We have a huge selection of recipes in our cookery books category but here are just a few of our favourites recipes to whet your appetite…

CRAB & SWEETCORN SPRING ROLLS – Passion for Seafood, Gordon Ramsay
300g white crab meat
3 tbsp mustard mayonnaise
100g cooked sweetcorn, patted dry
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
12 rice paper wrappers or sheets of filo pastry (about 23cm each)
2 egg yolks, beaten with 1 tsp water
100ml classic vinaigrette
1 tbsp fresh harissa
sunflower oil for deep frying
salad leaves to serve (optional)
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Finely flake the crab meat with a fork, removing any stray pieces of shell or cartilage as you go. Season well and mix with the mustard mayonnaise, sweetcorn, basil and coriander.
Place a rice paper wrapper or a sheet of filo at an angle on a board so that one of the corners points towards you. Brush around the edges with the egg-yolk wash. Spoon about a tablespoon of the crab filling in a line near the top corner. Fold over the top corner and roll towards you a little, then fold in the sides and continue to roll up. Place on a non-stick tray. Repeat with the remaining filling, wrappers or filo and egg wash to make 12 rolls in all. Lightly brush with the remaining egg wash and chill for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile whisk the vinaigrette with the harissa and set aside.
Pour oil to a depth of 6-7cm into a deep pan and heat to a temperature of around 180?C or until a small piece of white bread turns golden brown in about 30 seconds. Deep-fry the rolls, four at a time, for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown and crisp on all sides. Reheat the oil in between batches. Drain on kitchen paper towels. Serve warm and crisp, with harissa vinaigrette as a dipping sauce. A little salad goes well with this but is not essential.

FIGS ROASTED WTH BLUE CHEESE & PROSCIUTTO – Delicious! – James Martin
8 ripe black figs
250g soft blue cheese (Roquefort or other)
8 slices prosciutto
olive oil for brushing
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
freshly ground black pepper

Cut the figs almost in half from top to bottom but leaving the halves attached at the base. Open out the 2 halves.
Cut the blue cheese into 8 cubes and sandwich between the fig halves. Close up the fig halves.
Lay the prosciutto slices flat on a board. Place one stuffed fig on each slice and roll up. Place on a baking sheet and brush lightly with the oil. When nearly ready to serve, heat the oven to 190?C.
Drizzle the vinegar over the figs and bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until the prosciutto crisps up and before the cheese starts to ooze out of the figs. Serve immediately with any pan juices spooned over and sprinkled with chopped mint and freshly ground black pepper.

TOBLERONE FONDUE – Feast, Nigella Lawson
500g Toblerone
250ml double cream
60ml milk
Fruit (strawberries, raspberries, banana, grapes), marshmallows or biscuits for dipping.

Break up the Toblerone and gently melt it with the cream and milk in a bain-marie or in a bowl over simmering water. Mix it together well. It can then be poured into a warmed pot or dish or used with a fondue set to maintain the temperature. For a more grown up version the milk can be replaced with Amaretto. Simply delicious!

LIME LEMONADE – Blender Drinks - Jan Purser, Dimitra Stais, Tracy Rurherford
125ml lemon juice
125ml lime juice
200g superfine caster sugar
1 litre soda water
8-10 mint leaves
ice cubes

Combine the lemon juice, lime juice and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring to dissolve sugar, for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a heatproof container. Refrigerate covered until completely cold, about 2 hours. To serve, add club soda and mint leaves and stir to combine. Place ice cubes in glasses and pour in over the lime lemonade. Serves four.

Cooking Guidelines and Conversions

WEIGHT CONVERSIONS

METRIC IMPERIAL
15g 0.5oz
30g 1oz
45g 1.5oz
60g 2oz
75g 2.5oz
90g 3oz
100g 3.5oz
125g 4oz
150g 5oz
175g 6oz
200g 7oz
250g 8oz
275g 9oz
300g 10oz
325g 11oz
350g 12oz
375g 13oz
400g 14oz
450g 15oz
500g 1lb

LIQUID CONVERSIONS

METRIC IMPERIAL US MEASURMENTS
5ml 1/6 fl oz 1 teaspoon
15ml ½ fl oz 1 tablespoon
30ml 1 fl oz 2 tablespoons
45ml 1 ½ fl oz 3 tablespoons
60ml 2 fl oz ¼ cup
75ml 2 ½ fl oz 1/3 cup
125ml 4 fl oz ½ cup
150ml 5 fl oz 2/3 cup
175ml 6 fl oz ¾ cup
250ml 8 fl oz 1 cup
600ml 1 pint 2 ½ cups
900ml 1 ½ pints 3 ¾ cups
1 litre 1 ¾ pints 4 cups

TEMPERATURE CONVERSIONS
?F ?C GAS MARK
225 110 ¼
250 120-130 ½
275 140 1
300 150 2
325 160-170 3
350 180 4
375 190 5
400 200 6
425 220 7
450 230 8
475 240 9

CAKE TIN SIZES

CENTIMETERES INCHES
10cm 4”
15cm 6”
18cm 7”
20cm 8”
23cm 9”
25cm 10”

SOME OTHER USEFUL MEASUREMENTS
3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon
4 tablespoons = ¼ cup
8 tablespoons = ½ cup
16 tablespoons = 1 cup
2 cups = ½ litre
4 cups = 1 litre