Last week I mentioned that I will be staying off the naughty foods for a while and sticking to good, wholesome, deliciously filling and naturally low fat foods and so here is the first in the series of healthy, but lip-smackingly good meals perfect for this time of year.

When chocolate cake just isn’t doing it for me, this is simply the only choice for me. Something about moist vanilla sponge with a sharp citrusy sugared crust, satisfies my taste buds on all accounts.

This week, I dreamt up the perfect shortbread cookies studded with deliciously creamy chunks of white chocolate, crunchy pistachio nuts and perfumed with the grated zest of fresh oranges… They make for the most heavenly mouthful of crumbly, buttery goodness and a fabulous gift that anyone would be lucky to receive

My wonderful friend in New York, Carrie (no, not the one from Sex and The City) very kindly shared this fantastic recipe with me and the results were so good, I just had to share it with you.

Most people think partridge is for the rich and countrified folk of our great nation. Not so, my friends… Partridge, when in season, is widely available in good supermarkets and butchers alike. It’s not as strong and gamey as you would believe and its size means it doesn’t take long to cook, so it is perfect for a quick cook meal.

I confess I don’t have much of a sweet tooth and would always choose savoury over sweet, however a honking great slab (notice I say ‘slab’ and not a girly ‘slice’) of devilishly good chocolate cake can always change my mind. Dark chocolate Moelleux cake is similar to a chocolate fondant cake, with a melting middle, but slightly less liquid than your average fondant, as well using only a little flour.

Concluding my series of Persian cookery, my final offering is a wonderful and special dish from Iran called Khoreshteh Fesenjan (‘Khoreshteh’ means ‘Stew of’) Fesenjan is a rich, glossy ragout of walnuts and pomegranate syrup with chicken which is served simply with some basmati rice.

Continuing with the theme of Persian cooking, I bring you the second of my three traditional Persian recipes, in the hope that I can introduce you to the wonderfully diverse and authentic cuisine of the country in which I was born, Iran.

Wanting to share a little of my Persian heritage with you, I am bringing you 3 recipes over the next few weeks, to introduce you to the wonderfully diverse and authentic cuisine of the country in which I was born, Iran. The first is Persian Dried Lime, Beef and Split Pea Stew (Khoreshteh Gheymeh.

As Mussels are best at this time, I wanted to bring you a lovely dish from Spain that has all the warmth and vibrancy of summer with bags of flavour and an abundance of seafood which always reminds me on being on holiday. As the weather gets colder and greyer, this is just the type of dish that gives me the much-needed ‘sunshine’ to get me through the week.