Grains

Risotto 225g
RRP £3.95

Just add water. Cooking times 15 minutes. Bring to boil, turn down heat and simmer uncovered 12 minutes stirring regularly to prevent sticking. Remove from heat, add butter or olive oil and cheese where required. Re-cover and allow to rest three minutes before servng. Serves two

Mushroom

North Italy’s favourite recipe for risotto. We use porcini mushrooms harvested in the wild in the rugged forests and hills around the city of Parma. Not surprisingly this risotto loves Parmigiano Reggiano cheese added at the end of cooking with some unsalted butter.

Pumpkin

Golden-yellow Italian pumpkin, creamy pine-nuts and a touch of parsley make a delicious, slightly sweet combination that’s delicious with good-quality sausages, roasted meats and roasted vegetables. Also loves grated cheese but try a sharp Pecorino rather than sweet Parmesan to balance the flavours.

Arrabbiata

Inspired by the famous sauce we’ve used tomatoes, olives and basil and just enough chilli to give your meal a kick without making your tastebuds ‘angry’ (arrabbiate). Try it with gutsy Southern Mediterranean combinations: grilled tuna steak, barbecues or spicy sausages.

Almost like a paella this risotto is robust with aubergine and red pepper, sunny yellow with turmeric, warm with spices and spiked with fennel seed (a favourite Sicilian flavour). Eat it like a paella with seafood or chunks of sausage. Dress it with olive oil rather than butter.

Couscous 200g
RRP £3.75

Pour on boiling water. Leave 5 minutes then fluff with a fork to mix ingredients an break up any lumps. Dress with olive oil, fluff again, leave 5 more minutes and serve. Serves four

In the ‘Royal’ tradition of Moroccan cuisine this couscous uses fruits, nuts and complex spices to deliver a depth of flavour that goes with rich tagines and stews. Try it with Chicken Tagine with olives and preserved lemon (Djej Makali) or lamb tagine spiced with Ras-el-Hanout.

The spicy Tunisian sauce called Harissa is a big favourite of ours. It’s a blend of chilli, garlic, pepper and spices ground up with oil and used to season all kinds of dishes including couscous. Our version uses these same spices in their original form to create a spicy accompaniment to simple roasts or grills. Veggies will love it with spiced chickpea stews made with pumpkin or courgettes and tomatoes.

Couscous Maroque

Empty contents into a pan with water, bring to boil, simmer uncovered 10 minutes. Dress with olive oil, serve. Serves two.
Actually pearl-size grains of toasted pasta (though referred to as a couscous) this is a favourite in North Africa where it’s called Mograbiah. Our version with tomatoes and olives complemented by traditional Moroccan seasonings cooks in just ten minutes and is delicious dressed with good olive oil and served with grills – meat or fish.

Pilaff 225g
RRP £3.75

Add water, bring to boil, simmer covered 12 minutes, Dress with olive oil and fluff with a fork. Serve. Serves two/four

Bulghur wheat is the main alternative to rice in Turkey and this fluffly, nutty pilaff cooks so easily in just over ten minutes. We use real Turkish tomatoes and hazelnuts with sumach and spices to make a versatile pilaff that’s delicious hot with lamb or roast vegetables and superb cold as the base of a salad: try it with crumbled feta, chopped tomatoes and parsley.

Puddings

Rice pudding 160g
RRP £2.99

Add full-cream milk and bake in the oven for two hours or until you have a soft-set pudding with a light skin on to serve up to six.

Chocolate

Plain chocolate curls, rich cocoa and a little cinnamon make a delicious, simple family pudding or a dinner party dessert. Scoff it down as it is or dress it up with poached pears. You can even freeze it (churn it up every half hour till solid) and serve it as a Summer ice-cream.

Lavender

Long infusion in milk is the secret to cooking with lavender so this pudding is the perfect way to enjoy an old-fashioned English flavouring ingredient. Try it warm with poached peaches or cold with simple Summer berries dredged with sugar.

Seville

Inspired by the lush rice desserts of Andalucia our very grown-up pudding uses real bitter orange peel, almonds, vine fruits, cinnamon and clove. Try it with warmed Seville orange marmalade or raisins soaked in Pedro Ximenez sherry.

Fruit Compôte 200g
RRP £2.99

Add orange juice and honey. Bring to boil covered and simmer covered 15 minutes. Remove lid and simmer fast five minutes until the liquid is reduced. Serves four

Spiced Fig

We first made this for friends and family using ingredients from the store cupboard then on the market stall where it got an enthusiastic following. It’s rich, sticky and spicy and you only need four or five figs per person with really good vanilla or cinnamon ice cream to make an amazing dessert.