Try these: caramel ripple brownies. A combination of dense, bittersweet chocolate brownie rippled with veins of sweet vanilla-scented baked cheesecake.

This is one of those useful recipes which uses only a small amount of flour and converts superbly to gluten-free. I swapped 50g of plain flour with 40g of all-purpose gluten free flour (i like Dove Farm's version), and there was no difference from the straight version i had previously made. A small piece is all you need as it is stunningly intense, although it worked very well as the second course of a lazy lunch, following this glorious gratin by Peter Gordon.

As much as i adore potato dauphinoise, i can't contemplate eating much of the rich cream bake. As an alternative, i prefer a gratin made with layers of potato, celeriac and leek with a salty note of feta and sage, cooked with only a small amount of water in a carefully sealed parcel. Light, and gloriously moreish without that sinking feeling.

Nigella Lawson's spanish macaroons; ground almonds, egg whites and a generous grating of orange zest. Oh, and don't forget the sugar (which i did, but fortunately i whipped them out of the oven in time, and remixed and rerolled .. yes, it is a very obliging recipe).

I made a large batch of these for a party; they have a satisfying crunch on the outside, chewy and moist in the middle. Any remaining will be frozen as they defrost quickly (with no ill-effect) for emergency snacking.

Probably the best chocolate cookie recipe ever created.

Eggs and sugar whisked to a thick foam consume an obscene amount of melted dark chocolate and butter. Gently folded together, the pretty marbled effect becomes a dense earthy batter which solidifies into a divinely scented truffled cookie dough, and 12 minutes later, out of my oven come these perfect crackled moist biscuits.

Lemon-scented maderia cake, perfectly risen with a slight bounce at the press of a fingertip. Tonight i am icing it .. life is too short for fiddling with fondant, but i am not incapable of slavering the top with a blanket of coloured sugar, a toy and some sweets.


At some point i shall have to slice it horizontally and layer with butter icing. Or maybe jam. Or chocolate ganache.

cheese stuffed tortellini, with bacon strips and Matt's homemade tomato sauce, plenty of parmesan and a knob of butter.

pudding was a mix of chocolate raisins, mandarin and a biscuit.

Large tin of French Cassolet, baked in a dish with a hat of sliced potato. Carrots and peas.

Angel delight with a cinnamon biscuit.

special request: oven chips and 2 fried eggs, with baked beans. Jelly and fruit with chocolate sprinkles for pudding.

spaghetti with grated carrot, butter, parmesan and big flakes of smoked mackeral. A large belgian caramel waffle for pudding.

macdonalds ... but we had had BBQ steak, sausages, chicken with peas, carrots and brocolli and oven chips mid afternoon with grandpa and grandma. Chocolate Truffle cake and blueberry ice cream for pudding

homemade meatballs (beef, apple and carrot) with spaghetti and parmesan. Chocolate truffle cake for pudding.

Nigella Lawson's beef with anchovy casserole, mashed potato. Chocolate trifle for pudding

Roast Pork, roast potatoes, carrots, leeks, brocolli and apple sauce with
lashings of gravy.

Chocolate Truffle cake

fish fillets poached in milk, with bay and peppercorns, then placed under a grill with a breadcrumb and parmesan hat. Roast marrow with oregano and coriander (yum) and long grain rain (cooked in milk/water poaching liquid from fish).

paella made with .. celery, onion, green peppers, roast aubergine, black forest ham and yesterday's leftover chicken.

cold crumble and hot custard for pudding.

Roast chicken with roast potatoes and parsnips, carrots.

Blackberry and apple crumble for pudding

Oven chips, hot dogs, corn on the cob, and a fried egg on top. yogurts for pudding.

Fish cakes made from leftover mash potato, a tin of tuna and some sweetcorn, served with baked beans.

Afternoon tea with Uncle Ted: sandwiches, home cooked crisps, tomatoes and cucumber sticks, followed by Birthday Cheesecake (lemon and orange baked cheesecake)

Nigella Lawson's Beef with anchovies and thyme, mashed potato, savoy cabbage and carrots.

Gluten free brownies with chocolate angel delight, cream and raspberries.

Yes, a special tea time today.

Risi e Bisi, but made with asparagus, not peas. (sophie grigson)

no pudding today - they had chocolate earlier.

Pasta bows with a sauce of chopped onion, bacon, a large plum tomato and some juice, and a tin of flaked tuna, with added sweetcorn. Lots of parmesan.

yoghurts.

Sausages (Farmer black's gluten-free), roasted with 2 large overblown courgettes, carrots, green beans, mashed potato.

can't remember whether we had pudding.

Swimming night, so needed to be quick and filling.

Oven chips, bacon and a fried egg, baked beans. Sweetcorn nobs with butter.

Raspberry angel delight