Make it your own

There's nothing quite like giving a gift that you've made. These days it's easier because there are so many bits and pieces you can buy, inexpensively, to make it special.

I had this dim and distant childhood memory of when you were able to buy small slabs toffee in a foil tray with a tiny hammer to break it – very posh. That size of tray would be perfect for personal gifts of Rocky Road. Here are the results of my research :

The foil trays are by a company called Queen of Cakes via Amazon and measure 7” x 4.5” in old money or if you prefer 18cms x 11.5cms. The cellophane bags came from Lakeland Plastics and the Easter “pegs” came from Home Bargains, as did the tiny Easter buckets.

Design your own Rocky Road

Traditionally Rocky Road is made using Brazil nuts,

glacé cherries and marshmallow.

Rules are meant to be broken - take a look at the

list below and if you'd like to design your own

Rocky Road swap any or all of the three

ingredients in the original recipe for the

same weight

(or may be four if you want to stay true

to Rocky Road and include the mini marshmallows)

Cashew

Peanut

Pistachio

Pecan

Hazelnut

Glacé cherry

Dried sour cherries

Cranberry

Apricot

Banana chips

Pineapple

Sultanas

Nougat

Turkish Delight

Fudge

Toblerone

Praline

Salted Caramel

Mini Marshmallow

Popping Candy

My latest versions are :

Pecans with dark cherries and vanilla fudge

Pistachios, apricots and Turkish Delight

Easter rocks!

I realise that this is not a traditional Easter Egg but hey does it really matter so long as it's chocolate?! What I love about this treat is it's easy and makes heaps so whilst it sounds like it could be expensive if you've lots of treats to give then you'll find it's great value too.

Rocky Road

250g dark chocolate

150g milk chocolate

175g soft butter, unsalted

4 x 15ml tbsp golden syrup

200g hobnobs

*150g shelled Brazil nuts

*150g red glace cherries

*125g mini marshmallows

Put the biscuits into a freezer bag and roll with a rolling pin until you get a mixture of rubble.

Chop the Brazil nuts into different sizes.

Chop both sorts of chocolate into small pieces, or use chocolate buttons made for melting and then put them into a heavy-based saucepan to melt with the butter and syrup over a gentle heat.

Take the pan off the heat and add the biscuit and nuts, cherries and mini marshmallows. Turn carefully so that all the ingredients are coated with the syrupy chocolate.

Tip into a foil try (I use a tray bake size), smoothing the top as best you can, although it is meant to be uneven.

Refrigerate until firm enough to cut, which will take about 1½-2 hours. Take the set block out of the tray. With the long side in front of you cut 6 slices down and 4 across so that you have 24 squares.

Original recipe was taken and tweaked from “Nigella Christmas”.

This is the basic Rocky Road recipe. The three ingredients marked “*” can be swapped to suit your own personal taste. You can choose any of the ingredients given on your “Design your own Rocky Road” sheet attached.

Make ahead tip:

Make the Rocky Road and refrigerate to set, cut into bars or bite size pieces and then store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 1 week.

Freeze for up to 1 month.

Read on … and think outside the Easter Egg box!

Venerable Veggies

You don't have to be a vegetarian to enjoy veggies – here's an “all in one” dish that can be served with a roast or on its own for a supper.

Veggie Gratin

Serves 8

2 large fennel bulbs

2 medium parsnips

3 medium carrots

2 medium onions

400g Charlotte potatoes

4 cloves garlic cloves crushed

or alternatively mix 4 tsps garlic paste

with the oil below

50ml rapeseed oil

salt and black pepper

Alfredo Sauce – see below

100g Panko crumbs

Pre-heat oven 200c/180fan/Gas 6

Peel and dice the veggies to 3cm pieces – approximately – I'm not suggesting you stand with a ruler measuring exactly! Measure one 3cm piece and then use your eyes as a guide then divide that piece into four. So long as your veggies are of a similar size they'll roast evenly. Note to self: have a compost bag at the ready for all your peelings!

I'd use a large foil tray, measuring 30cms x 24cms x 6cms deep (approximately) to roast the veggies add the rapeseed oil and using your hands ensure that they are covered, season with salt and black pepper. Roast for 20 minutes then turn and repeat. The veggies are then ready to use or can be left to cool and covered for use later.

Next comes the Alfredo Sauce, which can be made ready to use immediately or left to cool and then covered and fridged for use later. Please note if you use the sauce later it should be warmed through before pouring over the roasted veggies.

2 tbsp unsalted butter

400ml double cream

100g grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and ground black pepper

Gently heat the butter and the cream together, stirring, until the butter has melted, then stir in the Parmesan. Slowly bring to a gentle boil, turn down the heat and simmer, stir continuously for a minute or so until you have a smooth, creamy sauce.

Top with the Panko crumbs and bake for 20/25 minutes until golden.

Here it is :

Remember me droning on about making the most of your oven when, for example, you're cooking a roast dinner. Here I go again! Prep extra veggies – far more than you'd need, set aside to cool, cover and fridge. Instead of Charlotte potatoes you could use cooked jackets using the same “making the most of your oven ”principle”. You would then have the base for your veggie gratin – a perfect midweek meal, with just the Alfredo Sauce to make which takes 5 minutes tops!

Panko crumbs – shop around – for example :

Waitrose version comes in 150g boxes and costs £2.49

Tesco version comes in 350g bags and costs £1.90

With the veggie gratin if you wish to halve the quantity then halve the times too.

I can however confirm that the gratin freezes well – you could box and freeze in portion sizes to suit.

Like these :

All my tasters loved the gratin and the best feedback is to be asked for the recipe. Just for the record my merry band range in age from 15 years to 85 years and all points in between!

Pasta Salad – how boring!

Insalata Fregola sounds so much more exciting – you'd be curious wouldn't you? Ever heard of Fregola? It looks like my most unfavourite foodstuff – couscous. In fact Fregola is a pasta from Sardinia – a semolina dough formed into tiny balls.

This is what it looks like :

What follows is a warm pasta salad :

Fregola Salad

Serves 6

750ml stock – vegetable or chicken

250g Fregola pasta

1 tbsp olive oil

1 shallot, finely sliced

125g chorizo, finely diced

1 Romano pepper – colour of your

choice, finely sliced

120g fine beans, topped and tailed

and cut into 3cm pieces

Little Gem lettuce – separate into

12 “cups”

Add chilled water to a medium bowl and add an ice cube or six. Fill a medium sized saucepan half full of salted water and bring to the boil. When the water boils add the beans and leave for a minute. Drain the beans and plunge straight into the iced water. When they've cooled drain them and wrap them in kitchen roll. Set aside until required. This is known as “blanch and refresh”.

Bring the stock to the boil, add the Fregola – bring back to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and toss with the olive oil. Set the Fregola aside on a tray. This element can be made ahead.

Fry the chorizo so that it releases its oil, just as it begins to crisp add the shallot and fry for 2 mins then add the pepper and fry for another 2 minutes. Add the Fregola and then the drained beans and stir gently to mix for 3 minutes.

Serve in the Little Gem “cups” and garnish with a drizzle of Balsamic Glaze.

By blanching and refreshing your veggies you're saving yourself time and pressure. Apart from the cooking method mentioned above i.e. adding the beans to your Fregola Salad you can drop them back into boiling water for a minute or melt a knob of butter in a frying pan and flash fry them for a minute or two to heat.

The added benefits with blanching are that it can be done ahead and your veggies don't finish up overcooked and looking decidedly grey when family/friends/guests are delayed.

If you've a large microwave - big enough to take a platter you can have blanched all your veggies and arrange them on a plate – brush them with melted butter and cover with microwaveable cling film and set aside – microwave for a couple of minutes when you want to serve.

I know that my dislike of couscous comes from compulsory eating of pudding at school – in my defence I have tried to like it. What has couscous got to do with school puddings – every time I see it I actually see sago and tapioca – not that either was ever called by its correct name ….

Easter treats ... speaking of Camembert

After lunch out at The Duke it reminded me of one of my favourite retro “dig in” kind of dishes – served either, like The Duke, as a sharing plate or as part of a larger “creaking table” groaning under the weight of Easter goodies.

Here's my version :

Baked Camembert

Serves 2

250g Camembert

1 clove of garlic sliced finely or equivalent paste

drizzle of olive oil

drizzle of Calvados

2 medium eating apples – sharp flavoured

peel and slice into quarters at the last minute

One Soda Bread loaf

small bowl of sea salt - optional

chopped dried cranberries

chopped mixed nuts

Pre-heat your oven 160fan/180c/Gas 4.

Place the Camembert in its box on a baking tray – using a sharp paring knife make 4 or 5 (1 cm approximately) incisions into the skin of the cheese – gently does it! Poke the slices of garlic or alternatively small blobs of paste into the top of the cheese. Drizzle with a drop of olive oil and ditto Calvados and bake in the oven for 15 minutes – or until gorgeous and oozy in the middle.

Serve the cheese with thick slices of Soda Bread (the recipe is on the blog) to dunk into the cheese and the apples likewise. A sprinkle of salt if it's your thing – help yourself to the cranberries and nuts– you can then dip your dunked bread and cheese and/or apple into them – munch – enjoy.

One final note to self – check the Camembert box – it should be stapled NOT GLUED!

Easter treats - Check out … The Duke of Wellington in Stanwick, Northamptonshire.

After my recent disastrous birthday lunch I thought it was time to get back on the horse as it were – a strange choice of phrase from a vegetarian!

Anyway lunch at The Duke has restored my faith. This restaurant is definitely conducive to relaxing and enjoying good food.

Here's the restaurant :

Here's a sharing plate starter :

Baked Camembert with garlic focaccia, autumn chutney and green bean salad.

If I had one tiny criticism it is that it's too good and it's so easy to overdo it.

Here are two of the main courses :

Stating the obvious – Fish and chunky chips, peas and tartare sauce.

Seared calves' liver with mashed potato, caramelised onion, savoy cabbage and bacon.

Don't think I'll eat again for a week!

I apologise - I can't tell you about desserts – we were so full we didn't get that far!

In the immortal words of Mr. Schwarzenegger – I'll be back!

The Duke of Wellington, Church Street, Stanwick, Northants NN9 6PS telephone: 01933 622452 info@dukeofwellingtonstanwick.co.uk.

P.s. They have introduced new Spring Menus as at 11^th March.

Easter treats … Fresh and from frozen

Here are the two loaves fresh out of the oven :

Here's one of them sliced and ready to be devoured!

My immediate instinct is to slice, butter and consume – cook's privilege surely!

However – stoically I resisted and in the interests of all things practical - I also foil wrapped a loaf and popped into the freezer.

Here's that loaf, defrosted, sliced, toasted (on a grill please note – not in a pop-up toasted) and buttered liberally. It sliced perfectly and so clearly does not deteriorate after freezing.

The verdict – not that I am in any way biased you understand – it was lovely – the ability to freeze the loaf is an added bonus – you can use one loaf and freeze the other.

Here's the veggie option I mentioned - top a toasted slice and add mushrooms in balsamic :

Mushrooms in Balsamic

Serves 4 as a topping

4 tbsp rapeseed oil

500g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

4 cloves of garlic or paste

pinch of salt4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp soft brown sugar

60g shaved parmesan

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the mushrooms and garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook on high for 5 minutes until browned. Mix the vinegar with the sugar and pour over the mushrooms. Stir until syrupy – 1-2 minutes – toast your slices of Cheese and Onion Muffin Loaf and top with the mushrooms, garnish with shaved parmesan.

Variety is the spice of life!

I promised Easter treats and so ...

… lets do breakfast – or brunch if you prefer.

What about a Cheese and Onion Muffin Loaf – a thick slice, toasted – topped with a poached egg and then the world really is your lobster – bacon on the side – sausage too. For another veggie idea you could have Mushrooms on Muffin Loaf.

Cheese and Onion Muffin Loaf

170ml vegetable oil

1 large egg

284ml buttermilk

70ml milk

500g self raising flour

1 tsp English mustard powder

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 tsp salt

150 mature cheddar cheese, grated

bunch of spring onions – or 6 if you want to be precise

200g Crumbly Lancashire cheese, crumbled

or Lancashire Tasty if you can get hold of it

Kit required

You have a choice – one x 900g loaf tin for one loaf

or

two x 450g for two loaves

You can either grease your tin with oil and then

line with baking paper overlapping so that it's easy

to remove

or

You can use cake liners instead

Pre-heat your oven 160fan/180c/Gas 4.

Mix together the wet ingredients – vegetable oil, egg, buttermilk and milk – ideally in a large jug.

Mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl – flour, mustard powder, cayenne and salt and then add the grated cheddar (reserve a handful to sprinkle over the top of the loaves) and spring onions.

Add the wet to the dry together with the Crumbly Lancashire taking care not to overwork the mixture – divide into the two loaf tins and top with the reserved grated cheddar. Bake for 65/70 minutes until golden on the top. Push a skewer through the middle – it should be clean when removed. You can cover with foil once golden. Leave to cool for 15 minutes and then remove from the tins and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Hold that thought ...

Easter treats here we come!

I realise it seems like a long way off but if I'm going to give you any ideas for treats I have to get them to you in time for you to shop!

There are heaps of “fridge cakes” out there – I've got several that I use all the time but it's good to try something different.

Chocolate Fridge Cake

150g ginger biscuits

100g milk chocolate

100g plain chocolate

100g golden syrup

75g unsalted butter

75g dried apricots, chopped

50g raisins

50g pecans, finely chopped

25g Rice Krispies

Line a 20x20cm shallow tin with clingfilm enough so that it overhangs the sides (or a foil tray without the clingfilm).

Crush the biscuits into rubble, not fine crumb – I use a food bag, clipped and roll gently with a rolling pin.

Melt the two chocolates, syrup and butter in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally. As usual, make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't come into contact with the water.

Mix the biscuits, apricots, raisins, pecans and Rice Krispies and then stir into the melted chocolate mixture. Tip it into your tin or tray and level as best you can.

Leave to cool and then place in the fridge for 2 hours to set. Turn out, peeling off the clingfilm if you've used it – if using a foil tray you can peel the tray away from the cake and it ready to cut into 12 squares or smaller “pop in the mouth” pieces if you prefer.

I added an additional 50g of chopped pistachios in the cake shown and used cranberries instead of raisins. The world is your lobster – use digestives or hobnobs, use cranberries or pistachios. This will keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

Yes – I am kidding!

For those out there like me, who absolutely loath ginger in sweet dishes, I have to concede that this “cake” passed with flying colours – even I enjoyed it.

The class were delighted – they went home with bags of bite sized bits of “cake” and an individual foil dish of cake too, ready to pop into the fridge to set.

Random bits and pieces – bringing you up to speed!

I said I'd let you know what Susie thought about the “Lemon Meringue and Ice twice” - well it made her giggle so that's one tick – she then took a photograph, another tick and finally nothing left in the dish, oh and by the way the photograph is for her Birthday Memory Box.

This morning's weather forecast is awful – decidedly soggy and my run is cancelled. Never let it be said that I waste any time. Normally I leave the house at 7am – it's now 9.15am and there are two tea loaves in the oven – I must have known - I soaked the fruit yesterday. There's a chicken in the slow cooker and the prawns are defrosting for the rendang curry that's for supper tonight.

Do I need to get out more? May be but I'll be glad I had something to show for my messed up morning!

Did a class this week and thought you'd be interested to know that I made a batch of the Piquant Pinwheels and froze them ahead of the game. I demonstrated making them from scratch and whilst doing so I popped the frozen pinwheels in a pre-heated oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6 for 10 minutes. It's my experience that my students enjoy sampling an appetiser with their glass of wine so I like to feed them as soon as possible! Another tip – when you bake the frozen pinwheels place them upside down on the tray – worked a treat and I served them with honey roasted beetroot, cold, on the side. For lovers of hot and cold side by side yes please.

My favourite sentence from the comments book was “Lovely way of learning to cook – watch Marion doing the work – then eat the end results.”

Most people love chocolate based desserts and so - with half a thought towards Easter and chocolate treats - what follows is the first of a few ideas.

Lunch after the rugby – on the day

Take your puff pastry sheet out of the fridge 30 minutes before required to allow it to warm up – by doing this the pastry won't tear.

You will also need 1 egg, beaten.

Using a slotted spoon remove the steak from the slow cooker and set aside in your pie dish. Drizzle 3 to 4 ladles of the gravy over the steak - you should find that it is a good consistency for a pie filling. In my opinion you then need extra gravy for the table and here it becomes a matter of how you like your gravy. My aim is to add a covering on the steak and then thicken the remainder ready to serve in a jug at the table.

If you wish to thicken your remaining gravy then slake 2 tsps of cornflour with water, bring your gravy to the boil, reduce to a simmer and add the cornflour gradually – stirring continuously, you'll achieve the thickness you prefer. Technical term of the day “slake” - the mixing of a thickening agent i.e. cornflour (or arrowroot) with water. You can leave your thickened gravy in the slow cooker until you're ready to re-heat and transfer to your serving jug later. Keep it cool and covered.

Now for the mushrooms :

250g (1 punnet) of chestnut mushrooms, trimmed

and quartered

drop of rapeseed oil and knob of unsalted butter

salt and black pepper

glug of dry sherry or red wine

Adding dry sherry or dry red wine to mushrooms brings out the flavour – you don't need to drown them in alcohol. For guidance - in my kitchen a glug is approximately 25ml.

Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan and add the mushrooms, season. Fry the mushrooms on a medium heat for 2 minutes and then add the dry sherry or red wine. Cook for a further 2 minutes allowing the sherry or wine to reduce. Add the mushrooms to the slow cooked steak and gravy. Your filling is now complete and ready for its pastry lid.

Pre-heat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

Unroll your pastry and cut to size of pie dish. Brush the edges with beaten egg and “glue” to the top of the filling. Egg wash the top of the pie and bake for 30 minutes until puffed and golden.

Here's what the pie filling looks like :

and the finished product!

Definitely up there on the easy list.

Suggestions for what to serve with the pie :

Do you love cauliflower cheese but half the family or friends love one but not the other? Here's my answer – whilst your pie and potatoes are cooking steam a whole cauliflower and serve it just as is. This is where your efforts are rewarded making the Alfredo sauce yesterday - warm it through and serve in individual jugs if you want to be cheffy or a large jug otherwise – everyone is happy!

If you want an endorsement which I appreciate you may think is biased - all I can say is that my husband “H” is honest – good or bad. Our friends liked it post rugby and the following evening I gave H and Susie Q a choice for supper – they both chose the pie - H would never opt to eat the same meal two days running – I think my case rests as the legal eagles say!

Lunch after the rugby … or

...what to do the day before you've friends arriving to watch sport of your choice (in my case it's rugby) – and you're serving lunch afterwards – you don't want to be working in the kitchen and miss all the fun – my answer - steak and mushroom pie.

This pie can be adapted to suit your own requirements – add onion, omit the mushrooms, add garlic - whatever floats your boat.

The beauty of this recipe is that by slow cooking the pie base ahead the flavours are enhanced as with a curry or a chilli.

The day before – prep your pie filling

Steak & Mushroom Pie

1kg lean braising or stewing steak – as good

a quality as you can afford cut into good size

chunks

salt and black pepper

glug of rapeseed oil

250g passata

2 x beef stock pots

Puff pastry sheet for the pie lid – for tomorrow

In a large frying pan heat the rapeseed oil and seal and season the steak in batches and set aside in your slow cooker. Don't put too much steak in the pan – you'll end up with grey unappetising steak that you've stewed! Add the stock pots to your frying pan and melt, then add the passata and mix well. Add 150 ml boiling water to loosen a little. Tip the gravy into your slow cooker with the steak. At this point you need to check the liquid level – you may need to add a drop more boiling water – your steak should be just covered.

Slow cook for 4 hours.

Turn off your slow cooker and leave it covered in a cool place. Overnight is brilliant. In readiness for tomorrow you'll need a pie dish 23x23cms – suitable for four generous portions.

Whilst you're at it and referring to my theory of cooking as much ahead as possible without any hassle – can I remind you of my meal planning stuff – and suggest you bake some potatoes – how many depends on how many you're serving. Perfect though to peel and cube the cooked potatoes and sauté tomorrow whilst your pie is cooking – meal ready in 30 minutes! In any event baked potatoes never go to waste.

I realise that this may seem completely out of whack but can I suggest you make an Alfredo sauce too – double the recipe would be good - all will be revealed. Leave it in the saucepan when cooked – cool, cover and fridge.

See you tomorrow!

A little savoury treat

Here's my latest contribution for you – it can be whatever you'd like it to be – an appetiser - a starter – or larger as part of a supper :

Piquant Pinwheels

125g diced chorizo

40g grated Parmesan

40g grated Gruyere

100g grated mature Cheddar

1 medium onion, finely diced

2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley or

1 tbsp dried

black pepper

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 puff pastry sheet

1 egg, beaten

Before you begin take your pastry out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature.

You'll also need a large baking tray – 32x23 cms approximately.

Pre-heat oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

Fry the chorizo gently in a medium frying pan so that it surrenders its delicious oil and begins to crisp. Remove the chorizo and set aside in a bowl, then add the onion and fry gently for 2/3 minutes and add to the chorizo. At this stage I would suggest that you put both the chorizo and onion through a sieve to remove any excess oil – this is to avoid a soggy bottom! Reserve the oil. Leave to cool.

Add the mustard to the chorizo and onion and mix, then the cheeses and parsley add a twist or three of black pepper. I wouldn't add any salt since there's plenty in the cheeses and the chorizo.

On a chopping board with a damp j cloth underneath to stop it slipping, uroll your pastry lengthways and keep it on its paper. Spread your chorizo/cheese mixture over the pastry sheet leaving 3cm on the edge furthest away from you – egg wash that edge. Now for the brave bit. Using the paper roll into a large “sausage” using the egg washed edge to glue it into place. Egg wash the “sausage” and trim each end.

Cut the “sausage” in half and then again until you have 12 portions. When you're cutting do not use a “sawing” motion cut straight through – otherwise you'll tear the pastry.

Place each pastry on its side on the baking sheet so you can see the filling and the pinwheel shape. Egg wash and/or use the reserved oil to glaze, then bake for 20 minutes. Check after 15.

Here's a photo or two :

                                      

Smells yummy – hope you enjoy!

Back to reality

Why does food that's healthy and good for us look so unattractive and insipid – it's no wonder we're not impressed. It doesn't help that it's a miserable time of year.

Did you know you can buy turkey breast mince? How positively virtuous is that I hear you cry – not!

Here's my offering :

Not only cheap but cheerful too!

Serves 4

500g turkey breast mince

1 medium onion, finely chopped

glug of rapeseed oil

2 chicken stock pots

1 tsp garlic paste or 1 garlic stock pot

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 dessertspoons small chunk Branston

glug of Worcestershire Sauce

salt and black pepper

250g passata

2 large jacket potatoes, baked, peeled

if you wish, sliced thinly

50g each of Mature Cheddar and Red Leicester cheese

grated and mixed together

Pre-heat oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

You have options – if you are using a frying pan that is suitable to transfer to the oven then you need go no further. If not then I'd use one of my now famous foil trays – 23x23 cms approximately.

Heat the rapeseed oil gently in a medium frying pan. Add the turkey mince ensuring that you break it up – fry for 2/3 minutes to seal properly and then turn it, repeat. Add salt and black pepper.

Add the onion and garlic and fry for 2/3 minutes, stirring to combine.

Add the tomato paste and the chicken stock pots, followed by the Worcestershire Sauce, stirring to combine. Add the Branston, stir well and simmer for 5 minutes, finally add the passata mix well and heat through. Leave, covered until you're ready to roll.

If you're using a hob to oven frying pan then arrange the sliced potato over the base and then sprinkle with cheese. Cook for 30 minutes.

If you are using a foil tray then transfer the base and finish as above.

A small tip – you could decant into small foil “takeaway” type trays (with lids) and then freeze in portions if you don't need the whole batch.

The turkey breast mince is 2% fat and costs £2 for 250g packs or £3.50 for 500g packs.

My taste testers gave this a definite thumbs up!

Here's what it looks like :

More still …

There's a story here and I'll try to keep it short.

45 years ago I moved to London and began working in Mayfair and made a friend that I still have – we still spend time together even though we don't work in the same postcode any more.

Each Friday – in those days – was pay day and one of our perks was that we received Luncheon Vouchers too. We went out for lunch to the same place each week to celebrate – a great Italian Restaurant in Shepherd Market. It was not a posh place - it was family run and always busy. We chose different dishes for our main but one thing was set in stone – dessert. Each week we'd order and the waitress would call into the kitchen “Lemon Meringue and ice twice!”

It's my friend's birthday on 28^th February – I would never divulge a lady's age but to commemorate all sorts of stuff – nostalgia, friendship and the best lemon meringue I've ever tasted.

Happy Birthday Susie Q – this is for you :

Lemon Meringue and ice

Two chocolate dipped kisses

Spoonful of good quality lemon curd

A scoop of vanilla ice cream

I'll let you know what she thinks!

There's more to come …

… before we finish with sweet stuff for a while I promised there was more to come with the meringues.

The kisses can stay exactly as they are – perfect sized sweet little explosions – or, they can be added to fresh fruit and ice cream – be part of a “mess” like trifle – crumbled over the salted caramel ice cream. I have nothing against shop bought meringues at all but I will say there's a world of difference when you make your own.

If you've got the egg whites in the freezer it's half the battle for me since I don't need to faff about separating eggs. Just in case you weren't aware you can buy liquid egg whites in a carton – check out the chilled aisle for “Two Chicks free range liquid egg white” - 500g.

Whatever you decide to do it's great having your own stock of meringues.

Here's my next suggestion – dip them in melted chocolate.

150g plain chocolate – at least

50% cocoa solids

Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl over simmering water – remember the golden rule – don't let the bowl come into contact with the water.

When your chocolate has melted set it down next to your kisses :

I'd suggest you wear gloves – very gently dip the kiss into the melted chocolate – twist slightly from right to left to ensure that the kiss is coated. Lift it out of the chocolate and wait until the excess chocolate has dropped. Set aside on a tray lined with baking parchment or kitchen roll.

Here's the dipped kiss :

Lest you should think I'm wasteful – any melted chocolate left can be turned into chocolate discs – perfect to serve with your meringues and fruit and ice cream – snap in half for a chocolate decoration. Arm yourself with a sheet of baking parchment - using a dessert spoon of melted chocolate allow it to fall onto the parchment and then use the bowl of the spoon to work into a circle. There are no rules about size, thickness of chocolate or anything else – unleash your inner Jackson Pollock!

For guidance I dipped 18 kisses and had enough leftover chocolate for 8 discs – like I said it will vary – your meringues may be a different size to mine and thickness of chocolate is a personal preference.

Let the dipped kisses and discs set – NOT in the fridge – as cool a place as possible would be perfect, you can then transfer to a tightly fitting tin or a ziplok bag.

More still …