Recipe of the Week

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Iced fruit ‘soups’ make a refreshing starter. Process the flesh of a couple of ripe Canteloupe melons with fresh lime juice, black pepper, grated fresh ginger and a few ice cubes. A strawberry soup - the fruit whizzed with a glass of sweet white wine such as Monbazillac and finished with a swirl of creme fraiche - is a lovely summer pudding.

Marinate fillets of trout and serve in the Oriental fashion. Mix together some soy sauce, sesame oil, grated fresh ginger, a pinch of sugar and a shake of chilli sauce. Lay the fillets in this mixture for 15 minutes, before quickly frying them in the marinade. Serve with plain boiled rice and a cucumber salad, seasoned with white wine vinegar.

Courgettes work well grilled and marinated Moroccan-style with spices. Serve as a side dish for lamb chops or as a starter. Slice your courgettes thinly lengthways and quickly fry them (no more than a minute each side) in a little olive oil. Whisk together more olive oil with lemon juice, salt, chilli powder, paprika and ground cumin, pour over the courgettes and sprinkle with fresh coriander.

Fresh goat’s cheese makes a good dinner-party pud when served with a raspberry puree. Slice your goat’s cheese, whizz fresh raspberries with a sprinkling of sugar and a grind of black pepper, and pour over the cheese. Chill briefly and serve with a sprig of mint.

The new season’s cherries are excellent briefly tossed in a pan with a tablespoon of redcurrant jelly, a teaspoon of brown sugar, and a glass of red wine. Serve poured over a generous dollop of vanilla ice cream.

Iced almond and garlic soup is a cooling summer starter from Andalucia. Process a packet of ground almonds with a few whole cloves of peeled garlic, a couple of thick slices of stale white bread (you need real bread here, not sliced) and a splash of white wine vinegar and olive oil. Add just enough water for a thick consistency. Chill for half an hour and serve with ice cubes, halved white grapes and a few sprigs of mint.

Make an Italian lemon pudding by finely grating the zest of an unwaxed lemon and adding it, and the juice of the fruit, to a tub of mascarpone. Whisk together with sugar to taste, then crumble in some amaretti biscuits to give texture. Spoon into glasses, chill before serving and finish with a grating of bitter chocolate.

Spice up cooked cold salmon by flaking it and mixing with chopped fresh ginger and spring onion. Add a couple of peeled chopped pears, of a crisp variety. Make a dressing with dark soy sauce, sugar, white wine vinegar and sesame oil, pour over the salmon and fruit and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Top with toasted sesame seeds and eat with boiled rice.