Festive fruit & spice decoration

Decorating a simple iced cake with herbs, spices, nuts and fruit works to great effect and is especially easy for beginners to try

Mexican soup with chicken

All those typically Mexican flavours – lime, coriander, chilli – combined in a soup with the crunch of tortilla chips

Creamy tomato soup

A low-fat, vegetarian soup that everyone will love – passata and whole milk give a silky smooth finish

Tomato soup with tear & share cheesy bread

Use a packet mix to rustle up your own cheat’s garlic bread to serve alongside classic and creamy tomato soup

Sweetcorn dippers with sugar & spice

You may need to convince people to try this unusual recipe, but once they do they’ll be converted

Apple & spice tealoaf

Perfect with a fresh pot of tea, this looks and tastes just as good as a farmers’ market buy

Hot & sour coconut soup

A really light soup with plenty of fresh vibrant flavours. Serve it as a main course, or without rice as a light starter

Indian spice box chicken

Serve this exquisitely flavoured chicken dish with mounds of fluffy rice

Curried squash, lentil & coconut soup

Flavour up butternut squash with Indian spices for this warming and healthy vegetarian soup

Thai green chicken soup

Use chicken thighs for this – they are tastier and better value than breasts

Easy pea & mint soup

This chilled, no-cook dish makes a refreshing starter

Chunky Mediterranean fish soup

Hoki has a firm white flesh which works well in this warming soup