Chantilly

How to make the perfect Chantilly, place your bowl and whisk in the freezer for 10 minutes and make sure you use whipping cream.

Pork

To make your own marinade for pork, use a table spoon of honey mixed with grated ginger (sweet and spicy)

Fresh fish

Fresh fish should have a firm texture. Push your fingers into the flesh; if your indentation stays there, the fish is not really fresh.

Fresh fish

A fresh fish should have bright scales and pink gills, the eyes must be clear, bright and not sunken.

Charcoal

Barbecue charcoal is ready when 80 per cent is covered with grey ash

Champagne

When you’re pouring the champagne, put a little in the bottom of each glass first before topping them up. This stop them overflowing and wasting all the bubbly

Beetroot salad

Don’t worry about red fingers, rub your fingers with lemon and off it goes

Oyster

Shop for a good oyster knife at a good kitchen supply store or at your local fish market. The features to look for are a thick, solid handle made of sturdy wood or plastic, a finger-guard (essential), and a short, thick blade. Strength and durability will be more important than sharpness or size.

 Open flame

Never place meat directly over an open flame. An open flame is an indication of incomplete combustion, the fire will discolor the meat by leaving a black carbon residue on the meat. Actually an open flame has a lower temperature than coals that are glowing red.

Lunches for your children

When preparing lunches for your children (or anyone), try “drinkable” ice packs: Fill a 12-ounce plastic bottle about halfway with drinking water and freeze it overnight, tilting the bottle so the water will freeze at an angle (if you freeze it straight up, the expanded water will make the bottle bulge). Next morning pack the lunch, add more drinking water to the bottle, and stick it in the lunch box to keep the food cool and be melted enough to drink by lunchtime.