This beautiful grain and nut cake is a true favourite of mine and I hereby give you permission to eat cake whenever you want. So simple to make yet so unusual in flavour, this two-fruit cake is based on buckwheat and almonds, while bay leaf adds a subtle herbaceous fragrance. The cake is gluten-free, so long as the baking powder used is gluten-free too. Served with tea, it’s a nourishing, sustaining feel-good cake.

I recently had the pleasure of joining Miznon chef Afik Gal for a hummus workshop / worship at the Mount Zero factory in Melbourne. We were joined by 20 or so hummus acolytes with a passion for perfect puree. Afik made a batch of hummus in a mortar and pestle and another big batch in the Thermomix. One of his main messages was to make hummus that you think is delicious, adjusting lemon, salt and consistency as you go.  This is Afik's recipe but this is your hummus!

Fun to make, enchanting to serve and lovely to eat, this brioche-style bread is an all-round win. Making the interlocking heart shapes can be a little challenging but who said the path of true love should run smooth?

This magical lemony tahini saucy magnificence is brilliant with roast veg salads but it’s also incredible over grilled meats, dolloped into pides or sandwiches, or over other salads.

During lockdown, when I was shopping for my parents, they always put kohlrabi on their shopping list. This tart, earthy yet slightly sweet member of the cabbage family isn’t a vegetable I often bought, but I started getting one for them and one for me, gaining a new appreciation for it along the way.

You know about being cool as a cucumber. How about being cool with a cucumber? Here are three simple recipes that make cucumber the star and you the winner.

Have it because its gut healthy or just because it's tasty. This relish is great on sandwiches, with cheese platters and crackers, or use it more as a salsa, piled over barbecued chops, sausages and steak.

This delightful recipe is from Julia Busuttil Nishimura's book, A Year of Simple Family Food. It's her spin on a Maltese dip that's made with dried broad beans. Using fresh seasonal pods makes for a bright, green burst of spring on a cracker.

I am all about the picnic right now and these are my cake of choice. Friands are small, delicate oval-shaped cakes made with a batter based on almond and egg white. My rustic version starts with natural almonds, rather than traditional blanched almonds or snowy white almond meal. I am enjoying the last of the pears at the moment so I’ve used them, but classic friand additions include raspberries and blueberries so feel free to use those instead.