp water. Heat, spoon over cooked chops.

Mix 150ml/¼ pint sour cream, 3 tbsp mango chutney and ½ tbsp chopped fresh oregano. Fry chops; add mixture and 1 peeled, sliced mango 5 mins before end of cooking.

Mix 2 tbsp honey, ½ tbsp lime juice, salt and pepper. Brush over chops. Mix 6 tbsp sesame seeds with 1 tsp paprika and use to coat chops. Grill or fry.

Spread 1x300g/10½oz can creamed sweetcorn on top of cooked chops. Top with tomato wedges. Grill 3-5 mins

Core and slice 2 red eating apples into rings. Fry chops, remove and add 300ml/½ pint dry cider, apple rings, 50g/2oz sultanas and 1 tbsp demerara sugar to pan. Simmer 6-7 mins, spoon over chops.

Fry 1 chopped onion, 1 diced red pepper and 1 crushed garlic clove in 2 tbsp oil for 3 mins. Add 2 tsp chilli powder, 1x400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes and 1x400g/14oz can drained red kidney beans. Simmer 15 mins. Season, spoon over cooked chops.

Mix 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard, 4 tbsp dry white wine and 6 tbsp Greek yoghurt. Heat gently, season and pour over cooked chops.

Mix together 4 tbsp thick-cut marmalade and 2 tsp grated root ginger. Brush over both sides of the chops then grill.

Coarsely crush 1 tbsp black peppercorns and press onto both sides of chops. Leave for 30 mins. Fry chops, remove and add 4 tbsp water and 1 tbsp brandy to the pan, boil 3 mins. Add 4 tbsp double cream, simmer 2 mins, season and pour over chops.

Top cooked chops with 75g/3oz halved and seeded black grapes and 75g/3oz crumbled Stilton. Grill for 3 mins.

Blend 1 ripe avocado, 1 seeded green chilli, 3 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp fresh parsley, 8 green olives, salt and pepper. Spread mixture over cooked chops, grill 3-5 mins.

Sprinkle 1 sliced aubergine with salt, leave 30 mins, rinse and dry. Fry 1 chopped onion and 2 crushed garlic cloves in 2 tbsp olive oil for 3 mins. Add aubergine, 1 sliced courgette, 1 tbsp chopped basil, 1x400g/14oz can tomatoes, seasoning. Cover and simmer for 20 mins. Spoon over cooked chops.

Melt 25g/1oz butter, add 2 crushed garlic cloves, fry 1 min. Add 50g/2oz breadcrumbs, stir until golden. Mix in 1 tbsp chopped parsley. Spoon over cooked chops.

Heat 150ml/¼ pint fresh orange juice, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp Cointreau, 1½ tsp caster sugar and pinch of nutmeg. Add 1 tsp cornflour blended with a little water, stir until thickened. Pour over cooked chops. Garnish with orange segments and strips of rind.

Mix 2 tbsp tomato purée, 2 tbsp apple juice, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp soft brown sugar and a dash of Tabasco sauce. Brush all over chops. Grill, brushing with rest of sauce.

Fry 2 crushed garlic cloves and 25g/1oz pine nuts in 1 tbsp oil for 1 min. Add 100g/4oz chopped spinach, 2 tbsp water, pinch each of grated nutmeg and cayenne. Cook for 4 mins. Add 150ml/¼ pint double cream, simmer for 2 mins. Spoon over cooked chops.

Fry the sausages in olive oil, remove from pan and brown the garlic and chopped onion. Boil the potatoes until cooked, drain and mash. Return to the saucepan, cover with the water and bring back to the boil. Simmer for 10 min. Add the cabbage, onion, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper and boil uncovered for 5 min. Add the sausage and simmer for a further 2 min. Serve immediately, adding a few drops of olive oil to each bowl.

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6 (200°C/400°F).
Fry the garlic and bread in olive oil in a large frying pan for 2-3 min or until the bread is golden brown. Remove bread from the pan and put two slices each with the garlic in ovenproof soup bowls. Then add the water or chicken stock and salt and pepper to the pan, and simmer for 10 min. Pour over the bread then break an egg into each bowl. Cook in the oven for 10-15 min ensuring the egg yolks are still soft. Sprinkle with parsley or paprika and serve.

Melt the lard in a deep heatproof earthenware pot and sauté the onion until it begins to brown. Add the water, beans, cabbage and garlic. Cook slowly for 2-3 hours. Add seasoning to taste, and a few drops of cider vinegar before serving.

Coarsely grate the chocolate, melt it with the butter and add the cream.
Gradually stir in the rest of the dry ingredients until lump-free.
Make some empty eggshells with reasonable-sized holes in the fat ends.
Fill the eggs with the truffle mix
Refrigerate the eggs for 12-24 hours.
Serve in eggcups.
Feel free to decorate the shells :)

Here's what you're supposed to do with the truffle mix:
Cover & refrigerate for 12-24 hours, roll into balls in palm of hands and roll balls in cinnamon-flavoured cocoa or chocolate pastilles? or shot?. Remove from fridge 2 hours before serving.

Do not preheat the oven. Grease and flour a 12-cup tube pan.
Sift together the flour, cinnamon, allspice and salt into a medium-size bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, sprinkle the baking soda over the sugar. Add the butter and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs and beat well. Alternately stir in the dry ingredients and the beer. Fold in the nuts and dates and stir until all the ingredients are well distributed.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and set the oven to 300°F. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 1½ hours. Transfer the cake to a cake plate and allow to cool thoroughly. (Be sure that the cake is thoroughly cooled before slicing.)

Line the pie tin with the pastry and fill with the frangipani.
Thinly slice 3-4 apples and press them into the top of the frangipani in an interesting and eye-catching design.
Bake at 200°C for 10-15 minutes until slightly brown. (Check after 10 minutes and if the apples are browning turn down the temperature).
Remove from the oven and dust with powdered sugar and glaze with apricot jam.

Combine oil, sugar and beat. Add egg, vanilla and milk and beat more.
Add flour, soda (premixed). Add salt, oats and make dough.
Make cookie shapes put on greased tray. Throw in oven, 350°F for 10-15 minutes.

Place the cottage cheese, buttermilk, lemon (lime?) juice, shallot and mustard in a blender. Purée until smooth, stir in the remaining ingredients. Taste; adjust seasonings, stir before serving.

Advance Preparation:
If dried herbs are used, allow the dressing to stand for 15-30 minutes before serving. This dressing will keep for 2 days in a tightly closed container in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6/200°C Cook the pasta, drain and pour into a large casserole dish. Add the jar of pasta sauce. Refill the jar with pasta water.
Chop the onions not too finely. Fry them in a little butter over a high heat until they start to brown at the edges.
Add a generous glass of cognac and flame.
Peel the tomatoes, remove the cores, chop roughly and add to the frying pan. Fry until softening. Stir in the mustard.
Add to the casserole dish and rinse the pan in with some reserved pasta water.
Separate the broccoli florets and cut into sixths. Reheat the pan with a little butter and fry over high heat to sear them slightly then add to the casserole.
Drain the tuna, break up the chunks and add to the casserole.
Shred a couple of spring onions, crush a half dozen garlic cloves and add to the casserole. Stir thoroughly with as much of the reserved pasta water as required. Perhaps all of it.
Bake for 30 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.

Grate the cheese and the bread and mix together with a generous grind of pepper.
Stir the yoghurt through the casserole, season if necessary, scatter over the topping and bake for another 20 minutes until golden and bubbling.
Serve with garlic bread. Ideally.