Everyone likes to be cooked for and people appreciate it when you have gone to the effort of making them something special.
Garlic roasted honey and lemon chicken: I use industrial quantities of garlic, then squeeze honey and lemon juice over the bird.
Chocolate: I walk everywhere so I feel that I have “earned” a daily treat of chocolate.
Smoked salmon: Salmon strips drizzled with oil and dill goes well with crunchy fennel.
Honeycomb ice cream: It’s creamy but not cloyingly sweet, and, even allowing time for making the honeycomb, it can be whipped up in minutes by the most basic cook.
Pasta with pesto: pungent basil mingles with salty, lactic Parmesan, sweet pine nuts and fruity olive oil.
Garlic not only adds flavour but contains phytochemicals thought to have heart-protective and anti-cancer benefits. Garlic should be chopped and allowed to stand for 10-15 minutes to allow phytochemicals to develop.
Dark chocolate with high cocoa solids (ideally 70 per cent) provides the highest anti-oxidant flavanol content, as well as iron, copper and magnesium.
Ultra-rich ice-creams such as this one are best kept for special occasions.
Although pesto is high in fat, the intense flavours of the ingredients mean you need only use a small amount to coat the pasta.
Salmon is rich in omega 3 oils which are valuable for their anti-clotting, anti-inflammatory effect. Penelope’s addition of an oil-based vinaigrette dressing over the smoked salmon may not appeal to those who are aiming to reduce their fat intake.