Gnocchi

Ingredients Potato, pasta flour, egg, plain flour Sauce 1) Onion, red wine, bell pepper, basil, passata, butter Sauce 2) Garlic, vodka, marscapone, cream, cheddar, butter

1) Bake 2 large potatoes in their skins, remove the skins and then allow to cool.
Add them along with 4oz of pasta flour to a blender and mix thoroughly - adding 1 beaten egg part way through the process until it forms a ball of dough.
2) Prepare a large surface area by dusting it with plain flour and dropping the dumpling dough into the centre. Roll the mixture out into a sausage and divide into even sections with a knife. Roll up each section into a ball and drop into a pan of boiling salted water. When the dumplings rise to the top of the water and float (rather than bob up and down) they are ready to be removed with a slotted spoon.
Gnocci is equally divine when served with zingy or creamy sauces - here I have combined the two because I'm in an indulgent mood!
3) Vodka sauce
Mince 4 cloves of garlic and sautee with butter in a pan. Add a shot of vodka and stir through. As the vodka begins to cook off add 2 tablespoons of marscapone, grate a generous knob of cheddar into the pan and finish with cream or milk.
4) Tomato and pepper sauce
Finely dice half a white onion and sautee with butter in a pan. Add a good glug of red wine and stir through. Remove the core from 3 bell peppers, slice into small pieces and roast in the oven. Blend the peppers and then pass through a sieve to separate the flesh from the skin. Add this to a pan along with some chopped basil and passata tomatoes.

Wensleydale & cranberry biscuits

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Ingredients Cranberry wensleydale, plain flour, butter, salt, 1 egg, soured cream, chives, black pepper

1) Measure 115g plain flour, 60g grated cranberry wensleydale, a pinch of salt and a pinch of black pepper into a food processor and pulse until breadcrumbs form. Add in the yolk of one egg and a few drops of warm water until a firm dough forms.

2) Roll out the dough to 1cm thickness and cut out biscuit shapes. Bake for 8-10 minutes in the oven.

3) I served these with a soured cream, chive and black pepper dip.

Cranberry & carrot chutney

Ingredients Carrot, red onion, white wine vinegar, sugar, orange, cranberry juice, butter Serving suggestionBread, cranberry wensleydale, salad leaves.

1) Grate 2 carrots and half a red onion into a hot pan. Sizzle for a few seconds to dry the juices, stirring to prevent it sticking then add a knob of butter.
Continue to stir, then add orange zest and a splash of cranberry juice.
As the juice begins to evaporate (approx 5 minutes) add 2 tablespoons of sugar and a splash of white wine vinegar to caramelise the carrot and onions. Set aside to cool.

2) I served the chutney in a sandwich with cranberry wensleydale and some fresh lettuce and beetroot leaves from my garden. I collect small glass jars which are perfect to store the remainder in.

Sweet potato & carrot mash

Ingredients Sweet potato, carrot, honey, ginger, marscapone Serving suggestion Pork medallion, cherry tomatoes, mozarella, basil, basil oil, lemon juice, salt, parmigiano, cream, pine nuts, garlic, courgette.

1) Peel and dice 2 carrots, ginger root and 2 sweet potatoes. I used about a teaspoon of the ginger root because I wanted it to enhance the flavour of the sweet potato, not overpower it.
Add to a pan of hot, salted water and cook until the carrot and sweet potato pieces are soft.
Mash or blend in a food processor with a teaspoon of honey and a tablespoon of marscapone.

2) Sautee the pork medallions in a pan.

3) To make the pesto - finely slice a good handful of fresh basil leaves and add to a mortar bowl. Sautee 1 clove of garlic in basil oil and add to the mortar bowl along with a pinch of salt and a handful of pine nuts.
Grind thoroughly, adding lemon juice, basil oil and parmeggian to taste.
Quarter some thick slices of courgette and stir them, along with a tablespoon of pesto in a hot pan. Finish the rest of the pesto with a tablespoon of cream.

4) Pour this cream onto some roughly chopped mozarella, halved cherry tomatoes and the pork medallions. Serve with the sweet potato and carrot mash.

Spinach & goats cheese ravioli

Ingredients Pasta flour, 4 eggs, salt, olive oil, spinach, goats cheese, nutmeg, basil, oregano, red wine, passata tomatoes, garlic, basil oil, cherry tomatoes, parmigiano.

1) Pour 8 ounces of grade 00 flour (pasta flour), 1 teaspoon of olive oil, a good pinch of salt, 3 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk into a bowl and kneed with your hands until you have a firm dough. Wrap this in cling film and chill in the fridge for 2-5 hours.

2) Combine spinach leaves and goats cheese with freshly grated nutmeg in a blender and set aside.

3) Crush 3 garlic cloves into a pan and pour in 2 tablespoons of basil oil. As the garlic sizzles add in a generous slosh of red wine, some dried basil and the tomato passata. Add some whole cherry tomatoes to poach in the sauce and simmer on a low heat.

4) Dust a worktop with pasta flour and roll out the dough into a sheet 1/3 of a centimetre thick. Cut out circles of pasta with a biscuit cutter (a champagne flute should do in a pinch!) and roll these through a pasta machine (or using a rolling pin if you don't have one) until you have a thin elipsis of pasta.
Add a teaspoon of the spinach mixture to the centre of the elipsis and fold in half, pinching the ends together firmly like a cornish pasty.
In the picture below you'll see the circles of pasta to the left and to the right, a finished piece of stuffed pasta.

5) When all the pasta shapes are stuffed, drop them into a large pan of hot, salted water. The pasta will sink to the bottom initially but when it is ready (2-3 minutes maximum unless your pasta is too thick) it will float to the top.

6) Remove the ravioli from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl. Spoon over some of the pasta sauce and sprinkle with dried basil and shaved parmeggian.

Apple & parsnip mash

Ingredients 4 Braeburn apples, 4 parsnips, mature cheddar, butter. Served with Pork loin, creamed cabbage and the mulled red onion and pepper liquor from this recipe.

1) Peel and core the apples, then dice the fruit. Peel and dice the parsnips and boil with the apples in a pan of hot water. Once soft, pulse in a blender (or mash/rice) with a handful of mature cheddar and a knob of butter.

To serve with pork loin and creamed cabbage:

2) Sear the pork loin in a hot pan and then grill for 12 minutes, turning after 6. Drizzle with the mulled red onion and pepper liquor.

3) Chop the cabbage leaves and steam for 5 minutes, melt a teaspoon of butter in a pan and stir through - adding flour and parmeggian to thicken. As the butter begins to sizzle add a dash of double cream and stir through.

Mulled pepper & goats cheese tart

Ingredients 4oz plain flour, 2oz butter, bell pepper, spinach, goats cheese, eggs, marscapone, dill, balsamic vinegar, red wine, red onion, honey, olive oil, cinnamon, star anise.

1) To make the shortcrust pastry measure 4oz of plain flour and 2oz of cold butter. Cut the butter into small cubes and drop along with the flour into a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Drip in 2-3 tablespoons of cold water until the mixture quickly forms a ball. Wrap this in clingfilm and put in the fridge for 15 minutes.

2) Whilst the pastry is chilling finely dice a red onion and slice slivers of red bell pepper. Add into a pan with a tablepoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of honey and sizzle for 2 minutes. Add in a slosh of red wine, a teaspoon of cinnamon and a star anise and simmer until the onions are soft. Strain the onions and pepper from the liquor (discarding the star anise) and set aside.

3) Whisk together 3 eggs and 2 tablespoons of marscapone. Add a little chopped dill and stir through.

4) Take the pastry from the fridge and roll out to a half centimetre thickness.
Either line a large flan dish or make individual tarts by cutting circles of pastry. Press them firmly into a yorkshire pudding tin and blind bake for 5 minutes with another yorkshire pudding tin sat in the top to prevent the pastry from rising beyond the "cup" shape required.

5) Add fresh spinach leaves to the pastry cups, chunks of goat's cheese and the onions and peppers. Pour some of the egg and marscapone mixture into the cases and bake for 10-12 minutes. Serve with a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

Smoked salmon pizza

Ingredients 1lb of strong white flour, 1 tablespoon of active dried yeast, 2 teaspoons of honey, 2 tablespoons of truffle oil, 250ml warm water, cream cheese, milk, dill, rocket, smoked salmon.

1) Pizza dough
Dissolve the yeast in 150ml of warm water and set aside to rest. After 10 minutes add the honey and truffle oil. Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the yeast mixture a little at a time and mix thoroughly with your hands until it becomes dough like in consistency.
It is possible to make this if you have a dough attachment for your blender.
Transfer your dough ball to a lightly floured surface and flour your hands. Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes and then sit to rest in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover this with a warm, damp cloth. The bowl must be big enough to allow the dough to double in size over the next hour.

Divide the dough into small dough balls and kneed these again before rolling out on a floured surface to make your pizza crust. Bake the base for 10-15 minutes.

2) Pizza sauce
Mix 2 tablespoons of cream cheese with a teaspoon of chopped dill and a little milk until it forms a smooth paste. Spread onto the pizza base.

3) Pizza topping
Top with smoked salmon and rocket and serve.

Artichoke and mozarella pizza

Ingredients 1lb of strong white flour, 1 tablespoon of active dried yeast, 2 teaspoons of honey, 2 tablespoons of truffle oil, 250ml warm water, passata tomatoes, white onion,

basil, basil oil, red wine, mozarella, artichoke, vine ripened tomatoes, rocket, lemon, balsamic glaze

1) Pizza dough
Dissolve the yeast in 150ml of warm water and set aside to rest. After 10 minutes add the honey and truffle oil. Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the yeast mixture a little at a time and mix thoroughly with your hands until it becomes dough like in consistency.
It is possible to make this if you have a dough attachment for your blender.
Transfer your dough ball to a lightly floured surface and flour your hands. Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes and then sit to rest in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover this with a warm, damp cloth. The bowl must be big enough to allow the dough to double in size over the next hour.

Divide the dough into small dough balls and kneed these again before rolling out on a floured surface to make your pizza crust. This dough recipe is best suited to thin, crispy pizza bases. I recommend baking the base first for 3 minutes in the oven to avoid the centre becoming soggy.

2) Pizza sauce
Finely dice half a white onion and sautee in a tablespoon of basil oil. As the onions begin to soften, add a glass of red wine and cook it off until only half the liquid remains. Add the passata tomatoes and simmer the sauce on a low heat, adding a haldful of freshly chopped basil and a good pinch of salt and black pepper.

3) Pizza toppingTo prepare the artichoke vinaigrette: Break the stem of the artichoke as close to the base as you can, then put the artichoke head first into a pan of hot, salted water and keep it submerged with an upturned pan lid (or plate). It will take 20-30 minutes to cook until tender - test the base with a knife - if it goes in smoothly it's ready! Slice the artichoke leaves and mix into equal parts of basil oil, lemon juice and sprinkle with chopped basil.

Top the part baked pizza crust with half a ladle of the pizza sauce, layer with slices of mozarella and artichoke, a few vine ripened tomatoes and bake for 10-15 minutes. Serve with rocket and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

Spinach dip

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Ingredients Spinach, mozarella, milk, double cream

There are many different ways to make spinach dip - this method is one that I use when I'm serving spinach dip cold and don't want it to congeal or solidify into solid cheese.

1) layer a handful of spinach and a handful of grated mozarella in a microwaveable bowl and add a teaspoon of double cream. Heat for 30 seconds and then stir vigorously with a spoon. Add more spinach and another teaspoon of cream and heat for another 30 seconds.

2) Continue stirring vigorously and add the milk in a steady trickle until the mozarella has ceased to be elastic and has begun to absorb the milk.
3) Add more spinach for liquid and heat for a final 30 seconds.

Perfect served with bread or nachos

Broccoli and stilton soup

Ingredients Broccoli, potato, vegetable stock, onion, stilton

1) Finely dice half a white onion and soften in a pan with a little olive oil.

2) Add half a pint of vegetable stock and half a finely diced potato. Simmer on the hob for 15 minutes and then add the broccoli florets.

3) After 5 minutes strain the broccoli, potatoes and onions and blend, adding the soup liquid a little at a time until pulsed smooth.

4) Crumble a generous handful of stilton into the soup - I used mango and ginger stilton to give this gorgeous fresh soup a little extra zing and served with a few baby basil leaves.

French toast

IngredientsBread, 1 egg, milk, butter, icing sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon

I'm a big believer in not wasting food and getting creative with leftovers. If you plan your meals well then you can dine each night on a different dish, made with similar components.
In this case, when I get to the end of a loaf of bread and the last few slices are getting stale - I blend them to make breadcrumbs (which can be frozen until needed) or make something indulgently fabulous such as French toast.

1) Set a frying pan onto a high heat and melt a teaspoon of butter in the pan. Roll the pan to coat the surface evenly with butter.

2) Whisk an egg with a little drizzle of milk and quickly dip the slice of bread into it, ensuring that the bread is coated with egg but not soaked as your bread will disintegrate.

3) Drop the bread into a pan and sprinkle with ground cinnamon. After 1 minute turn the bread and sprinkle the other side.

4) Toast the bread, turning frequently. When you notice the steam puffing out the bread a little you will have achieved the fluffy yet crispy texture that makes French toast so glorious.

5) Serve sprinkled with icing sugar, drizzled with maple syrup.
This goes perfectly with a side of bacon.

Courgette tagine

Ingredients Courgette, spinach, ricotta, nutmeg, sausage meat, chilli peppers, eggs, breadcrumbs, parmigiano, salt, pepper,

1) With a vegetable peeler, shave razor thin strips of courgette and line an oven-proof dish with them.

2) Combine freshly chopped chillis with the sausage meat and spoon on top of the courgette. Press down firmly.

3) Blend a few handfuls of spinach leaves, freshly grated nutmeg, salt pepper and some ricotta.

4) Whisk 2 eggs with some ricotta and spoon on top of the spinach mix. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and parmeggian and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

5) Flip the tagine over onto a plate and serve in slices.

Courgette pesto

Ingredients basil leaves, basil oil, parmigiano, lemon juice, pine nuts, salt, 1 clove garlic, courgette, pasta, double cream

1) To make the pesto - finely slice a good handful of fresh basil leaves and add to a mortar bowl. Sautee 1 clove of garlic in basil oil and add to the mortar bowl along with a pinch of salt and a handful of pine nuts.
Grind thoroughly, adding lemon juice, basil oil and parmeggian to taste.

2) Dice the courgette and toss in a pan with the courgette and some pine nuts and sizzle for a few minutes.

3) Stir the pesto into cooked pasta, add the toasted courgettes and pine nuts with a drizzle of cream.

I served this with my savoury strawberries sliced mozarella.

Roast pork loin with pineapple chutney

Ingredients Pork loin, pineapple, red chilli, white onion, butter, lemon, potato, rocket, mizuna, basil, basil oil, artichoke, honey, cumin, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt.

1) To prepare the artichoke vinaigrette: Break the stem of the artichoke (enlist the help of a big strong man if it's a stubborn one and you're gender-biased *tee hee*) as close to the base as you can, then put the artichoke head first into a pan of hot, salted water and keep it submerged with an upturned pan lid (or plate). It will take 20-30 minutes to cook until tender - test the base with a knife - if it goes in smoothly it's ready! Slice the artichoke leaves and mix into equal parts of basil oil, lemon juice and sprinkle with chopped basil. Toss with the salad leaves.

2) To prepare the pineapple chutney: top and tail the pineapple and slice off the skin. Cut the pineapple flesh from the core and finely dice about a third of it. Dice half a white onion and a red chili pepper and add into a pan with a knob of butter. As the butter sizzles squeeze the juice of one lemon into it along with a dollop of honey and cook in the pan until soft.
Serve on top of a grilled pork loin.

3) To prepare the potatas bravas: peel and finely dice a large potato and sprinkle with ground cumin, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt. Drizzle with olive oil and bake in an oven proof dish for 30 minutes.

Spicy lentil soup

Ingredients 2 carrots, red lentils, saffron, 4 red chillis, coconut milk, vegetable stock, sultanas, 2 oranges, coriander, cumin, 1 white onion, salt, butter, ginger

1) Soak the lentils in cold, salted water for 8-10 hours, then strain, rinse and set aside.

2) Peel the carrots and ginger and finely dice along with half an onion and 4 chillis. Melt a knob of butter in a stock pot and add the diced vegetables.

3) As the butter sizzles, squeeze the juice of 2 oranges and stir through. Pour in a pint of vegetable stock and add the lentils.

4) Add saffron, cumin, salt and coriander to taste and stir through

5) Add a generous dash of coconut milk and simmer until the vegetables are soft. Pulse in a blender and serve with sultanas soaked in orange juice and a little orange zest. I also like to add dried chilli flakes for extra spice.

Sunshine salad with artichoke vinaigrette

Ingredients Red, yellow and orange bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, artichokes, lemon, basil, basil oil, chrysanthemum petals, salad leaves, Wensleydale with cranberries.

1) To prepare the artichoke vinaigrette: Break the stem of the artichoke (enlist the help of a big strong man if it's a stubborn one and you're gender-biased *tee hee*) as close to the base as you can, then put the artichoke head first into a pan of hot, salted water and keep it submerged with an upturned pan lid (or plate). It will take 20-30 minutes to cook until tender - test the base with a knife - if it goes in smoothly it's ready! Slice the artichoke leaves and mix into equal parts of basil oil, lemon juice and sprinkle with chopped basil.

2) Core, de-seed and slice the peppers into slivers. Halve the cherry tomatoes and place under the grill (seed side up) for 5 minutes, turning the peppers half way through.

3) Mix the salad leaves with the artichokes and arrange on a plate with the tomatoes and peppers.

4) Cube the Wensleydale and add to the salad, then wash the chrysanthemums, pluck the petals and sprinkle onto the salad.

If you like the idea of flowers in salads from a decorative point of view, but don't like the idea of eating them then why not use them as a garnish? (please note - gerbera daisies are NOT edible, though daisies are!)

Chicken and sage soup

Ingredients 1 roast chicken carcass, sage leaves, white onion

When I cook a Sunday roast for family or friends I tend to serve them the breast meat and save the legs, wings and carcass to make this fabulous chicken soup with.

1) Pick as much chicken meat from the carcass as possible and separate the wings and legs. If like me you are a vegetarian, ask someone to do this for you because otherwise you will look like this...

2) Bring a litre of water to the boil, add a handful of chopped sage leaves and a diced white onion along with the meat and chicken carcass and simmer for 1 hour in a stock pot.

3) Strain the chicken stock from the meat and bones with a colander and pick out the decent bits of meat from the bones.

4) I would recommend that you allow the stock to cool, covered in the fridge so that you can separate the fat (which will float to the top of the liquid and form a solid layer) and then add the meat and reheat. If you wish though you could just add the meat straight to the chicken stock, adding more sage if necessary and serve.

Cauliflower and parmeggian soup

Ingredients Cauliflower, vegetable stock, white onion, parmigiano, potato Serving suggestion Crusty bread, a chive flower and a drizzle of cream

1) Peel a small potato and finely dice it along with half a califlower and half a white onion. Add to 1 pint of vegetable stock and cook on the hob for 20 minutes.

2) Separate the vegetables from the liquid using a colander and puree the vegetables thoroughly in a blender, adding a little of the liquid at a time until the desired consistency is reached.

3) Add salt, black pepper and grated parmeggian to taste, and serve.
I'm very into edible flowers at the moment and chive flowers with their onion flavour and scent go perfectly with this velvety dish.

Pea, mint and pancetta risotto

Ingredients Risotto rice (arborio, carnaroli or vialone nano - I would recommend carnaroli), vegetable stock, brandy, garden peas, pancetta cubes, halloumi, onion, cream.

All risottos (no matter what the ingredients) can be made in 3 simple stages. The first is called tostatura - coating the rice in fat, the second involves cooking off some alcohol (white wine, brandy or vermouth produce the best flavours) and the second involves releasing the starch from the rice one ladle of stock at a time.

1) Finely dice half a white onion and add into a hot pan along with a generous glug of olive oil. Stir through and after 30 seconds add in 1 cup of risotto rice (this will serve one - add a half cup for each additional person).

2) Stir through until the olive oil has coated the rice evenly. When you see the grain of rice becoming clear, revealing a white dot in the centre add a shot of brandy or glass of white wine and stir through.

3) Add a ladle of vegetable stock and continue to stir the rice.

4) Add additional stock, ladle by lady as the stock cooks off. By the third ladle add a good handful of chopped mint and your peas. With the last ladle, add some cubed halloumi and the pancetta.

5) When the rice is soft (takes about 20 minutes) serve. A good risotto will be a little soupy rather than dry. It should be possible to form a mound of rice but when the dish is tapped it should sink down. if you wish add a dash of cream.

Moussaka

Ingredients Aubergine, rosemary, parmigiano, cheddar, cream, eggs, cinnamon, passata, flour, butter, basil oil, onion, garlic, lamb/Quorn mince, salt, red wine

1) Slice your aubergines and lay the slices in a colander. Sprinkle salt on the aubergines and set aside.

2) Dice the onion, crush 2 garlic cloves and add into a pan with a drizzle of olive oil and some finely chopped rosemary. As the onions begin to soften add a glug of red wine and stir through. Leave on the hob until the liquid reduces.

3) If you are using Quorn mince, add straight into the pan with the other ingredients. If you are using lamb, brown the mince in a seperate pain, drain and then add to the onions.

4) Add a teaspoon of cinnamon and stir in some passata tomatoes, then spoon the mince into an oven-proof dish.

5) The salt will have drawn the bitter liquid from the aubergines, rinse the liquid, pat the aubergines dry and brush with a little olive oil. Dry fry, turning frequently until the aubergines are meltingly soft. Layer onto the mince.

6) Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan and stir a tablespoon of plain flour into it to form a roux. Whisk 3 eggs into the roux and finish with a generous dash of cream. Pour the sauce over the aubergines and sprinkle with grated cheese.

7) Bake in the oven for 20 minutes and serve, sprinkled with parmeggian

Perfect chips

Ingredients Potatoes, olive oil Serving suggestion With aioli.

There are many, many different ways to make great chips. From par boiling and baking to frying in various oils and cooking in different kinds of ovens.
This recipe was inspired by Heston Blumenthal, one of my culinary heroes and it really does make the perfect chips. It's well worth the preparation.

1) Peel and slice your potatoes into batons (or leave the skin remaining for extra flavour) and parboil in salted water for 7 minutes.

2) Drain and completely dry the chips using kitchen roll, then lay out on a baking tray covered with lightly oiled kitchen foil so that they don't stick. Drizzled the chips with more olive oil, cover in cling film and put in the fridge to cool for an hour, turning them once to ensure the oil coats them evenly.

3) Remove the cling film, sprinkle the chips with salt and put into a hot oven for 15 minutes.

4) Turn the chips over (gently - they will still be soft and vulnerable to breaking in half!) to ensure the oil is evenly coated and put back in for a further 15 minutes.

5) Turn the chips again, this time also rotating them so that the chips from the edges of the baking tray are in the centre. You will notice that these have already started to colour. Pour away all of the oil from the baking tray.

6) Put back in the oven for a final 15 minutes and then serve, golden brown and crispy (without being greasy) but fluffy in the centre.

Tempura avocado

Ingredients Plain flour, 1 egg, 2 avocados, olive oil.

Tempura batter is made extra crispy due to the effect of icy cold batter and very hot oil. Before you make the batter, make sure you thoroughly refridgerate 1 cup of water and add it at the very last minute when the oil is hot. If you like a lot of batter (which I do not) then I would recommend frying the avocado twice, dipping it in a second layer of batter.

1) To make the batter whisk 1 cup of plain flour, 1 egg and 1 cup of ice water. Keep the batter a little lumpy rather thank whisk it completely smooth.

2) Shell the avocado and slice into slivers. Dip the avocado into the batter and drop into a pan of boiling oil (I used an inch deep of avocado oil. You can obviously use a deep fat fryer if you own one). Retrieve the avocado with a slotted spoon after 20-30 seconds and serve.

This goes perfectly with my aioli or sweet chilli sauce.

Aioli

Ingredients 2 garlic cloves, 4 eggs, lemon juice/white wine vinegar, salt, pepper, 1 pint oil (olive or vegetable - I'm using avocado oil today)

1) Separate 4 egg yolks from the whites (discard the whites) and put in a large clean bowl to whisk (or use the whisk attachment on your blender if you have one).

2) Add the lemon juice/vinegar, a pinch of salt and whisk thoroughly. 

4) Crush 2 cloves of garlic and sautee in a teaspoon of butter. Add to the eggs and lemon juice and whisk thorougly.

5) Now add the oil ONE DROP at a time until the mayonnaise is thick and glossy. You don't have to use all the oil - I like it quite thick but if it's too thick you can always add a little warm water to thin it back down again.

Aioli is fabulous as a dip with chunky chips (recipe inspired by one of my culinary heroes Heston Blumenthal) or with my tempura avocado.

Steak and ale pie

Ingredients 1 white onion, 1 carrot, 1 potato, 800g beef stewing steak, 1 pint Hobgoblin ale, thyme, Jus-Rol™, plain flour, butter.

1) Ordinarily I make my own pastry but it was 2 for 1 on Jus-Rol™ in Tesco so I cheated today. To make puff pastry yourself - I swear by Gordon Ramsey's recipe. Line an oven-proof dish with the pastry, prick the bottom and bake it in the oven for 12 minutes.

2) Finely dice the onions, carrots and potatoes and sautee in butter just until the onions are soft. Add the pint of hobgoblin ale to the pan and stir through.

3) Coat the beef in plain flour and drop into a hot frying pan to sear the outside of the meat. (please note - this does not seal the juices inside the meat, it merely ensures that your meat will be more tender and taste better. As you will see from the picture above I did not use stewing steak because I only had finely diced steak suitable for stir-frying. Small pieces of meat do not require searing in the same way that mince does not). Stir the meat in with the vegetables and simmer gently as the gravy thickens, adding thyme to taste.

4) Sprinkle a fine layer of flour onto the pre-baked pastry in your oven proof dish and spoon the meat and vegetables into the dish.

5) Lay a sheet of pastry over the top and press down, pinching the top crust to the sides. Prick the top with a fork, bake for 30 minutes and serve.