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PEA AND BACON SOUP Ingredients: (Serves 4) 30g unsalted butter 4 spring onions, chopped 500g frozen petits pois 500ml vegetable stock, plus extra if needed 1tbsp lemon juice, or to taste Pinch of sugar, or to taste Salt and freshly ground white pepper 6 rashers of smoked streaky bacon (optional) Method: 1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a low heat. Add the spring onions and cook until softened but not coloured. 2. Tip in the petits pois and stock and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about five minutes, or until the peas are tender. 3. Using a blender or a hand-held blender, whizz until smooth (only half-fill the blender and be careful, as hot soup scalds). Add more stock if you’d like a thinner soup. 4. Stir in the lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper, then taste and adjust all these seasonings to taste. 5. Grill the bacon (if using) until nice and crisp. You can do this ahead of time and keep it on a piece of kitchen paper, so it stays crisp. 6. Ladle the soup into four warmed bowls and crumble over the bacon. PRETEND PAELLA Ingredients: (Serves 4) 2-3tbsp olive oil 2 onions, sliced 3 medium tomatoes, cut into 8 3-6 garlic cloves, finely chopped 300g basmati rice Pinch of saffron threads 1 heaped tsp smoked paprika (optional) 150ml dry sherry or white wine 400ml hot fish stock (from a cube is fine) 400g pack of frozen seafood mix 100g frozen peas Lemon wedges, to serve Handful of chopped parsley leaves, to serve Method: 1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook for two to three minutes, stirring, until softened. Add the tomatoes and stir. 2. Add the rice, saffron and paprika (if using), and stir for one minute. 3. Pour in the sherry or wine. Increase the heat to bring up to the bubble for one minute, stirring to burn off the alcohol, then reduce the heat to medium. 4. Add the stock and seafood mix, cover, and simmer very gently for 15 minutes over a low heat, or until the rice and fish are cooked. Add the peas three minutes before the end. Don’t stir. 5. When the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, you’re ready to go, with a good squeeze from the lemon wedges, and a flourish of chopped parsley. Tip: Feel free to add chunks of fried chorizo, if you eat meat. MARSHMALLOWY FLUFFY PAVLOVA Ingredients: (Serves 6-8) For the meringue: 2tsp raspberry vinegar or white wine vinegar, plus extra for cleaning the bowl Lemon juice, for cleaning the bowl (optional) 4 large egg whites, at room temperature 225g caster sugar 2 level tsp cornflour For the cream: 350ml double cream, chilled 1tsp vanilla extract (optional; don’t worry if you haven’t got any) 2tbsp icing sugar, sifted (optional), plus extra for dusting For the topping: Blueberries, raspberries and strawberries Method: 1. On a large piece of baking parchment, draw around a 23cm dinner plate with a pencil. Turn the parchment over so it’s pencil-side down and place on a baking tray. Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F/ Gas 2). 2. Clean a large glass or metal bowl with a little bit of vinegar or lemon juice. 3. Separate the eggs, ensuring the whites are completely free of yolk. Pour the egg whites into the super-clean bowl. 4. Using an electric whisk, beat the egg whites on a slow speed, then gradually increase the speed to medium until they reach the soft peak stage. 5. Increase the speed of the whisk to its highest, then, whisking continuously, add the sugar, a spoonful at a time, until the meringue is shiny and the sugar thoroughly mixed in. If you were to hold the whisk upside-down now, the meringue would stand up in proud (stiff) peaks. 6. In a cup, whisk together the vinegar and cornflour until smooth. Whisk this mixture into the meringue. 7. Spread the meringue to fill the baking parchment circle, building up the sides so that they stand higher than the middle. Place in the oven and bake for one hour. Once baked, turn off the oven and leave the door ajar. Leave the pavlova inside the oven until it has cooled completely. This stops it from cracking. 8. Combine the chilled cream with the vanilla extract and icing sugar (if using) in a large bowl. Beat on a low setting using an electric whisk, then gradually increase the speed to medium and whisk just until the cream increases in volume and begins to stiffen, but still has soft peaks. Dollop the cream into the centre of the cooled pavlova. 9. Scatter the blueberries, raspberries and strawberries over the cream and dust with icing sugar. Ta-Dah!