This grilled radicchio salad is bursting with flavours and works wonderfully as a winter starter. I usually make this radicchio recipe with 'gorgonzola piccante' but I had an excess of English stilton after Christmas which works equally well.

The unassuming purple and white radicchio is high in fibre, low in calories, and a great source of potassium.  I love raw spicy bitter radicchio in salads but radicchio truly shines when it is cooked. I roast, bbq, grill, and even stirfry radicchio. Griddling radicchio in this winter salad recipe will mellow it and bring out a sweet nutty aroma flavour that contrasts with the sharp blue cheese.

This zucchini and basil soup is green and fragrant - this delicious soup recipe is one of my go-to suppers. This healthy soup is bursting with healthy fibre, vitamins, and minerals. Ready in no-time this zucchini and basil soup is an easy supper. Choose smaller zucchini for a sweeter and more delicate flavour.

This aromatic pho style chicken soup is full of nourishing goodness on a cold winter's day. I make it with lots of green herbs, onion, and bean sprouts but you could also add shredded lettuce or any other vegetable that takes your fancy.  The chicken broth base is scented with lemongrass, ginger, and garlic and then finished off with fish sauce and lime juice.

This chicken pho soup recipe is influenced by many wonderful chicken noodle soups that I have eaten across Asia, but especially in Vietnam.

This whole roasted romanesco recipe is a show stopper, especially when you have vegan guests. The flavour that romanesco takes on when roasted is nuttier and crunchier that it’s cauliflower and broccoli cousins. If you can’t get romanesco this recipe also well with cauliflower.

Often called romanesco broccoli or romanesco cauliflower, romanesco is a hybrid believed to be created by Italian farmers in the 16th Century. it’s fractal appearance, making it look almost like a Fibonacci Christmas tree.

This smoked salmon pasta is divinely simple and takes less than 15 minutes. The creamy smokey sauce is quite luxurious but also comforting. This has been my go-to smoked salmon pasta since my student days in Switzerland and now my children love it too.

I come from a salmon country, in Ireland, we really love our smoked salmon and are lucky enough to have some of the finest salmon swimming in our waters. Salmon fishing  is tightly controlled to so as to protect the wild stocks; I remember how excited my brother was when he got his first license as a teenager.  I am such  a salmon devotee that I have been known to get whole sides of Irish smoked salmon shipped to Asia when I feel homesick. 

I love pomegranates so much that I regularly make this double pomegranate salad. It has both fresh zingy pomegranate seeds and the tangy-sweet unctuous pomegranate molasses in the dressing. If you have prepared pomegranate seeds, then this superfood salad can be ready in fifteen minutes. I serve this pomegranate salad as a side with grilled lamb or with extra feta as a stand-alone salad bowl for lunch. It is loosely inspired by the Persian Shirazi salad, which is popular in Iran.

This 15-minute pasta with crab recipe is deliciously light and luxurious but packs a taste punch with the earthiness of garlic, the heat of chili, the zing of lemon, and the savoury freshness of parsley. Crabmeat is high in protein and low in fat, making this a low calories pasta dish. This is such an easy dish to make but sophisticated enough to impress your guests.

This is my version of linguine al granchio or linguine with crab, which is typical of Venice and towns along the Adriatic coast. I think curly pasta holds a sauce like this better than smooth linguine so I used fusilli lunghi bucati or long curly fusilli, which is traditionally served with Neapolitan sauces but, hey, I’m not Italian, so it works for me in this crab pasta dish.

This is such a simple but beautiful salad. I love the combination of tart goat cheese with sweet honey and succulent grilled peaches. I added some pomegranate seeds for zing and pistachios for crunch, although almonds work equally as well. This is a delicious starter or lunch that goes well with a glass of rose, those from Domaines Ott being my favourites.

This bright green soup is literally bursting with vitamins and minerals. It’s easy to make and is such a nourishing immunity booster. Spinach is, of course, an excellent source of iron. Peppery watercress is powerhouse leafy vegetables, particularly rich in Vitamin K (Potassium) as well as vitamins A, E, and C, folate, calcium, and iron Studies have identified its antioxidant and phytochemicals as being helpful in the fights against cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis

The addition of the avocado makes for a smoother creamier soup as well as bringing all the good fats, vitamins of the little green nutrient bombs.

Beware - It took me a while to get this soup right as the watercress needs to be blanched in boiling water to remove its bitterness.

It all begins with an idea.

When it comes to brunch, you want something that is easy to make but still impresses your guests. This roasted asparagus dish with iberico ham and pecorino cheese is just the ticket. Not only is it easy to prepare, but it also features the rich, nutty flavor of iberico ham, a dry-cured Spanish ham that is considered one of the finest in the world. This dish is perfect for a lazy Sunday brunch or a special occasion. It's easy to prepare but looks and tastes impressive, thanks to the addition of the flavorful iberico ham and tangy pecorino cheese. Give it a try and see for yourself how simple it can be to create a restaurant-quality dish at home.

This crunchy fragrant winged bean salad gets so much depth from the coconut and cashews. This winged bean salad is one of my favourite southeast Asian salads and is a great option for vegan guests.