In a small mixing bowl, mix together 4 tbsp tahini paste with 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 small garlic clove, grated, and ½ tsp salt. It will seize up, but don’t worry, that’s normal.

Whisk in 3 tbsp cold water, 1 tbsp at a time, till it turns smooth and pale. Add more water as required to make the consistency thick but pourable (like double cream).

Taste and add more lemon or salt as required.

To serve: fill a warm pita bread with some malfouf (Lebanese cabbage salad), some crisp and warm falafels and a good drizzle of tahini sauce.

Half-fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the juice of ½ a lime, 40ml tequila, 20ml Cointreau, and 10ml spiced hibiscus syrup. Shake till the shaker becomes cold to the touch. 

Strain into a glass half-filled with ice.

Serves 1.

Heat 1 tsp olive oil and 2 tsp plant butter in a soup pot and add 1 shallot, finely chopped, stirring over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add 1 garlic clove, chopped and stir for a minute.

Add 200g potatoes, washed and diced* and 250ml water. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender when poked with the tip of a sharp knife – about 10 minutes.

Add the washed radish tops off one bundle of radishes (about 2 cups lightly packed) and 250ml vegetable stock. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the leaves are wilted and cooked through.

Turn off the heat and add 1 tsp Dijon mustard and 45ml plant-based cream. Puree till smooth using an immersion blender.

* I like to pass the soup through a fine mesh strainer to remove the fibrous bits of the radish tops, which also avoids having to peel the potatoes.

Serve with sourdough croutons.

Makes 500ml and serves 2-3.

Note: For a non-vegan version, use dairy butter and cream, as well as chicken stock.

Serves 4-6.

Put 1 whole unwaxed lemon in a pan with water to cover. Put a smaller lid on top to keep it submerged. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until very soft. Drain and chop finely (removing the pits).

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix the juice of 1 lemon, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tbsp honey, 125ml white wine and some salt & pepper Add in 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped, along with 6-8 chicken thighs (1-1.3kg) and coat in the liquid.

Arrange the chicken thighs in a baking dish in which they sit snugly, fitting in 150g pitted green olives and the boiled lemon pieces in between. Pour the liquid contents of the bowl all over. Bake for 1 hour at 180 °C. or until the chicken is well browned and cooked through.

In the meantime, prepare the couscous. The quantities are for 4 people. Pour 250g couscous into a large baking dish. Add ½ tsp salt to 300ml warm water and gradually pour this all over the couscous, stirring so that it will be absorbed evenly. Leave to swell for 10 minutes, stir, then mix in 1 tbsp olive oil and rub the couscous between your fingers to aerate the grains and break up any lumps.

Cover with foil and place in the oven below the chicken for the last 10-15 minutes of the cooking time.

Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Variation: You can add stored-bought frozen artichoke bottoms to the dish (when you add the olives).

Combine 4 cups (800g) sugar with 4 cups (1L) water, 1 cup (110g) fresh ginger, julienned, 1 tsp cloves, 1 cinnamon stick and 1 star anise in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

Turn off the heat and let steep for 10 minutes. Stir in ¾ cup (30g) dried hibiscus petals and let steep 35 minutes.

Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, cool and refrigerate.

Makes around 1.5 litres of syrup.

Serve with sparkling water (you can also add fresh mint). Add to cocktails (works best with white rum, tequila, or vodka-based cocktails.

Wash and dry the peelings of 5 medium potatoes. Place in a mixing bowl, and toss together with a good drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and some smoked paprika.

Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes at 200 °C until crisp and golden.

Fill a cocktail glass with ice and water to chill.

Meanwhile, half-fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the juice of ½ a lime and ½ an orange, 40ml tequila, 20ml Cointreau, and 10ml cranberry syrup (Cocktail Porter also makes a great cranberry & blood orange syrup). Shake till the shaker becomes cold to the touch. 

Drain the cocktail glass of the ice and water and strain in the cocktail.

Serves 1.

Pulverise 200g panettone (I used a chocolate chip panettone) in a food processor to make about 2 cups crumbs.

Add 150g (1 cup) roasted walnuts and pulverise.

Add 130g (1 cup) icing sugar and 3 tbsp cocoa powder and pulverise.

Add 125ml (½ cup) rum, 2 tbsp date molasses (or honey), and pulse until well-combined.

Scrape into a bowl and leave to rest 4 hours, uncovered, to dry out a bit.

Scoop and roll into smallish balls (should make about 30). Dust with icing sugar just before serving.

Make ahead and freeze until ready to use. Defrosts quickly. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.

Blitz 200g chopped panettone (I had a chocolate chip panettone) in a food processor to make crumbs.

In a small saucepan, gently warm 80ml double (or single) cream until it just starts to boil. Take the pan off the heat and stir in 160g chopped dark chocolate until melted and well incorporated into a thick sauce.

Add to the food processor and mix to combine. Let chill 15 minutes before forming into small balls (to make 40).

Chill again until solid (about 30 minutes), and then roll each in cocoa powder to coat.

Make ahead: freeze the balls after rolling and remove from the freezer 1 hour before serving, and roll in cocoa powder once defrosted.

Makes 40 small truffles.

On a baking sheet, mix together 1 orange Romanesco cauliflower*(cut into florets), 1 can/240g drained chickpeas (set aside the liquid for later), 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks, and 5 garlic cloves, unpeeled, with 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp paprika and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Transfer to the oven (set at 200 °C) and roast for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through the cooking time. Let cool for a few minutes before peeling the garlic cloves.

Meanwhile, bring 1 litre of vegetable broth and the reserved chickpea water to a slow simmer, and then add the roasted vegetable mixture. Purée the soup using an immersion blender or a stand blender. At this point, I like to strain the soup through a fine wire mesh strainer for a smoother consistency – but feel free to omit this step for a chunkier soup.

Stir in 125ml plant-based cream (or single cream). If the soup is still too thick, dilute it with a bit of water to the desired thickness.

Serve in bowls sprinkled with some thyme-flavoured croutons and a drizzle of smoked harissa oil (mixing together 1 tsp smoked harissa with 1 tbsp olive oil).

Serves 4.

* Substitute with a white cauliflower.