This week I’m in the south of France, visiting my mother-in-law in Agde - not a noted gastronomic destination up to now but on this visit we’ve found two restaurants that have really impressed me and come up with some great ideas you could easily adapt for home entertaining over the Christmas period

Open any French food magazine and you’ll find pages devoted to them. There are whole books on the subject. No surprise, really - they’re easy, they’re pretty and they make you look like a great cook!

Whether you’re hosting a meal for friends or a professional restaurateur it’s time to go back to the ‘50s for inspiration

I love pies but you can’t get away from the fact that they’re fiddly and time-consuming so here’s a neat idea for cutting the time they take by at least half and possibly trimming a few calories off the meal into the bargain.

We tend to get stuck in a bit of a groove when it comes to serving cheese, picking five or six and serving them on a big cheeseboard but if you’re serious about trying to find a good wine match that isn’t the best strategy.

To kick off our new section of quick, clever food and drink ideas here are two great new ways of serving sorbets from two of London’s top women chefs, one easily adaptable to the home kitchen, the other a stylish alternative to petits fours