Fennel and Taleggio pie in shortcrust pastry made from scratch, totally worth the effort. Make twice as much pastry for the freezer!

Pasta potstickers, an Asian take on boring old filled pasta from the supermarket – a quick dinner made rather delightfully special.

Wild rice with sautéed king oyster mushrooms is an exquisite treat of earthy flavours, chewy textures and a burst of nutritional values.

Light rye bread, deli style which means it’s divine for sandwiches and makes wicked toast. All made within a few hours.

Roasted Romano peppers charred under the grill to skin and core them easily, marinated in an Ottolenghi-inspired dressing.

Hungarian flourless hazelnut torte, light nutty sponge layers filled with simple hazelnut buttercream and topped with chocolate swirls.

Basic white bread, a simple sandwich loaf made at home is miles better than any shop bought bread. Try it once, you’ll be converted.

Almond meringue layers filled with almond buttercream – that was the dessert beloved by Sweden and Norway king Oscar II.

Roast lamb shank basted with caper and anchovy butter is meltingly tender and flavoursome. Presented on a bed of cabbage, star of the show.

Andalusia, lemon and chocolate torte is the ultimate chocolate experience. A challenging, but possible to replicate Parisian confection.

Basque cake, le gâteau Basque on the French side and pastel vasco in Spain, a rich, buttery tart which comes plain or with a cream filling.

Butter beans with ham hock, a slow cooked stew of incredible flavours and richness, the ultimate comfort dish.

Spinach and blue cheese pancakes aka crêpes. European pancakes are thin and – you guessed it – flat as a pancake.

Malted and soured with malt vinegar, flavoured with coriander and caraway seeds, this recipe makes an excellent loaf of rye bread.

Haggis, neeps and tatties, traditional Scottish supper for Burns’ Night: it is Scottish oat sausage served with mashed potatoes and swede.

Monkfish is as ugly a beast as tasty its flesh is. It’s a lovely firm fish that can take on hefty flavours.

Yorkshire teacakes, with raisins or currants, toasted and buttered are the best tea time treat. And they are really easy to make.

Asparagus from a wok, stir fried with chillies, garlic and ginger – that vegetable can take the heat.

Salmon and sweet potato baked in tahini sauce is a quick and easy, delicious supper with flavours inspired by Sami Tamimi.

Fresh mackerel is lovely, especially when simply pan fried. All you need is a really hot pan and some sweet and sharp flavours.

Date porridge is naturally sweet, prepared the night before and cooked within minutes into chunky, nutritious and kick-ass breakfast.

Classic and simple, pound cake a.k.a. madeira cake is lovely, especially with an apricot jam glaze.