Spinach soup

A vibrant green blended soup with half-fat crème fraîche that’s healthy and filling – make a batch and freeze

Broccoli & stilton soup

A smooth blended vegetable soup with blue cheese that's as good for a comforting meal as it is for a dinner party starter

Salted caramel choc pots

Combining sweet and salty flavours really works when chocolate and toffee is involved – best served in individual portions

Snowman friends cake decoration

Icing and decorating a Christmas cake may take time but this sweet snowy scene will be a hit with kids

Smoked salmon & celeriac Dauphinoise

Based on a traditional Swedish dish, this rich potato bakes works well with smoked salmon or gravadlax

Romano peppers stuffed with paneer & peas

Sweet, juicy Romano peppers are ideal for
filling as this Indian-influenced dish so tastily proves

Double choc shortbreads

These sweet treats will go down a storm at your next bake sale, and cost only around 15p each to make

Herb salad with pomegranate & pistachios

A sweet salad with plenty of crunch that goes perfectly with Middle Eastern dishes

Blue cheese & grape salad with caramelised pecans

This salad has a great balance of sour, sweet, crunchy and smooth

Family meals: Easy lamb tagine

Sweet juicy apricots and tender butternut squash are a winner with kids and make for a delicious Middle Eastern family meal for toddlers through to teens and beyond

Fragrant Thai drumsticks

Marinate chicken drummers in aromatic Thai red curry paste and sweet chilli for super tasty fingerfood

Ultimate Gratin Dauphinois

An utterly irresistable creamy potato side dish with very few ingredients but oozing with flavour