Hummus is a great food and can be bought in most good health food shops and supermarkets. It is even possible to organic hummus now. But there is nothing to beat home made hummus.

Serves 6-8

• 450g/1lb chickpeas or 2 tins (400g/14oz) of organic cooked chickpeas, drained
• 4 large garlic cloves
• 2 hot red chillies (optional)
• Juice of about 3 lemons
• About 150ml/¼ pint tahini
• 85g/30z pitted black olives, plus a few for garnish
• 2 tsps ground cumin
• 1 tsp of sea salt
• Organic virgin olive oil, to dress
• A little paprika, to garnish
• Chopped flat-leaved parsley, to garnish
• Warm wholemeal pitta bread, to serve

If using dried chickpeas, soak them overnight in water. Next day, discard the water, cover with fresh water and bring to the boil. Lower the heat, add one of the garlic cloves and the chillies and simmer for one hour, until just soft. Drain, reserving the water and discarding the garlic and chillies.

Reserving a few whole chickpeas, put the rest in a food processor with the lemon juice, tahini, olives, cumin, 150ml/¼ of the reserved water (or plain water if using tinned chickpeas) and sat. Chop the remaining garlic, add to the processor and blitz to a coarse puree. The consistency should not be too smooth, with pieces of chickpeas giving texture. Add more water if too dry. Adjust the flavouring with more tahini and lemon juice.

Spread the hummus on individual plates, forking circular ridges on the surface. Pour a little olive oil over and arrange a few whole chickpeas and olives on top, dust with a little paprika and garnish with the flat leave parsley. Serve with warm pitta bread.

(Enough for 4)

This is a lovely summer dip and can be eaten with raw carrot, celery and cucumber sticks or used as a filling in wholemeal pitta bread.

•  1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 6 tablespoons of mayonnaise – either use an egg free mayonnaise or an all natural mayonnaise – both should be without sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 3 hard boiled organic eggs
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 teaspoon clear honey or maple syrup
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste (optional)

Put all the ingredients in the blender and switch on.

Ingredients: 

• 700g (1.5lbs) organic dates, stoned and roughly chopped
• 1.0 litre (38fl oz) organic porridge oats
• 500ml (18fl oz) organic wholemeal flour, organic spelt or gluten free flour
• 175 ml (6fl oz) barley malt
• 175 ml (6fl oz) organic sunflower oil

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF. Grease a baking tin or dish 25 x 30cm (10 x 12ins).

Place the dates in a saucepan and cover with water. Simmer until the dates are soft.

Combine the oats and flour in a blender. Add the malt and oil and blend thoroughly. (If you measure out the oil first and then use the same measuring jug for the barley malt, the malt just slips out easily.)

Put three quarters of the oat mixture in the bottom of the greased tin and press it down well with your hands. Spread the dates over the top. Spread the remaining oat mixture on top of the dates. Bake for 40 minutes or until brown.