Maille Mustard sent me summer recipes for two of my favourite things – prawns and fish! These five-ingredient recipes are quick and easy and I’ve long been a fan of cooking fish in foil. They work both in the oven and on grill – so perfect regardless of what the weather chooses to do.

Maille® Honey & Mustard Prawn Skewers (snap right)
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
12 raw and peeled tiger prawns
1 tbsp Maille® Dijon Mustard
Juice of a lime
2 tsp runny honey
Good pinch of chilli flakes
Potato salad and leafy salad for serving

Store:
Extra virgin olive oil

Method
De-vein prawns by slitting them down the back and removing the tract. Place in a bowl. Mix Maille® Dijon Mustard, lime juice, honey, and chilli flakes in a bowl and pour over prawns. Toss well, so all prawns are covered, then cover and leave in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Remove from fridge and load onto skewers – 3 per person.

On the barbecue, simply place them on the grill and turn after 1 minute. Don’t overcook. If it rains, heat oil in a non-stick pan and place skewers in. Cook around 1 minute each side – or until prawns turn pink.

Serve with potato salad and a leafy salad.

Maille® Fish in Foil (snap above)

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
16 spears asparagus
4 x 150g/6oz fillets of sustainable white fish
8 tsp Maille® Wholegrain Mustard
8 thin lemon slices
4 glasses dry white wine

Buttery new potatoes for serving

Method
First prepare the asparagus. Take each spear and snap off at the bottom end – it will break in the natural place where the tough stalk ends and the tender spear starts. Reserve.

Place a sheet of foil large enough to enclose each fish fillet in a parcel on a worktop. Spread each fish fillet with 2 tsp Maille® Wholegrain Mustard and place on a sheet of foil, top with lemon slices. Bring long sides of the foil up to enclose, pour in a glass of wine in each parcel then seal foil.

Place parcels on the barbecue turning half way through cooking (cooking time will depend on barbecue but check after ten minutes or so). Cook asparagus separately on the barbecue or steam.

If cooking in the oven, include asparagus in the parcel and place on a baking sheet in a pre heated oven Gas 6 / 200C / 400F for 30 minutes.

Serve either in the foil, so guests open it on their plates, or open the foil and lift on to warm plates. Spoon over juices and serve with buttery new potatoes.

The Waitrose recipe of the week is Heston’s Scotch eggs and that means all the ingredients are 1/3 off. I superlove Scotch eggs so I’m filing this one away for impressing house guests.

I’m willing to bet this is harder than it sounds. For example I can see it being a bit of a comedy show trying to get the boiling hot eggs into the ice water at precisely 1 minute 45 seconds but maybe that would just be me.

If you’re game, here is the recipe. From Waitrose.com to me to you.

Ingredients
10 medium eggs
450g Waitrose Premium Pork Sausagemeat Stuffing or 6 Waitrose Gourmet Pork Sausages, skins removed
1 heaped tsp thyme leaves (approximately ¼ packet)
45g French’s mustard
½ level tsp cayenne pepper
Seasoning
1 packet of chives, chopped
Plain flour
50ml milk
125g Cooks’ Ingredients Breadcrumbs
Ground nut oil, for frying

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190c, gas mark 5. Place 8 eggs in a large pan with enough cold water to cover them by 2cm and place over a high heat. As soon as the water starts to simmer, set a timer for 1 minute 45 seconds exactly. While the eggs are cooking, fill a bowl with cold water and ice and after the exact time has elapsed, take the eggs out of the saucepan and plunge them into the water to cool.
2. Place the sausagemeat in a bowl and add the thyme, mustard, cayenne pepper, seasoning, chopped chives and 2 tablespoons of water. Mix thoroughly and form 8 patties with your hands (dip your hands in cold water if the mix sticks). Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
3. Once the eggs are cool enough to handle, gently remove the shells. Flatten each pattie into a circle and place an egg in the centre. Wrap the sausagemeat around the egg, pressing the edges in order to seal it but being careful not to press too hard.
4. Put the flour into a small bowl and season. In a second small bowl, beat the remaining 2 eggs and stir in the milk. Put the breadcrumbs into a third bowl. Roll each egg in the flour, gently tapping off any excess, then dip it in the beaten egg and finally, roll it in the breadcrumbs, making sure that all sides are coated
5. Heat a deep fat fryer to 190c or fill a saucepan with oil deep enoughto cover the eggs and heat to 190c. Fry the Scotch eggs 2 at a time for 2 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a drying rack over a baking tray. When all the eggs have been fried, place the tray in the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Serve immediately while the yolks are still runny.Copyright Heston Blumenthal 2010

Serving tips
Make a mustard mayonnaise to dip the eggs in by stirring 1 tbsp of French’s mustard into 3 tbsp of mayonnaise.

I got this great tip sheet from FreshHerbs.co.uk and I thought it would be really handy to share it with you.

I usually buy a bunch of rosemary or coriander for one recipe and then the rest goes to waste (for shame!) so the ideas here are a great reminder of how to use your herbs and not waste them!

Rosemary

* Throw some fresh rosemary on the barbecue. It creates a wonderful aroma which will make your mouth water.
* Chicken is a perfect partner for Rosemary, so lay a sprig on your chicken pieces on the barbecue.
* Jazz up a tub of fresh olives by combining them with fresh chopped rosemary (discarding the woody stem first), finely chopped sundried tomatoes and a little olive oil.

Coriander

* To make a tasty marinade for the barbecue, combine two tablespoons of fresh chopped coriander with the juice of one lime, one tablespoon olive oil and crushed garlic clove with freshly ground black pepper. Use to marinade chicken or mushroom and halloumi kebabs either as a vegetarian option or side dish.
* Add a taste of the Mediterranean to your summer dishes by making a vibrant salsa. Take four large ripe chopped tomatoes, add two tablespoons chopped fresh coriander, half a red onion, two de-seeded and chopped green chillies, the juice of one lime and a pinch of sugar and season.
* Add a taste of Mexico to your summer barbecue by combining coriander with green chillies, garlic and lime juice to make a dressing for vegetables.

Chives

* For a tasty and indulgent side dish, bake your potatoes and when cooked, cut in half and carefully scoop out the insides without damaging the skins. Mix in a bowl with a dash of cream, butter, a handful of chopped chives and some grated cheese. Scoop back into the shells and place under a hot grill for a few minutes until browned.
* To add a personal touch to your summer salads, just add a handful of chopped fresh herbs. In addition to making your salad look spectacular, chopped chives, parsley, coriander and basil all add wonderful taste and texture.
* Snip chives into sour cream to create a home-made sour cream and chive dip.

Mint

* Fresh mint is the staple of the British summer. Keep it to hand to add to Pimms, decorate sorbets and desserts and to make refreshing mint tea by simply steeping a handful in hot water.
* Mint is also delicious in a mint, lime and yogurt marinade, using two tablespoons low fat plain yogurt, half a tablespoon of chopped fresh mint and the finely grated zest and juice of half a lime. The marinade is delicious with lean lamb leg steaks cut into cubes as a kebab.
* Pop some sprigs of mint on the saucepan when you’re boiling new potatoes. It gives them a fresh but subtle flavour. Discard the leaves when you drain the potatoes, but garnish with more mint just before serving.

Basil

* The refreshing flavours of mozzarella, tomatoes and basil are a classic combination which make the perfect accompaniment to barbecued meat. Simply slice beef tomatoes and mozzarella lay them on a plate, each disc overlapping and garnish with lots of torn basil leaves. The vibrant colours are sure to impress your guests and brighten up the table.
* Liven up garlic bread by adding some basil. Chop a handful of basil leaves and combine with two tablespoons butter and two garlic cloves. Spread the butter mixture on ciabatta (sliced lengthways) and grill for 2-3 minutes.
* Make the most of summer flavours by roasting tomatoes in a little olive oil and garlic. Add a few handfuls of torn basil and serve with crusty bread

Parsley

There are two varieties of parsley – curly or flat leafed. Flat leaf is used widely in Mediterranean cooking and has a stronger, sweeter flavour than curly.
*Fresh chopped parsley is delicious stirred through pasta with a little olive oil, for a simple, but tasty dish.
*For a light summer lunch, add chopped fresh parsley to a cheese omelette
*Add chopped fresh parsley to homemade croutons.

The best way to store cut herbs is to either place the bag in the salad drawer of the refrigerator or for maximum freshness, cut 2cm off the stalks and put in a cup of water in the refrigerator. Try to avoid submerging the leaves in the water.

Strawberries are in season and on sale in every shop. Our amazing British strawberries need no embellishment but if you’re looking for more ways to use them, here are a few ideas!

American strawberry shortcake – The classic American summer dessert. I’ve simplified this recipe from Waitrose.

Ingredients
250g self-raising flour
50g butter, diced
50g caster sugar
100-150ml milk

Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Lightly butter a 20cm-diameter cake tin with a removable base. Sieve the flour into a large bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and rosemary and stir in enough milk to draw the mixture into a soft dough. Knead briefly until smooth. Roll out lightly on a floured surface, and gently press evenly into the prepared tin. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until risen, firm to the touch and golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Serve with heaps of sliced strawberries sweetened with caster sugar and whipped cream.

Strawberry jam – Try this dead-simple strawberry jam recipe from Jamie Oliver.

Ingredients
1 vanilla pod
1kg strawberries, washed and hulled
500g high pectin sugar (jam sugar)

Method
Slit the vanilla pod in half lengthways with a sharp knife and scrape down the length of each half to remove the seeds. Put the seeds in a bowl with the strawberries and the sugar. Mush up with the end of a whisk, making sure you leave some chunks of strawberry.

Pour the strawberry mixture into a saucepan and place on a medium heat. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. Then turn the heat off, skim any foam or scum off the top of the jam and leave to cool a little. Pour into clean jam jars and allow to cool completely before covering and placing in the fridge. The jam will keep for about a week.

Strawberry ice cream – Nigella’s recipe looks amazing!

Ingredients
500g strawberries
175g caster sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
500ml full-fat milk
500ml double cream
1 vanilla pod
10 egg yolks
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Method

1. Hull and roughly chop the strawberries, put them into a bowl and sprinkle over the 2 tablespoons of caster sugar and leave them to steep and infuse with flavour.
2. Pour the milk and cream into a heavy-based saucepan, and add the vanilla pod, split down the middle lengthways. Bring the pan nearly to the boil and then take it off the heat and leave to infuse for 20 minutes.
3. In a large bowl whisk the egg yolks and the 175g sugar until thick and pale yellow. Take the vanilla pod out of the milk and cream and pour, whisking the while, the warm liquid over the yolks. Put the cleaned-out pan back on the heat with the cream, milk, egg and sugar mixture and stir the custard until it thickens, then take it off the heat and pour it into a bowl to cool.
4. Purée the strawberries in a processor, and when the custard is cool fold in the lemon juice and strawberry purée.
5. At this point you can either freeze the ice cream in an ice-cream maker, or in a plastic tub in the freezer. If you do the latter you should whip it out every hour for 3 hours as it freezes and give it a good beating, either with an electric whisk, by hand or in the processer. That gets rid of any ice crystals that form and that make the ice cream crunchy rather than smooth.
ADDITIONAL INFO – Before you begin making the custard fill the sink half full with cold water. If you think the custard looks like splitting at any stage, plunge the pan into the cold water and whisk like mad.

We’ve been eating loads of stir fry lately because its pretty quick and so good for you. I love trying to get as many colours of veg in the mix as possible. Last night we tried this brilliant, easy and healthy stir fry recipe from Waitrose, which turned out to be SO much better than stir fry with a packet of sauce (as we usually make it).

We altered the recipe by cooking it with one chicken breast (it was a big one) and two packets of veg which comes out a bit cheaper. Now that we have the ginger and spices, we can make this a bunch of times for even less than the £2.40 estimated. And of course you can find cheaper veg at Tesco, but I did really enjoy the rainbow mix this recipe called for.

Overall this was so delicious and fresh and the flavours are perfect together. I highly recommend it!

Ingredients:

2 essential Waitrose British chicken breast fillets
1tbsp plain flour
½ tsp Chinese Five Spice (we could only find the paste version, but that was nice too)
1tbsp sunflower oil (we used sesame)
180g bag Waitrose Ready Prepared Rainbow Vegetables
¼ tsp crushed chillies
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
20g piece Chinese Stem Ginger in Syrup, chopped plus 2 tbs syrup

Method:

1. Cut the chicken into thin slices. Mix together the flour, five spice powder and seasoning, then place in a plastic bag. Add in the chicken strips and toss to coat.
2. Heat half the oil in a wok or frying pan. Add the chicken to the pan and stir fry for 3–4 minutes until cooked through, with no pink meat, and golden. Remove and set aside the chicken, then pour the remaining oil into the pan. Add the rainbow vegetables and chillies and fry for 4 minutes until almost tender.
3. Return the chicken to the pan. Add the lemon zest and juice, ginger and syrup and stir-fry for 1–2 minutes to give a sticky sauce. Serve with fresh noodles or steamed rice.

There was an amazing-looking recipe for Cumin & Coriander Hummus in my latest Netmums Foodie Team newsletter and it reminded me that I really, really want to try making hummus from scratch – not least because there are several tins of chick peas in our cupboard from a sale.

According to Jamie Oliver, “if you are a hummus eating family, making hummus at home saves money. You can make 4 cups of organic hummus for under $5.00 [about £3.50]. Stores sell 1 cup of non-organic hummus for about the same price.”

This recipe is from The New Home Larder by Judith Wills and I’m reprinting it to share it with you AND, more importantly, to remind myself to pick up the rest of the ingredients and make it!

Cumin & coriander hummus

Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 level tsp coriander seed
1 level tsp cumin seed
4 or more tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, or 2-3 tsp ready-minced garlic
1 tbsp light tahini
juice of 1 large lemon
black pepper

Method:

Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and mash them lightly with a potato masher or fork until you see the skins begin to separate from the peas. This is a bit of a bind, but use your fingers to pick out the skins from the peas, and discard.

Now grind the coriander and cumin seed using a pestle and mortar or electric grinder, and add to the chickpeas with half the olive oil.

Peel and crush the garlic and add to the peas with the tahini, lemon juice and some seasoning. Now blend it all together using a hand blender – or you could transfer to the goblet of an electric blender bowl and mix in there, adding more olive oil as necessary (you may need a lot more than you think.)

Don’t over mix – it is nice if you have a few lumpy bits of chickpea left at the end. Check the taste and , if you think it’s necessary, add extra seasoning or lemon juice.

Serves 4-8

Tips: To save time you could, of course, use ready ground coriander and cumin.
You can also make the hummus without removing the chickpea skins, the success of which will depend on the brand of chickpeas you are using.

If you’re trying to eat seasonally, you’ll find asparagus is in season this month. Asparagus is heaven and really doesn’t need much fancy prep, but if you’d like to be more adventurous, here are a few ideas that landed in my inbox from Tesco!

Asparagus, herb and gruyère omelette (pictured)

Ingredients
20g (¾oz) asparagus spears
2 large eggs
2tbsp chopped herbs, such as chives and parsley
small knob of butter
20g (¾oz) finely grated Gruyère cheese

Method
Blanch asparagus in boiling salted water for three minutes, drain and finely chop.

Lightly whisk the eggs, season and stir in the herbs.

Sizzle the butter in a small non-stick pan and add the eggs. With a palette knife draw in the cooked egg and tip the pan to allow the runny egg to cook slightly.

Add the cheese and asparagus, fold over the omelette and serve.

Spaghetti salmon primavera

Ingredients
200 g (7oz) spaghetti (we like Finest extra-long spaghetti)
25 g (1oz) frozen petit pois
50 g (2oz) fresh asparagus tips, chopped
200 ml carton Healthy Living crème fraiche
1 spring onion, finely chopped
Ground black pepper
80 g (3oz) smoked salmon trimmings

Method
Cook the pasta according to the instructions.

Meanwhile, cook the peas and asparagus in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain.

Put the crème fraiche into a pan and heat gently, but don’t boil. Add the spring onion, salmon, peas and asparagus and heat until everything is warmed through. Season.

Drain the spaghetti and return to the pan. Pour over the sauce and toss well together. Serve immediately in warm bowls.

Asparagus and tuna tart

Ingredients
500g (1lb)puff pastry
375g (12oz) tuna steak
400g (13oz) asparagus
125g (4oz) quark
1 egg
75ml (3fl oz) milk

Method
Heat oven to Gas 4, 180°C, fan160°C. Brush a 36x12cm (14x5in) loose-bottomed flan tin with a little melted butter.

Roll out the pastry, line the flan tin and place in the fridge to chill for 10 minutes. Mix together the quark, egg and milk until blended and smooth. Cut the asparagus and tuna into lengths that fit the width of the tart case.

Pour in the quark mix and alternately arrange the tuna and asparagus evenly in the case. Place in the lower part of the oven and bake for 30 minutes; reduce the temperature to Gas 3, 170°C, fan150°C, and cook for a further 10 minutes.

Serve with green salad leaves.

Continuing this week’s sandwich theme, here is a roundup of sandwich recipes from celebrity chefs we love! Now you can eat like the rich and famous with simple sandwich recipes.

First up, my favourite, Jamie Oliver:

Fried Mozzarella and Prosciutto Sandwiches (pictured above)

Ingredients:
1 egg
3 tbsp milk
4 slices rustic, ciabatta–style bread
1 large fresh mozzarella, sliced
4 slices prosciutto
Olive oil and butter, for frying

Method:
Whisk up the egg and milk and season. Top two bread slices with mozzarella and prosciutto and season. Cover with remaining bread, then dip and turn the sandwiches in the egg mixture.

Fry in a pan with oil and butter over medium heat for five minutes each side, until golden and the mozzarella begins to melt.

Next, from Nigella Lawson:

Nigella’s Hungarian Sandwich

Ingredients:
2 slices black bread*
1 to 2 tablespoons cream cheese
1 to 2 tablespoons best quality black cherry jam

*Cook’s Note: Black bread can be found at speciality Polish bakeries and some supermarkets. Brown or rye bread can be substituted.

Method:
Smear a slice of black bread with the cream cheese, and top with the black cherry jam. Top with the second slice of bread and serve.

And finally, Delia Smith:

Open-faced Egg, Chive and Spring Onion Sandwiches

Ingredients:
3 small bread rolls, warmed, halved and buttered
3 large eggs, hard-boiled
1 rounded tablespoon fresh snipped chives
4 spring onions, very finely chopped (including most of the green as well)
½ teaspoon butter
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
salt and freshly milled black pepper
1 box fresh cress

Method:
As soon as the eggs are cool enough, peel them, discard the shells and place the eggs in a bowl with the rest of the topping ingredients. Now take a large fork and mash like mad until the eggs are thoroughly blended with the rest of the ingredients. Then pile it on to the rolls and sprinkle each one with the cress before serving.

The new site Love Dips recommends swapping fresh dips for mayonnaise to save calories and fat and add vitamins diet without running over budget.

According to the site, you can swap a tablespoon of mayonnaise for salsa and you’ll save a whopping 94 calories and 11g of fat, or tzatziki 84 calories and 10g of fat. As well as making it easy to cut calories dips are full of vitamins and minerals; the avocado in guacamole is a great source of vitamin E, while the tomatoes, onions and chillies in salsa are a great provider of antioxidants such as lycopene (which give tomatoes their red colour) and quercetin, a flavonoid antioxidant. The Greek yoghurt in tzatziki also contains bone friendly calcium and almost all fresh dips contain vegetable, rapeseed or olive oils meaning they are high in beneficial unsaturated fats and light on unhealthy saturated fats.

Here are a few new recipes to try, courtesy of Love Dips:

THREE BEAN AND CHEESE AND CHIVE WRAP (pictured)
Prep: 10 mins Cooking: none Serves 4
Per serving: 327 kcal, 19.7g fat, 10.3g saturates, 4.8g sugars, 1.46g salt

1 (400g) can mixed beans in brine, drained and rinsed
a dash of Tabasco sauce if liked
4 wholemeal tortilla wraps
120ml/8tbsp cheese and chive dip
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 little gem heart lettuce, shredded
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Place the beans in a bowl and season with Tabasco sauce and black pepper to taste.
2. Lay the wraps out on a clean board, spread 30ml/2tbsp dip over each, leaving a 2.5cm/1in border clear around the edge of the wrap.
3. Scatter the beans, chopped tomatoes and lettuce, evenly over the dip. Fold the sides in, over the filling slightly, then starting at the side nearest to you, roll up the wrap to seal.
4. Wrap in clear film and chill until required. Serve cut in two.

GUACAMOLE BACON AND CHICKEN SANDWICH
Prep: 5 mins Cooking: 4-5 mins Makes 2
Per serving: Energy 392kcal, Fat 14.2g, Of which saturates 4.0g, Total sugars 2.9g, Salt 1.72g

4 rashers streaky bacon
4 medium thick slices Granary bread
4-6 tbsp guacamole
75g cooked chicken breast, sliced

1. Cook the bacon under a hit grill for 4-5 mins, turning, until crisp. Drain in kitchen paper and cool.
2. Lay the bread out on a board, spread both slices with guacamole. Top with the bacon and chicken, then sandwich together. Wrap in clear film and refrigerate if not serving straight away. Eat within 6 hrs of making.

SMOKED SALMON AND CRUNCHY SLAW WRAP
Prep: 10 mins Cooking: none Makes 2
Per serving: Energy 289kcal, Fat 7.4g, Of which saturates 2.0g, Total sugars 11.3g, Salt 2.93g

half a small bulb fennel
1 large carrot, peeled and trimmed
half a red apple, quartered and cored
2 tsp lemon juice
4 tbsp tzatziki
75g/3oz smoked salmon
2 multigrain wraps

1. Finely shred the fennel and place in a bowl. Coarsely grate the carrot and apple, then add to the bowl. Squeeze over the lemon juice and mix together. Add the tzatziki and fold through until the vegetables are coated.
2. Place the wraps on a board, divide the smoked salmon between the two, then top with the slaw mix. Roll up the wraps, folding in the ends to enclose the filling. Wrap in clear film and refrigerate if not serving straight away. Eat within 6 hours of making.

CRUNCHY VEG & HOUMOUS SUBS
Prep: 5 mins Cook: none Serves 2
Per serving: Energy 361kcal, Fat 15.3g, Of which saturates 2.3g, Total sugars 7.4g, Salt 1.48g
This recipes provides two thirds GDA of Vitamin C

2 wholemeal, seeded subs, split
6 tbsp of fresh Houmous dip
quarter each red and orange pepper, cut into sticks
50g cucumber, cut into sticks

1. Open the rolls, then spread half the houmous in each, top with the pepper and cucumber sticks and serve.

TEX MEX CHICKEN WRAP
Prep: 5 mins Cook: 0 mins Serves 1
Per serving: Energy 352kcal, Fat 20.1g, Of which saturates 8.5g, Total sugars 6.3g, Salt 1.4g
This recipes provides a third of your GDA of Vitamin C

1 large seeded tortilla wrap
1 Tex Mex multi pack containing fresh Guacamole, Salsa and Sour Cream and Chive dips
50g/2oz cooked chicken breast, broken into pieces
50g/2oz red and yellow pepper sticks
25g/1oz shredded little gem lettuce

1. Place the wrap on a clean board. Spread about 2 tbsp of Salsa dip all over the wrap. Next spoon about 2 tbsp Guacamole on the centre of the wrap. Top the Guacamole with the chicken, pepper sticks and finally the lettuce.
2. Spoon about 2 tbsp Sour Cream and Chive dip over the vegetables and chicken. Now with the line of chicken and vegetables lying horizontally to you, fold over the two vertical edges and start rolling up the wrap away from you to enclose the filling.
3. Use a sharp knife to cut the wrap in two before serving. Once filled its best to serve the wrap within 3 hours or it will become soggy.

How often do you pick up those recipe cards at the supermarket? I am forever collecting them, especially at Waitrose. And sometimes I actually cook them!

Well this time I was doing a quick shop and all the ingredients to make this week’s featured recipe, Delia’s Seafood Risotto, were right in front of me at Waitrose so I decided to go all in. The recipe card said it would ring in at £2.55 per serving for four servings but I actually think we came out below that because we had a few ingredients in our cupboard and I didn’t buy the gruyere for topping. That said, I’m not sure if that price reflects normal prices or the current sale prices.

In the end, though I screwed up the rice bit so that we lost about a quarter of it to the bottom of the pan, resulting in us making just three servings, it was truly amazing for a quick and budget meal. Plus there were glasses of wine left from the bottle of wine I bought for cooking, which meant we had a really lovely mid-week dinner! Highly recommend. (just remember to stir a bit whilst cooking – with risotto rice you’re allowed to according to E)

Here is the recipe, courtesy of Waitrose.com:

Serves: 4

Ingredients

400g pack frozen Waitrose Fruits de Mer (uncooked)
275ml Arborio rice (as measured in a glass jug)
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 x 780g jar Perard Soupe de Poissons
120ml dry white wine
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large shallot, peeled and chopped

For the sauce rouille:
½ teaspoon salt flakes
1 fat clove new season garlic
1 rounded teaspoon Seasoned Pioneers Hot Paprika (not smoked)
2 heaped tablespoons Delouis Fils Fresh Mayonnaise

To serve:
4 tablespoons Waitrose Grated Swiss Gruyère cheese

Method

1. First, prepare the sauce by pounding the salt and garlic to a paste with a pestle and mortar, then stir in the paprika and mayonnaise and whisk it all together.
2. Now in a medium saucepan or flameproof casserole heat the butter and 1 teaspoon of oil, then stir in the rice and, when it’s all glistening and the grains are coated with butter and oil, pour in the soup and wine (no need to season). Give it all a good stir and turn the heat down so that everything simmers very gently (without a lid) for about 20 minutes, giving it a stir from time to time.
3. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan and, when it’s hot, add the shallot, cook for about 5 minutes, then add the fruits de mer straight from the freezer (stand back, as they will splutter as they go in). Keep the heat high and stir it all around for about 5 minutes until the prawns have turned pink and opaque on both sides. Then transfer the whole lot to join the rice after the 20 minutes are up. Stir well and continue to cook for another 6 or so minutes, until the rice grains are tender but still have some bite. Serve the risotto in warmed bowls.
4. Then at the table add little blobs of sauce and a sprinkling of cheese.

Recipe adapted from Delia’s Happy Christmas published by Ebury Press 2009. Copyright Delia Smith 2010