This is the best little cheat’s trick to have up your sleeve. It’s great for impromptu drinks and a good addition to the kids’ weekday supper – especially if you have not-so-fresh bread which you need to use up. The dipping can also be done with oatcakes, raw celery, cauliflower and tomatoes.

The dense fruity tartness of Jeffares blackcurrants are simply perfect with the sweet crunch of pavlova and the cooling smoothness of fresh cream. The way their juice pops from the fruit as you bite in is divine and I think they have now dethroned mango and passionfruit as my favourite pav fruit. I’ve added blackberries here to keep the colours simple and vary the texture even more, but you can of course mix in other tart fruits and berries. 

This dish is from the town of St. Remy in Provence in the South of France. Here they have a tradition of producing one of the most delicious starters of all time- La Tranche St. Remy.

When visitors arrive, we all want to be able to serve some small nibbles at short notice. This trio of crab based canapés just fits the bill! Using wonderful Del La Mer crab meat, Tastefully Yours sweet chilli sauce and crackers from Sheridan's, you'll create these in minutes and have plenty of time to chat with your guests.

Pidy canapé cases are just the best thing to have in your cupboards in the Christmas run-up. They come in all shapes and forms, are a perfect one or two bite size, do not go soggy and taste good enough without being cardboard-ish underneath all sorts of delectable Christmas nibbles. You can mix and match to your heart’s content. The best quality luxury festive ingredients can go a long way with a little inventiveness!