Three sauces

Maple-butter Sauce with toasted pecans

50g pecans

75g slightly salted butter

200ml maple syrup (preferably Grade B)

120ml double cream

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Spread the pecans out on a baking tray and toast for about 5 minutes, or until a shade darker and fragrant. Set aside to cool, then chop quite finely. Melt the butter in a saucepan with the maple syrup and cream. Bring the mixture up to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the toasted pecans. Serve hot.

classic chocolate-fudge Sauce

* 100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped * 150ml sweetened condensed milk

* 5 tbsp milk (can be whole or semi-skimmed) * 25g slightly salted butter, softened Put the chopped chocolate and condensed milk in a saucepan and heat through very gently, stirring often, until smooth. Don’t be tempted to increase the heat or the chocolate will catch and go grainy. Beat in the milk, then beat in the butter to make a smooth, glossy sauce. Serve hot.

Summer berry-balsamic Sauce

* 500g mixed summer berries (eg. raspberries, blueberries and hulled and halved strawberries)

* 60g golden caster sugar

* ½ vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped out

* 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and set over a medium heat. Warm through, stirring gently, for 3-4 minutes, until the berries just begin to soften, but still hold their basic shape. Remove from the heat and serve hot or cold, removing the vanilla pod before doing so.