Thinking back to our wonderful holiday in Spain last summer and all the delicious tapas we ate in Seville, I decided to have a go at making croquettes and try to recreate that lovely holiday feel. The croquettes had to be 'make ahead' as no one wants to be deep frying at the last minute. I finally got there with this recipe. It really is a genius idea. The panko crumbs are fried before coating the croquettes, so you get a fried taste without a big frying job. It really doe

This hummus recipe is quick and easy. All the ingredients are simply thrown in a food processor, whizzed round a bit and its ready. The bright orange colour makes for quite a dramatic picture, but the taste is just what you would expect, the comfort of sesame, the depth and smokiness of cumin but with the addition of the sweetness of red peppers. Healthy, gluten free and suitable for vegans. For us it is a winner - hope you like it too. Ingredients 2 red peppers 1 x 400g can

This easy recipe is great for a Valentine treat, but it is equally good for other occasions. It can be made small as a sweet canapé but is also delicious a little larger as a dessert. Make up ahead and store uncooked in the fridge until ready to bake for 8-10 minutes or so. It’s almost as good served cold too. Ingredients - serves 6 main or 12 canapé sized 1 pack Jus-roll puff pastry 1 block ready made white marzipan 1 egg, beaten 25g butter, melted 25g caster sugar 1 or 2

When it is cold outside a tiny cup of a delicious smooth soup is a great way to warm up your guests as they arrive. This pea, watercress and pear soup fits the Canapease bill perfectly. It’s quick and easy, make ahead, it freezes and the addition of pear gives it a more complex flavour than a simple pea soup. It’s also good cold, as we did for the photo - we couldn’t resist a picture in the beautiful snow. Give it a try. It makes a delicious starter or lunch dish too. Ing