This is the most delicious summer dessert: crisp outside and fluffy inside waffles, slightly sweet whipped cream and summer berries dusted with icing sugar. You can use any summer fruits of your liking: strawberries, raspberries or blueberries. The recipe is easy and quick, and the payoff is enormous. How long you cook the waffles and how many you get depend on your waffle machine, but the portion of the batter makes about 16 delicious squares ready to be paired with sweet fruits and cream. Find the recipe here.

They are absolutely scrumptious, soft, sweet and moist, packed with fruits with aromatic lemon icing and bilberries on top. These amazing Bilberry Muffins with Lemon Icing are perfect for breakfast or teatime, delicious when warm, and taste even better the next day. Bilberries are in season now, and although they’re not as popular as blueberries, stores with European (Polish deli) or Scandinavian food make them available sometimes. Frozen bilberries also are great for this recipe; you can find them easily online. Recipe for Bilberry Muffins with Lemon Icing here…

Open-faced Spanish Omelette is one of the best-known and universally liked Spanish dishes. It’s also my signature dish loved by customers of a small coffee shop, The Haven, based in Ealing, (W5) London. Often served as a tapa in Spain along with other nibbles and drinks, this little dish also can be the best meal any time of the day. Spanish tortilla is made with eggs, diced potatoes, onions and meat such as chorizo. If you are vegetarian, you can skip the sausage. The tortilla tastes best at room temperature or cold, served with salad or garlic mayonnaise. Find the recipe here…

There aren’t many contemporary sources that confirm the origin of this condiment. Bread and Butter Pickles were allegedly a Depression-era staple due to their high availability and low-cost ingredients. They can also most likely trace their roots back to the early 1920s and Cora Fanning from Illinois, who made the pickles with the surplus of little cucumbers and exchanged them with a local grocer for household staples like bread and butter. Whatever the story is, these tangy and sweet crunchy cucumbers are an excellent addition to sandwiches, burgers and wraps. They are a great summer condiment when cucumbers are in season. Find the recipe here...

A classic Mexican quesadilla consists of corn tortillas filled with Oaxaca cheese - low-fat cheese with a texture similar to mozzarella. It’s cooked on a dry skillet until the cheese melts and served with guacamole and red salsa. But the quesadilla is such a versatile dish that you can substitute the corn tortillas with the flour tortillas, and fill it with whatever you like: vegetables, meat - chicken or beef, and cheese of your choice. It can be served with sour cream, spicy sauces, guacamole or cold condiments such as Picco de Gallo. Great for lunch, dinner or supper. Find the recipe for my Vegetable Quesadilla here.

A great burger starts with good-quality meat. Head to your local butcher, buy your cuts of choice and mince your beef for the burger. You will have full control over fat content and know where the meat is coming from. Fat provides moisture and flavour, so your cuts should have at least 20% of this. A binding agent as an egg is not needed because fat also holds the patty together. Grind the beef coarsely and don’t push down on the patty when it’s cooked as you’ll push away all the precious juices. Serve with a homemade bun, sauces and if possible, fresh veggies. Find the recipe for the best beef burger here....

This is my last culinary discovery and a favourite among other sauces. I’ve actually known Tartare Sauce for ages, but never eaten a homemade version so delicious like this. The sauce is great for fish – fried or steamed, fish and chips, amazing with sandwiches, cold cuts and perfect for homemade beef burgers. It’s not the condiment for people on a diet or those, who don’t like rich dips. It’s only for those who love full flavours. The Tartare Sauce consists of finely chopped hard-boiled eggs, cornishons, flavourful shallot, with a pinch of black pepper and homemade mayonnaise. It’s very easy and quick to stir up.  Find the recipe here

I’ve never eaten such superb and tasty tomato sauce as this BBQ wonder. Smoky and a little hot, can be used for bbq chicken, pulled pork, tacos, and burritos; it also goes great with pizza and burgers. You can adjust the flavours to your liking – it can be more tangy or sweet, smoky or hot. You can have it thinner or thicker- just keep it simmered longer on the hob. Homemade BBQ sauce tastes better than a store bought product, and its ingredients are known to you. Fine the recipe here…

Their shape symbolises prosperity and luck, so by serving these little golden dumplings at Lunar New Year’s dinner, you may hope to have lots of good fortune in the coming year. Money Bag Dumplings can be filled either with vegetables, meat, seafood, and tofu – anything delicious you can think of, then steamed or fried. But they always have the shape of little money bags and yellow-golden colour. My Money Bags Dumplings are made with homemade dumpling wrappers, filled with flavourful pork and vegetable mixture, steamed and served with sour-sweet garlicky dumpling sauce. Find the recipe here…

Red Onion Marmalade goes well with pâté, charcuterie platter, hard cheese, on a burger, with roast pork or beef steak. It’s sweet, soft and aromatic as it was cooked for some time in red wine and balsamic vinegar. Red Onion Marmelade is great freshly made, however, it gets even better the next day as the flavours have time to combine.  It takes only one hour to have it ready so make a double portion as it disappears quickly. Find the recipe here…

This is a classic dish served in the United Kingdom and Ireland as an accompaniment to roast turkey for a Christmas dinner or as a side dish. Pigs in Blankets, also called kilted soldiers are small chipolatas wrapped in bacon, and baked in the oven until crisp. I used the chipolatas of the usual size and divided each sausage into half to get ‘pigs’ that can be served as finger food or a one-bite size dish. And honey drizzle made this staple of the festive season super sticky and shiny. Find the recipe here...

Baking biscuits is definitely a winter activity, especially during the Christmas season. We love the scent of freshly baked goods that circulate the house and boost our festive spirit. If you are looking for inspirational baking ideas, you should try Christmas Almond and Strawberry Biscuits. They are delicious and delicate, very easy to make and can be made in any size and shape. Use any fruit jam you like: strawberry and raspberry jam have red festive colour, however orange jam with a pinch of ginger and orange zest smells very Christmassy. Find the recipe here…

Gingerbread Biscuits of different shapes can easily replace traditional glass baubles and stars on the Christams Tree. They also can be an excellent edible Christmas present and great fun for children in the festive season. This gingerbread dough has a perfect balance of spices – cinnamon, ginger, cloves, all spices, and plenty of honey. It’s soft and may be a bit difficult to handle at the beginning, however make perfect and delicate biscuits that snap when break. The dough develop its flavour and makes better biscuits when left for a few days in the fridge. We decorate our Christmas tree with homemade gingerbread biscuits every year. Find the recipe here…

This is a type of relish-like salsa commonly used in Mexican cuisine. A simple combination of fresh tomatoes and onion, serrano or jalapeno chilli peppers, lime juice and coriander, generously seasoned with salt, is also called salsa fresca, salsa Mexicana or salsa cruda. You can enjoy Pico de Gallo with tortilla crisps, Totopos, tacos or quesadilla. Make it a few hours in advance to let all-natural juices combine and marinate together, providing the salsa with more flavour.  For those who can’t stand fresh coriander - use parsley instead. Find the recipe here...

These beautifully golden fishcakes are great with Rémoulade – a cold condiment similar to Tartare Sauce, some green vegetables and freshly baked buns. I usually serve them at lunch or dinner when we want to have something a little bit different than usual. Boneless and skinless fillets of hake or cod are best for the fishcakes, however any other fish of firm and white meat would be good as well. The best mixture for frying the cakes consists of unsalted butter – for better flavour, and oil- for a crispy golden skin. Find the recipe here

This cold sauce is perfect for fish, seafood cakes, cold cuts and sandwiches. It consists of mayonnaise, cream, and mustard combined with pickles and flavoured with powder curry. Remoulade, which originates in French cuisine, is a little bit similar to Tartare Sauce, has a thick, creamy consistency, and finely chopped gherkins and capers add sharp and savoury flavour. The condiment goes well with French fries or baked potatoes. Find the recipe here

The secret of excellent gazpacho is fresh, natural vegetables at their season’s peak: yellow tomatoes, melon, bell pepper and cucumber. You can keep the gazpacho wholly vegetarian, and vegan using only olives and diced vegetables as a garnish or serve it with chorizo, cured ham and shrimps. The chunky soup is easy to make; it comes together quickly in the food processor. Refreshing chilled Golden Gazpacho is perfect for lunch on hot summer days. Find the recipe here…

This smooth and creamy dip of vivid green colour pairs well with a variety of dippers such as tortilla crisps, crackers or crudités. It’s not at all like the chunky guacamole most people love. It’s excellent as a salad dressing for fresh lettuce, spread for sandwiches and toast, or dolloping onto nachos, burritos, quesadillas and tacos. The avocado dip is simple to make, with just a few ingredients and the aid of a food processor; it only requires very ripe avocados. You can spice the dip up by adding, e.g. cayenne pepper, chilli pepper or chipotle paste, finely chopped spring onion or coriander. Find the recipe here...

I could live on this beverage this summer. Watermelon Lemonade is delicious, naturally sweet, refreshing and has a beautiful vibrant pink colour. It’s better than anything you will find in the store! The lemonade is easy and quick to blend up. You need fresh and ripe watermelon, lemons, sugar or agave syrup for extra sweetness and sparkling water. Use sparkling wine instead of water, and you will get a fantastic watermelon cocktail.  Find the recipe here…

You will need a bit of practice rolling the waffle cones - most of them will crack or break at the beginning. But don’t give up; the whole process is worth trying because the homemade ice cream cones are divine. They are crunchy, flavourful, aromatic, not too sweet and totally free of food additives. An electric waffle cone maker is necessary for this recipe, but these machines are now relatively cheap and available online. The cone waffle batter is easy to prepare and consists only of a few simple ingredients. Find the recipe here.

You can vary the vegetables according to your taste or what’s in season and make this Tarte Tatin a great starter or accompaniment to any meat meal. I’ve used new root vegetables, onion, and chicory, a few pieces of chilli pepper, thyme leaves – as simple as that – and homemade rough puff pastry. Serve Roast Vegetables Tarte Tatin warm, with a glass of cold white wine. Find the recipe here...

Wild blueberry pie or wild blueberry dumplings served with sour cream were a staple of summer cuisine in Poland. My mother and grandmother bought them at a summer farmer's market, but they were also sold on little stalls by the roads in woodland areas. Wild Blueberries were delicious, funny – they made our smiles blue, always expensive, and their health benefits were appreciated in healthy juices and jams consumed in winter. But Wild Blueberries also make delicious ice cream of creamy texture, naturally sweet-sour flavour and beautiful vibrant colour. Find the recipe here…

Marzipan is a confection, usually used for icing birthday, wedding and Christmas cakes. It can also be used in biscuits and petit fours and cakes such as German Stollen. Marzipan consists mainly of sugar and almond flour, augmented with almond extract, rose water, and it’s easy and quick to make.  The homemade treat is much more delicious than the store-bought one as it contains up to half less sugar, and almond flour is much stronger in taste. Find the recipe here…

We are obsessed with herring in myriad forms. Pickled in vinegar or with onion in oil, creamed, fried, it’s served as a cold appetizer or a side dish at any time of year but especially at holiday times like Christmas Eve. This pickled herring should be prepared at least 5 days in advance as the fish needs time to develop its flavour and absorb the aromas of spices. The pickled herring can be served straight from the jar with pickled onions on rye bread, with various sauces and used as the main ingredient of cold salads. Find the recipe here…

A traditional polish delight is served usually on Christmas Eve. This meatless dish can be eaten on its own with a slice of bread or fill other traditional Christmas Eve meals – pierogi z grzybami (dumplings with sauerkraut and forest mushrooms). Sauerkraut is always prepared at least one week in advance as all flavours need time to combine and develop. We use porcini - the most delicious and aromatic wild mushrooms, a few dried prunes to balance the sour taste of fermented cabbage and a large glass of red wine that deepen the flavour of the dish. Find the recipe here…

Keks is a sponge cake with a high content of unsalted butter, packed with dried fruits and almond flakes. It’s baked in a loaf tin and then served generously dusted with icing sugar. Dried fruits – apricots, black currants, sultanas and raisins are soaked in a warm mixture of orange liqueur and orange juice with the addition of orange zest. Keks is buttery, sweet and moist, taste amazing both freshly baked and after a few days. The cake can be prepared in advance and kept tightly wrapped in baking paper and aluminium foil. Find the recipe here…

Vegetable Salad is a staple dish of Polish cuisine, served on many occasions and holidays. It's a delicious medley of root vegetables, complemented by sweet garden peas, crunchy apples, eggs, sour brine cucumbers, pungent leek, all blended with homemade mayonnaise. The salad is quite simple to make, but the whole process involves a lot of fine dicing: the finer dice, the better taste. Vegetable Salad is served cold, usually with sliced meat and bread for breakfast or lunch. Find the recipe here…

They are perfect: soft, sweet and spicy, with a hint of fruity flavour. They look outstanding and taste even better. The recipe is super easy, quick and versatile as you can adjust the spiciness to your liking if you are a fan of absolutely hot Mexican dishes. Just add the more chipotle paste and fresh chilli to the chicken marinade, and then spice up your side dishes: refried beans, salsa cruda or creamed corn. Believe me, these Mexican Spicy Mini Chicken Wings will be the centrepiece of your Mexican fiesta. Serve with tortillas, guacamole and sour cream. Find the recipe here…

Wonderfully crisp, extraordinarily delicious and super healthy. Danish crispbread - Knækbrød - makes a beautiful snack served with dips, spreads, and pâté; it can also be eaten for breakfast with butter and sweet toppings. Flat and very dry bread contains rye and spelt flour, rolled oats, sunflower, sesame and flax seeds with a small amount of water. It can be shaped round or broken into irregular pieces.  I find Knækbrød a fantastic and elegant starter served with pickled herring or a thin slice of smoked salmon. Find the recipe here….

This is not quite a usual spread. It makes a beautiful and elegant starter if served as a canapé with crispbread or sourdough crackers. It can also be eaten as a meal, for breakfast or small lunch, with warm toast or freshly baked bun. Smoked Trout Pâté is rich in flavour - creamy, lemony, with a hint of smokiness and a quite amount of fresh dill. And although you can find the pâté in every supermarket today, don’t buy it. It’s simple and quick to make – you need only 5 minutes to whip it up. Find the recipe here…

They are a popular dish served at Easter breakfast in Poland. They also make a delicious appetizer we are used to eating several times a year. Stuffed Eggs in Shells are delicious, comforting and simple to make; however, getting empty shells without breaking them is the most tricky part. The entire unpeeled egg is cut in half lengthwise after being hard-boiled, and the insides scooped, finely chopped and seasoned. The eggshells are stuffed back, topped with bread crumbs and fried in butter. They are best served hot with a slice of fresh bread. Find the recipe here...

Packed with bites of walnuts, reasonably sweet biscuits with a hint of saltiness go great with a morning coffee or an afternoon cuppa. But Hup Toh Soh - Chinese Walnut Biscuits, that symbolise happiness for the whole family are traditionally baked for Chinese New Year celebration. They're given as gifts or served to family and friends. The biscuits are round, slightly flat, have crackly edges and resemble walnuts, hence their name. They are so delicious that you will be whipping up at least a batch at any time of the year.  Find the recipe here...

This is one of the most popular dishes in Chinese cuisine. A clear bullion-like soup served with previously cooked, delicate, filled with pork and prawn dumplings – wontons. The word wonton means "swallowing clouds" and each region of China has different dumpling's sizes and shapes. The delicious wonton soup's secret is a thin dumpling dough that can hold the filling, and an aromatic, nutritious and natural bullion, cooked on good quality meat. The soup sometimes contains bok choi, carrot and noodles but I serve it well seasoned with sesame oil, soy sauce, and sprinkled with spring onions. Find the recipe here.

Crisp bottoms and juicy filling, these Vegetable and Mushroom Potstickers are my favourite dumplings. They're stuffed with carrot, Chinese leaves, Shitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots and fresh ginger filling that burst in the flavours of the sweetness combined with spiciness. The potstickers are pan-fried and steamed at the same time; thus, they're moist and crispy. Serve with a potsticker dipping sauce consisting of Chinese black vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and minced garlic, spiced up with a sriracha dash for an extra kick. Find the recipe here…

Chinese are famous for their dumplings called jiaozi. Steamed, cooked or fried, they come in various flavours, filled with vegetables, meat, fish and tofu. Jiaozi play a major role in Chinese New Year Celebrations - it is a classic lucky food for New Year that signifies family reunion, represent prosperity and wealth. Chinese New Year is upon us (falls on February, the 12th), which means we’re preparing to celebrate it with plenty appetizers such as Beef and Spring Onion Jiaozi – melting in the mouth extremely fragrant Chinese dumplings, served with spicy dipping sauce. Find the recipe here...

This is the classic Chinese Dumpling dough, generally for boiled dumplings (shui jia) and potstickers (guo tie) but I also use it - only thinly rolled - for wontons. This recipe calls for the equal amount of flour and water, and a generous pinch of salt which make the tougher dough that needs to rest at least 1 hour; however, the longer the dough is set aside and kept covered with a kitchen towel, the smoother and more springy will be. Freshly made dumpling wrappers needs to be used immediately as they become dry and difficult to shape. Find the recipe here…

They are extremely light, puffy and soft, filled with homemade plum jam and dunked in the lemon glaze. Polish traditional doughnuts - pączki (pronounced PAUNCH-key) - are our national treasure.  These sweet creations are made from enriched yeasted dough consisted of flour, eggs, fat, milk, then deep-fried (in oil or lard), stuffed with a sweet filling, glazed or sprinkled with powder sugar and eaten the same day. They're traditionally made for Fat Thursday, the last Thursday before Lent fasting begins. Everyone must have at least one doughnut on Fat Thursday. Find the recipe here…

It’s great to serve as the starter to share with friends or a healthy snack, but we eat it for breakfast as a spread with our homemade sourdough wholemeal or rye bread slices. Smoked mackerel pâté requires a few ingredients finely diced and chopped but is easy to whizz up and cost very little. The smokiness of mackerel, sharp flavour of lemon juice and tangy capers make the perfect balance enriched by aromatic springs of dill. The Pâté must be kept in the fridge and lasts chilled for a few days in an airtight container. It’s best a day after it's made. Find the recipe here…

Ice cream is not strictly for summer and just because it’s cold and dark outside, doesn’t mean you don’t want to enjoy this frosty treat. Cinnamon Ice Cream is a perfect partner for Apple Pie, a baked apple or any apple desserts commonly eaten in the wintertime. I used the cinnamon sticks to infuse the milk because they give the ice cream full and more complex flavour. The sticks were left in the cold custard overnight and removed just before the process. Cinnamon Ice Cream is delicious and smells insane. Find the recipe here….

We can’t imagine the Christmas Eve table without herring. It's usually served pickled in vinegar or oil with onions or with soured cream and finely diced apple. Herring tartare is a great option for having herring this Christmas differently. The tartare consist of Matjes fillet pickled in salted brine and soaked in water, gherkins, shallots, pickled mushrooms, spring onions, all combined with mustard and citrus sauce. The sour capers and red hot peppers give this small dish a kick. The herring tartare tastes great served on dark rye bread. Find the recipe here…

Mincemeat needs at least two weeks to macerate before using in mince pies. Dried fruits, almonds, spices and orange zest have enough time to soak beautifully in sherry, and their flavours become rich and complex. Although I’m not entirely against store-bought mincemeat as you can buy a very good one, but when is homemade its taste is completely different. Homemade mince meat is easy and quick. Cooking takes only 10 minutes, dried fruits, almonds are available at grocery stores, and you can control the amount of sugar which may be important. The homemade mincemeat can be made up to six months in advance. Find the recipe here….

The trick to this salad is to julienne vegetables thinly – the thinner stalks, the better taste - and homemade whole-egg mayonnaise sauce, free from unhealthy ingredients. Winter Root Vegetable Slaw is crunchy, flavourful and its sweetness comes from rich in minerals carrot, parsnip, celeriac and beetroot, so there is no need to add extra sugar. It’s delicious to serve with meat, burgers and sandwiches. For a vegan version of the salad, use vegan mayonnaise. Who says you can only make a coleslaw with a cabbage? Find the recipe here…

Gougères are cheese puffs made from choux pastry mixed with a generous amount of cheese. Gruyère is the classic choice but I also use Grana Padano, Cheddar, Emmental or Comté of good quality as the better quality the cheese, the better the Gougères. The cheese puffs can be served with soups or salads but they taste great filled with a savoury sauce, vegetable or meat and make wonderful finger food or canapé when you make them bite-sized. Find the recipe here…

This small dish brings together fresh flavours of seasonal vegetables: new potatoes and garden green peas. It can be served as a side dish, starter or partner food that tastes great with potatoes. Excellent cold but can be eaten warm. The recipe uses new potatoes which have a waxy structure and holds their shape when cooked, however, Jersey Royals or Charlotte Potatoes are good as well. Fresh garden peas still can be spotted in supermarkets or farmers markets but you will easily replace it with frozen petite poir. Find the recipe here…

The secret of this traditional Korean dish is good quality loin beef thinly sliced. The meat is marinated in sweet sauce and grilled on barbecue or stove in a frying pan. SoBulgogi has been cooked for thousands of years, is very popular in Korea and throughout the world, consumed in restaurants and at homes, during events and parties. The cooking method of SoBulgogi evolved and today varies by region. I met with Eun-Young Choi at Laurence Pidgeon Design to talk about traditional Korean food and learn of her favourite homemade dishes. Eun-Young comes from South Korea and lives in London. Find the recipe here...

Croissants are a family traditional treat and have been baked in my home since I remember. They are light, soft and have a beautiful crust due to the dough which is a combination of shortcrust pastry and yeasted dough. The croissants can be packed with anything you can think of: plum or strawberry jam, chocolate, caramel sauce or fresh apples in cinnamon. I love them with sweet cherries inside, sprinkled outside with icing sugar and served with vanilla custard on side. They're great for party, picnic, family event or an elegant afternoon tea plate. You will love them with your first bite. Find the recipe here….

This is basic homemade ice cream, very simple and natural. It’s a silky, luscious and classic custard-based treat, ideal for any accompaniment - chocolate, caramel, peanut butter. I enjoy Sweet Cream Ice Cream topped with fresh fruits or fresh fruits sauces because its natural sweetness makes a perfect combination with the semi-sour taste of fruits and both create an ideal contrast of flavours. This simple Sweet Cream Ice Cream can also make a fancy dessert, just needs elegant company – Picota Cherry and Red Wine Sauce. Find the recipe here…

There is an authentic jelly made with oranges and mandarins, sugar and gelatine. No artificial colouring and flavourings, no high fructose corn syrup. It’s entirely natural, bursting with the orange flavour and packed with fresh sweet chunks of mandarins. The home-made orange jelly is super easy and can be made a day-ahead - which may be useful if you want to serve it as a dessert at the party all year round. It's a great, tasty and quite healthy sweet treat for adults and children.  Find the recipe here…

Asparagus is a wonderful spring vegetable and considered to be one of the delicacies of the vegetable world. It’s good grilled and roasted, fried with exotic spices, with pasta and lasagne, in omelettes and soups. Fresh, crispy green shoots look exceptional in this elegant French quiche and their nutty flavour comes perfectly with the sweetness of roasted pepper semi-confit and savoury custard-based filling.  It is a perfect springtime appetizer, makes delicious light lunch. Find the recipe here…

Financiers are small cakes made of ground almonds, icing sugar, egg whites, flavoured with brown butter (beurre noisette). They are light, moist, and full of flavour, beautiful to look and so absurdly delicious to eat! Their outsides are browned and crispy, the insides - pillowy soft. The financiers are traditionally baked in small rectangular moulds and therefore they resemble bar of golds. I don’t have a dedicated financier tin so used a mini muffin pan which, believe me, doesn’t affect their taste and structure. The slightly tart raspberries are the perfect accompaniment to the sweetness of the sponges. Find the recipe here….

Pepper semi-confit is exceptionally versatile in the kitchen. It can be used as a topping for toast and as crostini spread, in sandwiches, omelettes, pasta sauces, tarts and quiche. It’s great over grilled fish and with roasted meat or potatoes. Pepper semi-confit is sweet and very aromatic because the olive oil used for this condiment is infused with thyme and garlic. Confit should be refrigerated before serving and can be kept in the frige for 2 weeks. Find the recipe here….

This is insanely delicious creamy mascarpone dessert, a totally mess-free, easy to make treat that requires very few ingredients. For the compote, I’ve used frozen wild blueberries because they have a beautiful tangy flavour, deep dark blue colour, bring a bit of summer at this time of the year. Its taste matches perfectly to the sweetness of the rich mascarpone cream and the buttery almond crumble. Alternate the layers of the crumble, cream and blueberry compote to compose beautiful and elegant little desserts perfect for the party. Find the recipe here…

Marinated feta cheese is a king of toppings. It’s served on salads and open toasts, with grilled meat and fried vegetables but also makes amazing finger food to serve for entertaining. Marinated cubes have a beautiful texture and fresh aromatic flavour which comes from spices, herbs and lemon. They taste as delightful as they look so I use them - along with pickled cucumber and black olives to make colourful easy-to-grab cocktail skewers. Find the recipe here…

Pickled cucumber is a delicious addition to charcuterie or cheese board, grate for serving alongside with burgers and sandwiches, as a cocktail condiment and a pickle on skewers. I like it pickled in slightly vinegary brine with aromatic spices: cloves, cardamom pod, mustard and caraway seeds, peppercorns and bay leaf. It has a nice fresh tangy flavour with a little kick and is great just after 3-4 hours in the brine. Pickled cucumber thinly sliced makes wonderful vegetable carpaccio which comes brilliantly with pâté or rillette. Find the recipe here…

I find this recipe easy enough to start an adventure with pretzels. It doesn’t call for a boiling water bath with baking soda which takes more time and requires a bit of experience to get the pretzels “wrinkles free”, slick and shine. The recipe lets the baker focus on mastering the pretzel twirls (which is quite important) as the formula is simple and the dough has a nice consistency to work with. I recommend preparing the pretzel dough a night before a baking day to allow the flavour to develop. The Soft Pretzels are perfect for breakfast, as an appetizer or snack. Great with butter, jam or any favourite dip. Find the recipe here…

Sausage Rolls are a staple of British food. They are a very popular snack available from bakeries, take-aways and supermarkets. One of the popular british bakery chains sell 2.5 million sausage rolls per week! An early version of the roll with pork filling was popular in London during the Napoleonic Wars and then recognized as an English dish. The sausage rolls are the best party food. They can be served with drinks, either straight from the oven or cold, with vegetable dips or relish. Great and easy snack for a coming Christmas party or Christmas. The sausage rolls can be prepared and cooked in advance, kept in the fridge and warmth through in the oven. Find the recipe here…

This is a menu for a casual come-and-go gathering on Halloween Night or after Trick-Or-Treating. Neither creepy nor spooky but frightfully delicious and based on seasonal and autumnal products. Here there are Orange Vivid Squash Soup served with Hot Parmesan Biscuits that warms up, filling Hot Pork Empanaditas, delicious Mushroom Tartlets for foodies and sweet aromatic Apple Muffins that are loved by everyone and always turn out well. The courses of the menu are quite simple but need some time to be prepared. Some of them can be made in advance. Find the recipes for perfectly arranged Halloween Dinner Menu here…

Great for a lunch served with a crunchy green salad, as a starter or a savoury bite for any occasion. The Mushroom Tartlets which are extremely delicious and flavoursome, combine flaky shortcrust cases and creamy filling. I used Chestnut Mushrooms which have great flavour and texture but if you have wild mushrooms at hand, use them - they would be even better. The Mushroom Tartlets are quite easy to make and assemble. The filling can be prepared ahead and shortcrust pastry would be more crusty and flaky if it’s kept in the fridge overnight. The homemade shortcrust pastry can be replaced with good quality store-bought one. Find the recipe here…

There are a million versions of gazpacho out there. Most of them call for garlic, oil and white bread blended with the vegetables. I prefer a lighter version of the Spanish cold soup, made of very fresh ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion and red pepper seasoned well with salt, cumin and sour cider vinegar. My refreshing gazpacho is served ice-cold with the vegetable garnish, a splash of extra virgin olive oil, Milano Salami and crunchy crackers or freshly baked white bread. The gazpacho is very good on its own, can be a good start to the main meal or as a light lunch on a hot summer day. Don't try to make the gazpacho in the winter as you will get the flavourless salad vegetable puree. Find the recipe here…

I like these simple flat and crunchy crackers because they are versatile and fancy. They are perfect pair for cheese and wine or a cheese and charcuterie board, great with dips made from pulses like hummus and peammus or fantastic as a classic snack with the seed topping. Homemade Crackers are simple to bake, the only challenge I can find is rolling the dough as thin and even as possible which ensures that they are crispy. I cut the crackers in advance but they also can be snapped into shards after baking – their irregular shapes look amazing in bread baskets. Find the recipe for Seed-Topped Crackers here