This chicken, corn and noodle soup comes from Singapore and Malaysia where slurping is considered essential.

INGREDIENTS
110g pad Thai rice noodles
2 tsp sunflower oil
1 small onion (90g), finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp mild curry paste
1 tbsp soft light brown sugar
400ml tin coconut milk
250ml chicken stock
2 tsp soy sauce

A friend’s daughter spent her gap year working as a waitress in a London pub. Seeing fresh mint growing in abundance in my garden, she decided it was time to create one of her famous minty cocktails, which doubled up as a refreshing frozen dessert. After a scoop of this the day seems a whole lot less stressful.

Ingredients
60ml water
Juice of 1 lemon
200g sugar
2 large fresh pineapples

The honeycomb in this icey dessert makes it a real treat. It is so popular with my family that I have to make a double batch otherwise they tend to fight over it. When you are making it, be brave and simmer the golden syrup and sugar long enough so that it gets a nice rich, deep amber — it gives the honeycomb a great flavour.

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

This is a delicious refreshing ice cream — ideal after an oriental meal. Its creamy texture comes from the coconut milk. Great if you have an abundance of desiccated coconut still left over from Passover. It will keep in the freezer for up to one month.

Preparation: 10 minutes plus 3 hours freezing
Cooking: 20 minutes
Serves 8–10

Ingredients
400 ml coconut milk

This is a refreshing low fat parev summer soup. It is a great way to start a barbecue or perfect for when you are entertaining, as it is easy to serve and very quick to make. It looks great served in small tumblers or, alternatively, in shot glasses. Garnish the glass rim with lime zest. Add finely chopped avocado and cherry tomato before serving.

Jam is a lovely way of preserving some of our beautiful summer fruits. Making jam needs no special equipment, although you may find a jam funnel useful for the hot jars to prevent the jam dribbling down the sides.

Preparation time : 10 minutes. Cooking time: 45-55 minutes, Makes 1 x750ml jar or 3 x 250ml jars

INGREDIENTS
1kg blackcurrants, stalks removed
750g jam sugar

This is a simple tray-bake using seasonal English cherries. It is kept very moist by using mild olive oil or vegetable oil in place of butter and with the addition of ground almonds.
Any stone fruit would be suitable, too — Victoria plums or apricots perhaps, stones removed, sliced in half and scattered over the batter.

INGREDIENTS
225g caster sugar
4 large, free range eggs

I hate seeing someone order a glass of white wine as an aperitif. Ordinary table wine was not invented to be drunk on its own. Unless it's being used for kiddush, its purpose is to accompany food.

I make individual portions and garnish them with berries and tuile straws scattered with black sesame seeds. A quarter of the recipe makes 4 mini cakes, 7.5cm wide.

Ingredients
For the base:
250g digestive biscuits
50g melted butter

For the topping:
200g sour cream
40g Icing sugar

For the cheesecake :
200g Philadelphia cheese
40g caster sugar
½ vanilla pod
2 eggs

Finally we are into the best season of the year for locally grown fresh produce. This dish makes the most of all the gorgeous vegetables that are now appearing. Use as many colours as you can. I used red, green and orange peppers and green tomatoes from Borough Market. Pistachios intensify the green colour of the pesto and add an unusual flavour.

Serves 6

Ingredients