I love Middle Eastern cuisine, far more than just ‘the land of milk and honey’ the region is rich in oils, spices, fruits and flowers and tonight we are bringing you a treasure box of ingredients.

Starters

Kuku sabsi - a Persian, very green herb omelette speckled with barberries to add a zing of sharpness. (Veg)

Homemade, silky hummus - in Egypt this dish is served as a poor man's breakfast, it's healthy, packed with flavour and delicious (shop bought hummus will never be the same again). (Veg) (GF)

Labneh - a Middle Eastern homemade soft cheese made from whole milk yoghurt, we are serving this with black sesame seeds, a sprinkling of za'atar and drizzled with an infused olive oil. They found evidence of Za’atar in Tutankhamun’s tomb (not this one I bought this one in a market in Tel Aviv!) (Veg) (GF)

Baba Ganoush - I have a secret ambition to get you to eat more aubergine and this is step one! (Veg) (GF)

Step two on the aubergine journey is a dish called pahi, not very Middle Eastern but a nod to one of my favourite Israeli born chefs Yottam Ottolenghi, this recipe is one of his. (Veg) (GF)

Big basket of breads. (Veg)

Main course

Turmeric and lemon roasted salmon - Turmeric is a spice that has been used to flavour food for thousands of years, paired with lemon this marinade lifts the salmon leaving it moist and succulent. This, quite by accident has turned into one of my signature dishes. (GF)

Chicken and date tagine - The tagine dates back to Harun al-Rashid an Islamic emperor and the dish makes an appearance in the novel One Thousand and One nights a collection of Middle Eastern Folk tales that brought us Ali Baba and Aladdin. Paprika, cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, saffron and honey are gently balanced to bring this dish to life. (GF)

Whole roasted cauliflower with a shabu shabu dressing – roasting does something magical to cauliflower and the addition of this tahini based dressing will impress even non vegetable eating diners. (Veg) (GF)

Served with rice and tabbouleh

Dessert

For pudding we have Chocolate and Halva Brownies served with a cardamom infused whipped cream.

Flavoured meringue kisses with whipped cream (there's always meringue!) (GF)