2 chilled soups (pea with mint (nigella lawson forever summer) and leek with lemon grass (waitrose cooking witht the seasons); served with a warm twice cooked cheese souffle (variation of a delia smith summer cooking theme).

Then chicken with lemon and garlic, with greeen beans

And dessert – has to be figs; 2 variations (obviously I’m in “duo” mode; figs baked in montbazillac; and figs stewed with cassis and spices (4 spices, ginger, cinnamon) served with almond macaroons (made in the newly acquired 20 year old Kenwood Chef – so easy!) and vanilla fromage frais.

On va se regaler!

Serves 6

2 tsp fennel seeds
1 star anise
50g butter
1kg fennel, finely sliced
2 medium onions, finely sliced
1 small potato, finely sliced
2 tbsp Pernod
750ml warm chicken stock (ideally fresh)
100ml double cream
Salt and cayenne pepper, to taste

Place the fennel seeds and star anise in a muslin bag and tie it up to make a bouquet garni. Set a large pan over a medium heat, melt the butter and cook the sliced fennel, onion and potato with the bouquet garni, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes, until slightly softened. Add the Pernod and bring to the boil for a couple of minutes to reduce it. Now add the warm stock to the vegetables, then simmer for 10minutes. Remove the bouquet garni. Blitz the soup using either a hand blender, a mouli-légumes or by putting batches in a food processor, then pass through a sieve. Return the soup to the pan, add the cream and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, season with salt and cayenne pepper to taste, and serve.

from Heston Blumenthal

Prep: 10 min plus chilling

Serves 4

1 litre natural low-fat yoghurt, well chilled
500g long ridged cucumber
500ml iced water or vegetable stock
1 tsp sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
Half tsp finely chopped mint
2 tbsp finely chopped dill
1 garlic clove, crushed
Fresh mint sprigs for serving

Method: Peel the cucumber and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon and discard. Finely chop the flesh. Combine the yoghurt, iced water or stock, sea salt and pepper in a liquidiser or blender (more successful than a food processor, which leaves it slightly bitty). Add the dried mint, dill, garlic and all but 1 tbsp of the diced cucumber, and whiz until pale green, smooth and frothy. Chill for at least an hour and serve in small, chilled bowls.

Add the reserved cucumber and top with a sprig of fresh mint.

Serves 4
Prep 15mins
Cook 30mins

1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 small leek, roughly chopped
30g root ginger, peeled and grated
Good knob of butter
1kg butternut squash
500ml vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1tbsp pumpkin seeds, toasted

METHOD

Gently cook the onion, leek and ginger in the butter until soft. Peel, seed and chop the squash and add to the pan with the stock. Bring to the boil, add salt and pepper and simmer for 20min. Blend in a liquidiser, then strain through a sieve. Reheat the soup and adjust the consistency with stock or water. Serve immediately with pumpkin seeds.

# The Simple Art of Marrying Food & Wine, Mitchell Beazley, £20.