Tom says: “Luckily for us, there are plenty of pea farmers on our east coast. In this dish, I combine cooked and raw peas, to appreciate their different qualities. Crispy Parma harm adds texture and the oozy burrata is sheer decadence. To enjoy the burrata at its best, take it out of the fridge around 30 minutes before eating.”

Serves 2 as a lunch or starter

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 slices of Parma ham
• 250g freshly podded peas
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 burrata (125g each)

For the herb oil:

• A small handful of mint leaves
• A small handful of basil leaves
• 40ml extra virgin olive oil 
• 80ml light olive oil
• ½ tsp caster sugar
• Salt and freshly ground

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas 6. Line an oven tray with baking paper.

Brush the sourdough slices on both sides with the extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Place them on the lined tray and lay the Parma ham slices on the tray too. Pop the tray in the oven for 10 minutes or until the bread is golden and the Parma ham is crisp.

Meanwhile, prepare the herb oil. Have a bowl of iced water ready. Put the herbs into a heatproof bowl, pour boiling water over them and leave for 30 seconds, then drain and plunge into the iced water to cool quickly. Drain the herbs again and squeeze out excess moisture.

Pop the herbs into a small food processor (or nutribullet). Add the extra virgin and light olive oils, the sugar and some salt and pepper. Blend until smooth then strain the oil through a muslin-lined sieve into a jug or bowl; set aside.

Add 150g of the peas to a small pan of boiling salted water and simmer for 2 minutes or until tender. Drain and refresh in cold water, then drain again.

Mix the cooked peas with the raw peas, wine vinegar and 2 tbsp of the herb oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place a burrata on each serving plate and spoon the peas alongside. Drizzle with the herb oil and scatter over the pea shoots. Serve with the crispy Parma ham slices and sourdough toasts.

Tom says: “Nothing beats a chicken traybake for a quick and easy midweek meal. I use chicken thighs here, along with plenty of garlic and tomatoes. However, it’s the sourdough (which soaks up all those glorious juices) and the delicious combination of herbs that will bring a taste of the Med to your British kitchen.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 8 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on (1.5kg in total)
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 sprigs of oregano, leaves picked and roughly chopped
• 3 sprigs of rosemary, leaves picked and roughly chopped
• 200g olive sourdough, cut into 2.5cm cubes
• 1 garlic bulb, cloves separated (but not peeled)
• 500g mixed red and yellow cherry tomatoes on-the-vine
• 100ml chicken stock
• 2 handfuls of basil leaves 
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas 6.

Place the chicken thighs in a shallow roasting tray. Drizzle with half of the extra virgin olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with half of the chopped herbs and turn each chicken thigh over to coat well on both sides.

Rearrange the chicken so that all the thighs are skin side up. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, drizzle the sourdough with the remaining extra virgin olive oil and herbs and toss well to mix. Take the tray from the oven and scatter the sourdough and garlic around the chicken. Return to the oven for 10 minutes.

Take out the tray again and tuck the cherry tomatoes around the chicken thighs. Pour over the stock and place back in the oven for another 20 minutes.

Remove the tray from the oven and scatter over the basil leaves. Let everyone help themselves to this very easy and super-tasty traybake.

Tom says: “I use both natural and Greek yoghurts to achieve the ideal consistency in this parfait. It will serve a small crowd, but you can easily slice off fewer portions when you turn it out and return the rest of the parfait to the freezer for another time. Remember that single apiary regional honey is superior to blended honey.”

Serves 10–12

Ingredients

For the almond praline:

• 100g flaked almonds
• 200g caster sugar

For the parfait:

• 8 apricots, stoned and roughly chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 100ml blossom honey
• 300ml natural yoghurt 
• 300ml Greek yoghurt
• 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways and seeds scraped out
• 3 large free-range egg whites
• 250g caster sugar

To finish:

• 4 ripe apricots, stoned and cut into wedges

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas 6. Wet the inside of a 1kg (or 2lb) loaf tin with a little water, then line with 2 layers of cling film, leaving some overhanging the edges.

For the praline, scatter the almonds on a small baking tray and place in the oven for 8–10 minutes until lightly toasted. Meanwhile, line a heatproof tray with baking paper.

Tip the sugar into a small saucepan and place over a high heat. Swirl the pan as the sugar melts and forms a caramel. When the caramel is a deep golden brown colour, add the toasted almonds and stir quickly to coat. Spoon onto the lined tray, flatten with a rubber spatula and leave to cool completely. Once cooled, break off half of the praline, chop it finely and set aside. Save the rest for the decoration.

For the parfait, put the apricots into a small saucepan with the lemon juice and honey. Bring to a gentle simmer over a medium heat and cook for 2 minutes to soften the fruit, then remove from the heat. Leave this apricot compote to cool.

Place both yoghurts and the vanilla seeds into a large bowl and whisk together until smooth. Add half of the apricot compote to the bowl and mix well.

Put the egg whites into the clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Tip the sugar into a small saucepan, add 50ml water and place over a medium-high heat to dissolve the sugar, then bring to the boil.

When the sugar syrup starts to boil, start whisking the egg whites on high speed. Once the syrup registers 117°C on a sugar thermometer (ie the soft ball stage), pour it onto the egg whites in a thin, steady stream, continuing to whisk.

When the sugar syrup is all added, turn the mixer speed to medium and whisk the meringue for a further 5–10 minutes or until the bowl is cooled down.

Add 2 large spoonfuls of the meringue to the apricot yoghurt mix and whisk to combine. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Add half of the remaining meringue and gently fold through the yoghurt, with a spatula. Repeat to incorporate the rest, folding it through until just combined. Finally, fold through the chopped praline.

Spoon half of the parfait mixture into the prepared tin. Dollop half of the remaining apricot compote over the parfait and swirl into the mixture. Spoon the remaining parfait mixture into the tin, dollop on the remaining apricot compote and swirl through.

Fold the excess cling film over the parfait and place in the freezer for at least 3 hours until firm, preferably overnight.

When you are ready to serve, turn the parfait out onto a board or plate and remove the cling film. Top with the apricot wedges and reserved praline, broken into shards. Using a warm knife, cut the parfait into thick slices and serve straight away.