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This no-bake cheesecake says summer like nothing else. Serve it as a teatime treat or as a dessert, it is creamy, fresh and deliciously cool on a summer’s day.

Take the cream cheese for this recipe from the refrigerator an hour before you start mixing the cheesecake. A soft cream cheese gives a much smoother and even result.

For the base:

200g digestive biscuits

60g butter, melted

about 15 large, fresh strawberries

Lightly spray the sides of a loose-bottomed cake tin with cooking spray.

Put the biscuits into a plastic bag and smash them with a rolling pin.

Melt the butter and mix it with the biscuit crumbs.

Spoon the crumb mixture into the cake tin and press it to the bottom of the cake tin with the back of a spoon. Get the base as even as possible.

Now cut off the bottom part of each strawberry and cut it in half. “Sit” the strawberries against the side of the cake tin with the cut sides facing towards the tin and the levelled bottoms on the crumb base.

Put aside.

For the filling:

12,5ml granulated gelatine

125ml sugar

250ml boiling water

500g cream cheese, softened

5ml vanilla

Add the gelatine and sugar to a mixing bowl and give it a mix through.

Add the boiling water to the mixture and stir constantly for 5 minutes, until all the gelatine has dissolved and the mixture has cooled slightly. This is important!

Add the cream cheese and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat the mixture until creamy. Scrape the mixture down once or twice, in between beating.

Turn the mixer onto low speed and gradually, a little at a time, add the gelatine mixture. Beat the mixture until it is blended after each addition of gelatine and before adding the rest.

Refrigerate the mixture in the mixing bowl for one hour, stirring it with a spatula every 15 minutes, until thick.

Gently spoon the cream cheese mixture into the prepared cake tin and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

Keep the cheesecake in the refrigerator.

These melt-in-the-mouth biscuits are a firm family favourite and has become a symbol of December holidays. I bake many batches of these (please don’t ask!) and keep some “hidden away” as they keep really well. To store them, sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar on the bottom of a plastic container with a lid and then line the container with baking paper.

These tiny biscuits are also the perfect baking project for tiny hands as the dough handles easily and not much can go wrong.

This recipe makes about 50 small biscuits.

125g butter, room temperature

125ml sugar

1 egg

375ml cake flour

125ml custard powder

3ml baking powder

2ml salt

Take the butter from the fridge at least one hour before you plan to start baking.

Grease a large baking sheet and preheat your oven to 200℃.

Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Add the egg and mix until incorporated. Scrape the mixture down and give it another good beating.

Sift together the flour, custard powder, baking powder and salt, in a separate mixing bowl.

Now run the mixer on low speed and add a spoonful of the flour mixture at a time. Wait a few seconds for the dry ingredients to be absorbed before adding another spoonful. Keep going until all the dry ingredients have been added.

You will now have a mixture with dry bits of flour at the bottom. Push and knead the dough with your hands to bring it together. Take it from the mixing bowl and knead it until all the dry bits are incorporated and you are left with a beautifully smooth dough.

Break off the dough with your hands and roll each piece into a ball with a 3cm diameter. Place on the baking sheet.

Flatten the balls slightly with the tines of a fork.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Cool the biscuits on a cooling rack before storing.

Chicken, orange and baby spinach is a triple-win combination and makes an uncomplicated al fresco meal. Serve this salad at room temperature with a good bread and plenty of ice cold chardonnay.

6 skinless chicken breasts (or one per person)

200g baby spinach

3 oranges, cut into segments

Sauce:

15ml garlic salt

15ml parsley, chopped

30ml brown sugar

30ml orange juice

the rind of one orange, pith removed and sliced into very thin strips

15ml lemon juice

60ml orange marmelade (or apricot jam)

Add all the ingredients for the sauce to a small saucepan and bring it to a simmer while stirring.

Once the sauce simmers, turn the heat slightly lower and allow the sauce to cook gently for 5 minutes. Do not leave the sauce!

Remove from the heat.

Put a large heavy griddle pan (with a lid) onto high heat. Leave the lid off for now.

Sear the chicken breasts for 2 minutes per side, making sure you get a good caramelisation on them and then turn the heat down to medium.

Pour the sauce over the chicken, put on the lid and allow the chicken to cook until done. About 15 – 20 minutes.

Turn off the heat but leave the chicken in the sauce to cool.

Arrange the spinach leaves and orange segments on a serving platter.

Slice each chicken breast on the diagonal and arrange on the spinach and orange.

Drizzle the cooled sauce onto the salad.

This cheesecake is my personal favourite. The white chocolate and pistachio combination makes it luxurious, silky smooth and deliciously intense. There is nothing more to say really except that you will agree; this is the king of cheesecake!

For the base:

250g digestive biscuits

100ml butter, melted

Add the biscuits to the bowl of a food processor and blitz to crumbs.

Add the butter in a stream until the crumbs are wet enough to come together.

Scoop the mixture into a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin and press firmly onto the bottom of the tin.

Set aside.

For the filling:

250ml cream

300g white chocolate, chopped into small pieces

400g cream cheese

125ml caster sugar

3 eggs

5ml vanilla

100g pistachio nuts, shelled and blanched

Preheat your oven to 180℃.

Pour the cream into a saucepan and add the chopped chocolate.

Turn the heat onto low and allow the chocolate to melt in the cream. Stir now and then.

Add the cream cheese and caster sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat until soft. Scrape down the mixture and beat for 30 seconds more.

Add the eggs one at a time, with the machine running. Beat each egg until fully incorporated before adding the next.

Add the vanilla and mix through.

Pour the chocolate and cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture and mix on medium speed for one minute.

Pour the mixture into the prepared cake base.

Bake for one hour.

Switch off the oven after the baking time but DO NOT OPEN the oven door. Allow the cake to stand in the oven for at least another hour to prevent it from cracking.

Allow the cheesecake to cool completely before decorating with the pistachio nuts and serving.

These biscuits are a chocolate lover’s dream. Each delicious bite is a chocolate explosion and be warned, they are very more-ish.

The recipe yields about 50 biscuits.

200g dark chocolate, chopped

90g butter, cubed

115g caster sugar

3 eggs

5ml vanilla

215g cake flour

25g cocoa powder

2,5ml baking powder

a pinch of salt

about 180g icing sugar

Add the chocolate and butter to a saucepan and put it onto a low heat. Stir the mixture until melted, amalgamated and completely smooth.

Turn the heat down to the lowest setting, add the caster sugar and stir until all of the sugar has dissolved.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool down. The mixture should still be warm enough to be runny.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Stir through the vanilla.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a separate mixing bowl.

Stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture until well blended.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. I often leave mine overnight – a very cold mixture is easier to work with.

Preheat your oven to 160℃.

Grease two baking sheets or line them with baking paper.

Sift the icing sugar into a bowl.

Scoop a teaspoonful of the mixture into your hands and shape it into a ball of about 3 – 4cm in diameter.

Drop the ball into the icing sugar and roll it around until it is completely covered. Place on the lined baking sheet. Space the rest of the dough balls about 5cm apart, as they will flatten and spread slightly during baking.

Bake for 12 minutes.

Allow the biscuits to cool on the baking sheets until cold before handling.

Melkkos is a traditional South African dish which is perfect for rainy days or when you simply need some comfort. This is a quick version but no less tasty than the original. If you like pancakes you will love melkkos.

This recipe will feed six people with an average appetite.

110g butter, cubed

250ml cake flour

1 litre milk

45ml butter

62ml sugar

1,2ml salt

ground cinnamon

Add the cubed butter and flour to a mixing bowl.

Rub the butter into the flour with your hands until you have dough pieces the size of peas. Set aside.

Pour the milk into a saucepan, add the 45ml butter and bring to a slow boil while stirring.

Add the flour mixture into the boiling milk while whisking continuously. Keep on whisking until all the lumps have dissolved and you are left with a really smooth mixture.

Now add the sugar and salt and turn down the heat. Cook until the mixture is thick and creamy, stirring every now and then.

Spoon the melkkos into serving bowl and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Serve piping hot.

This cocktail makes for a perfect end to a meal on those days that you simply want lazy and relaxed lunches without trim and fanfare and especially do not feel like preparing a dessert.

The recipe provides for one cocktail.

30ml very strong coffee, cooled and refrigerated

45ml sweet Marsala or sweet dessert wine

30ml ice cream, very soft

30ml coconut milk

finger biscuits

cocoa powder

Add the ingredients to a cocktail shaker or a small jug and shake/whisk for one minute.

Fill the glass with crushed ice and pour in the drink.

Place a finger biscuit in the cocktail and dust with cocoa powder.

Htipiti is a Greek spread that varies from region to region but it is mostly a cheese-based spread. I love making my spread with roasted red peppers as it adds smokiness and transports me right back to the island of Paros with its beautiful beaches and sunny days that last forever. It doubles up as a dip with crudités and delivers on all those summary Mediterranean flavours. A must-have on that al fresco menu!

200g feta cheese

125ml roasted red peppers, roughly chopped

62ml olive oil

15ml lemon juice

2,5ml smoked paprika

Add all the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine.

Serve as a spread on a meze platter with flatbread, olives, cucumber and tomato or simply as a dip with crudités.

The spread will keep for one week when refrigerated.

Ginger biscuits have always been a holiday staple but this ginger-orange combination might just replace your old-time favourite! They are a bit messy to make as the dough is really soft and sticky but it is exactly that, that gives these biscuits their wonderful snap.

The recipe makes about 120 biscuits, depending on the size you make each. Keeps well in an airtight container and can be made long in advance.

45ml orange peel, pith removed and finely chopped

juice of one orange

50g brown sugar

Add the chopped orange peel, orange juice and sugar to a small saucepan over a medium-low heat.

Stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved and it comes to a gentle simmer.

Simmer for about 5 minutes – keep your eye on it as it tends to rise up in the saucepan!

Put aside.

500g self-raising flour

10ml cream of tartar

10ml bicarbonate of soda

10ml ground ginger

2ml salt

170g butter, cubed

170 g golden syrup

300g brown sugar

2 eggs

Preheat your oven to 180℃.

Grease two large baking sheets.

Sift the flour, cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and salt into a large mixing bowl.

Add the butter to these dry ingredients and rub it in by hand.

Pour the golden syrup into a saucepan and place it on medium heat until melted.

Add the brown sugar to the syrup and stir over low heat until most of the sugar has dissolved. You will have sugar grains in the mixture – make sure it is really runny.

Add the orange and syrup mixture that you made earlier to this, stir through and take off the heat. Allow the mixture to cool to the point where it is still runny.

Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and then add it to the cooled syrup mixture, whisking as you do.

Add the syrup mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until there are no traces of dry flour left.

Now cover the dough with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator to cool for at least an hour; I leave mine overnight. Once the dough is cold it will be easier to shape.

Take the dough from the refrigerator and scoop out a teaspoon full, roll it into a ball and place it on the baking sheet. Flatten the ball slightly with your fingers. The dough balls should be about 4 cm apart on the baking sheet as they tend to spread when baking.

Once the baking sheet is filled, bake in the oven for 12 minutes.

Cool the biscuits on the baking sheet once cooked as they are very soft.

The biscuits store well in a sealed container.