Jewelled gazpacho - this very typical Spanish dish is sexed up by tiny little frozen pieces of cucumber, red pepper, radish and tomato that sit like a heap of treasure on the top of the silky cold mixture. Served in shot glasses this cold soup has a hot kick to it that will confuse your taste buds.

Radish, cucumber and red onion salad with mint and orange blossom dressing. This is a new Middle Eastern dish that I have had my eye on for a while. It was only till we went down to London a few weeks ago and took a walk down Edgeware Road that I have been able to amass the ingredients… let’s face it Orange Blossom water isn’t that easy to come by in Darwen. It’s crunchy, light and refreshing with the sweet dressing counteracting the acidity. Don’t forget to let me know how you get on with this one.

Halloumi with Sumac and Mint - Crisp, golden, salty halloumi seasoned with sumac, mint, parsley and garlic. I can’t eat halloumi, the squeakiness of the cheese makes me run a mile but I am reliably informed that this is delicious.

Avocado and tahini dip – this Middle Eastern take on Guacamole is extra delicious.

Now for the hot stuff - no not ALAN ... the food!

Cauliflower with saffron, pinenuts and raisins – I love cauliflower and it is always a challenge to find a recipe that puts a bit of glamour in to what can be a dull, white vegetable. The Saffron not only gives this dish a bit of pizzazz but turns the cauliflower golden yellow.

Our meaty main is Spiced Lamb Kefta – these homemade round patties of lamb are delicious. When you bite in to them you get a burst of juicy sweetness from the currants and the lamb followed by a crunch from the toasted pine nuts.

Citrus Spiced Salmon - I wasn’t convinced about this dish at first as I thought that the spices might hide the delicate salmon flavour but it does work. Sumac, lime powder, cumin, cinnamon, orange and lime zest are gently rubbed in to the salmon and left overnight before they are roasted in the oven.

Roast butternut squash with a spicy tahini dressing - A secret mixture of lemon, garlic, chilli, tahini and parsley is drizzled over warm butternut squash and garnished with toasted walnuts and pine nuts, guaranteed to disappear as soon as it hits the table.

All the above dishes will be served with Persian rice - I love this way of cooking rice, you steam the rice with very little water in a large pan with a large dollop of butter in the bottom. Once it's cooked you turn the rice upside down it has a buttery crust to it, it is a bit of a unique taste so I hope you like it.

and relax ....

Lemon Posset with shortbread biscuits – I love all things lemon and this dessert is zesty, creamy and will leave you wanting more. The shortbread is so short we could be talking broken biscuits/ breadcrumbs/crumble …

Warm, straight out of the oven teeny weeny little Eccles cakes – I bet you can’t just have one!!

If you have room there is a selection of foreign and local cheese some hard, some soft - so soft they are practically gooey served with grapes, walnuts, figs, biscuits and homemade chilli tomato chutney (made by Ginny). Let me know if you would like some.

Freshly ground Brazilian coffee served with a variety of after dinner mints. Our variety of liqueur coffees knows no bounds. We have whiskey, both Irish and Scottish, Brandy, Tia Maria, Baileys, Tequila, Rum, Amaretto; you name it we’ve got it !!! There is also Yorkshire tea, mint tea, green tea, liquorice tea, pomegranate and apple tea and decaf coffee if anyone wants one.